Rental Repair Experience#
Plumbing and Electrical Issues#
Renting at the landlord's place, the quality of plumbing and electrical fittings is very poor. I have replaced and repaired the water pipe on the toilet, the washing machine faucet, and even the washing machine itself.
Faucet Damage#
The faucet has also been broken for two weeks. When Da Bao was washing dishes, he probably used too much force, and the seven-shaped faucet got bent. Upon inspection, the fastener fixed to the sink had a problem; it wasn't stripped but was worse than that—it was completely stripped. I tried to install it and found it wouldn't hold; at first, I thought it was broken, but now I see it was deformed and stripped. It seems to be made of thin copper, probably around 600g, though I didn't weigh it.
Troubles with Buying a New Faucet#
Choosing a Taobao Special Edition#
Buying a new faucet is a headache. What’s the headache? Wanting to spend little money and buy good quality—that's a luxury. I found a special edition on Taobao for 39, added it to the cart, and then found another for 49 and added that too. I asked about the weight; the factory version was 600-800g, which was acceptable for that price. However, I saw a buyer dismantle one and realized it was made of 304 stainless steel, but only 0.8mm thick, filled with black iron sand—clever design. It looks impressive. I suspect others that don't dare to specify weight are for the same reason. I passed on the Taobao special edition.
Concerns with Pinduoduo#
I really don’t want to mess with Pinduoduo. Although my poor labor is not worth much, frequent replacements actually cost more. Previously, I used an 8 yuan faucet; after 3 years, the pipe rusted and leaked. I replaced it with a stainless steel pipe, and after 2 years, the valve body broke again. I stopped messing around and replaced the whole set with stainless steel.
Memories of JD#
I opened JD to check the 304 stainless steel hot and cold faucet I bought for my hometown. I remember it was 1.2 or 1.4kg. The quality was pretty good. It’s been over 4 years, I think. 99 seemed reasonable. I clicked the link to check the data and found the store had closed.
Price Comparison on 1688#
I recalled comparing prices between JD and 1688 back then. 1688 was about 69, but the after-sales service was poor, though the price was cheap and the quality was decent. You can't just look at the text data; you have to check the workmanship and details in the pictures. Don't rely on text; it can be too imaginative, like beauty—everyone imagines it differently. Personally, I prefer heavier weights; for example, if two computers have the same configuration and price, the only difference is the brand and weight. I choose the heavier one. At least when it’s scrapped, I can earn more from the scrap metal, perhaps because I have a sentimental attachment from my childhood of stealing iron to sell.
JD's After-Sales Service#
At JD, I received a deformed microphone pipe. After taking a photo, the seller directly sent a replacement for the pipe. The pipe was probably not thick; the heavy part was the section of the faucet that wrapped around the valve core, made from a lathe.
Final Choice on 1688#
I directly compared prices on 1688. The faucet was over 60, but after using a coupon, it was 58. I also got two one-meter stainless steel braided hoses for about 65. The faucet weighs around 1.4kg. Now it’s listed at 95. Not sure what’s going on.
School Duty and Daily Family Life#
School Duty#
This morning was school duty. It was my fourth time. Two kids. The new principal places great importance on how students orderly enter the school in the morning. Overall, they can't enter through the main gate; it’s more like separating people and vehicles. Actually, there are no vehicles entering the school in the morning, and the principal stands in the middle of the gate. He has movable barriers in front of him, arms crossed, standing there since he just took office. Now he’s chatting with a female teacher next to him. At 7:30-7:45, when I felt a bit cold, the security guard recognized me and said, "You’re back again; this is your third time, right?" I knew he got the number wrong, but it didn’t matter; he remembered me. As I walked out of the security room, the principal greeted me, or rather, all the parents, saying, "Thank you for your hard work." I replied, "No problem. I have to go now." Today is the second-to-last day of classes.
Daily Family Life#
My mother-in-law arrived in the morning, preparing to take the two kids back to their hometown early. They left at 5:30. After picking them up, we went for breakfast. I got up at 6:30. We set off to walk to school for duty at 7:00.
Steps to Replace the Faucet#
Replacement Process#
After returning from duty, I had breakfast and then started replacing the faucet, which took about an hour and a half to complete. The landlord's previous faucet had one pipe that was a faux stainless steel cover; I didn’t want to dismantle it and thought about cutting it short. I found one that wouldn’t cut and another that was easy to cut short. It seems the installation of the faucet was to save costs, with one pipe being 60cm and the other 80cm.
Installation Order#
The final installation order was to first install one hose, then attach it to the sink, ensuring all fasteners were basically in place, then install the other hose, connect the faucet fittings, and secure everything under the sink. I fixed the hose end in place; last time I made a mistake, and this time I made another. I’ll note down the errors.