Roger’s $0.02 - YouTube Empowerment (Patreon)

Like the people who use it, YouTube is a spectrum of the human condition. From esoteric documentaries to far-out conspiratorial rants the platform hosts a very wide range of content. But for me, YouTube’s greatest value, outside of keeping my kids entertained, is its deep well of DIY videos. Wood working? Check. Lebanese cooking tutorial? Check. Lessons on using Adobe After Effects? Check. Everything you could want to know or learn about has been made into a video and uploaded. YouTube has inadvertently become a wiki repository of every DIY project someone has done and at least for me become a tool of empowerment.

Back in the prehistoric days of the 80s, 90s, and 00s when you had a household project to do you made a trip to the hardware store and asked the staff about what you needed to buy, tools, and more importantly resources on how to do the job correctly. It was a bit of a cottage industry. Almost every bookstore had a DIY section and publishers would be remiss if they didn’t release at least one set of how-to books including this dated series from Time Life Books. And with the home video revolution endless VHS tapes were made of how to rebuild your deck or remodel your kitchen the right way. Well with YouTube all that more has been condensed into a searchable video library. And that very fact came in super handy this past week.

Leaking faucets are an annoyance. The constant drip is both a waste of water and borderline torture. My shower has been leaking since this summer. I’ve been loathed to fix it because I didn’t know what model of shower I had. You see unlike the 80s and early 90s when there were roughly two brands that accounted for a majority of the home water fixtures market today there’s a plethora of brands and designs. Each one uses a unique cartridge that regulates the water flow of your faucet when you turn the valve handle on and off. When they were introduced faucet cartridges were an epiphany. They replaced the older style ball and cone valves. Although robust ball and cone valves were difficult to replace for people who weren’t plumbers. Cartridges were “simpler” to replace and contained all the components needed to regulate water flow. Unfortunately, the sheer number and types of faucet cartridges require an exact knowledge of the type of faucet you have to ensure you have the right replacement part. For comparison’s sake when I had to fix my leaky bathroom faucet I ended up replacing the entire faucet because it ended up being quicker to do than to track down the correct part I needed.

Because I didn’t know what kind of shower I had I did a requisite Google search. After spending several days I was still unable to uncover an answer. Frustrated I did searches on YouTube. I narrowed down potential models to what I knew I didn’t have. But nothing on the identity of what was in my shower. So I did random searches on YouTube for the brand makers and then there it was. A video on the faucet that looked exactly like mine, and I mean exactly down to the shape and color of the handle to the escutcheon plate. Not only did this enterprising YouTuber document the entire process, but he also helpfully put an Amazon link to the model of the cartridge, a Price Pfister, he had used in the description.

I cannot tell you my elation at discovering this video. I have been thinking about this leaking shower faucet for the past two weeks. It so encompassed my thoughts I had a dream about working on it. With this information including his how-to video, I continued my research but this time with hard facts about what I needed. I ended up getting a different cartridge that was compatible with the one I had learned about but of more robust construction which meant a higher price tag and picked a tube of plumber’s grease to lubricate the O-rings and rubber gaskets on the new cartridge. And I searched for more how-to videos on my specific model of faucet.

This past Sunday I set to work. I turned off the water to the house and disassembled it according to all the videos I had watched. In about 30 minutes I had the cartridge installed and no LEAKY shower. Time will tell if my repair job holds up but I think it will. Coincidentally enough my car’s alternator started acting typified by a very loud whine when starting the car. Off to YouTube I went and watched a video on how to install a remanufactured alternator into my car complete with tools needed and torque wrench setting to ensure I didn’t over-tighten the bolts. My wife dissuaded me from pursing a repair myself and instead insisted I send the car over to a mechanic to make sure it was done correctly. I did and while the price tag was more than what I wanted at least it comes with a warranty on parts and labor.