My twins were in the hallway arguing over socks (blue vs. white - what does it matter?! They wear freaking uniforms!) and my son was in the bathroom getting ready to brush his teeth. I was in my room trying to remember who I was and what these children were doing in my house when I heard a crash followed by "OH MY GOD!" and "Mommy!" and then "Mommy's gonna kill you." I mustered up all the spring I could at 7am and ran to the bathroom to find my son looking both terrified and confused while my daughters were somewhere between amazed and pleased (because they were sure he was in deep trouble). What was all the excitement?
Well, the bathroom sink had fallen off the freaking wall. I'm not kidding, a heavy porcelain sink was hanging on by the drain pipe.
My main floor bathroom needed a renovation ten years ago. But single mom, three kids, renovations aren't in the budget. We were doing ok with some minor repairs here and there. I guess over time I'd noticed the sink was sort of loose and like a bad home owner, I'd done my best to ignore it. Well three kids, one adult, teeth brushing, hand washing, hair fixing, the anchors holding this bad boy on the wall had just given up. Much to my daughters' dismay, it was not my son's fault.
I managed to get the kids off to school then came home and literally stared at the thing for about 15 minutes. Now what?
Plan A: Freak out and call Dad. Damn, dad's out of town.
Plan B: Man up.
I realize the immediate problem is that this thing is pretty heavy and is putting a lot of stress on the pipes. It's gotta come off before things get really ugly. So I propped it up to hold the weight (hello scrap of wood in the basement), turned off the supply lines (not rusted, shocking), drained the water by turning on the faucets, and grabbed the toughest looking wrench I could find. Luckily, someone had left one of those big, red Colonel-Mustard-in-the-Library-with-a-Wrench type wrenches in my basement.
I started with the supply lines using a smaller wrench (adjustable wrench) to unhook them from the water supply (where I turned the non-rusted knobs off). Then using the Col. Mustard special (Pipe Wrench), I went to work on the drain, disconnecting it where it met the wall. I figured it was all old pipe and if I was replacing the sink I might as well be uncharacteristically thorough and replace all the piping. The key to what seemed like a simple operation was not dropping the 50 or so pound sink on my head. I managed without serious brain injury.
After loosening the nut thing that was holding it to the drain, the sink basically slid right off. Now here's where other DIY Girls need to take note: Have a bucket nearby! A bunch of water and other nastiness from the P trap (the part of the drain pipe shaped like a sideways "P") will come out. It was gross...but on a high note, I found an earring. Drain the pipe out and get that bad boy out of there. Check your local waste management to see if they recycle porcelain or other home improvement debris. Keep it out of the landfill if you can!
Removing the sink, cleaning up the mess, I felt a little tougher and a lot braver. Who needs dad? Who needs a boyfriend? Who needs a plumber? I GOT THIS!
What I don't got is a bathroom sink. Tune in to see what happens next.
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