Faulty new part

An acquaintance had her shut-off valves replaced recently from the gate valve type to the 1/4 turn shut-off style not because they were bad but because she wanted to update things and not have to worry. Talk about proactive property maintenance!

The Weakest Link

There is nothing in this world that can not be made faster and cheaper. My hunch is that it is a Chinese knockoff with plastic parts to make it look like metal. A licensed plumber installed them and sadly one morning as the hairdryer was on, a distinct sound of running water was heard in the kitchen. KA-POW one blew apart under the sink and flooded her home. Fortunately, it happened in the morning and she was able to push the panic button in her neighborhood and a mob showed up with towels to shut off her water and mop it all up.

All is Well

Guts of faulty part

The plumber rushed over and helped, the mitigation team came to dry things out, and replace soggy ductwork, etc. The Plumbing part supplier agreed to accept responsibility, it was not exactly a shock as this has happened several times around the valley. He agreed it was time for a recall.

How to Avoid this Problem

Don’t allow cheap crappy parts to be used. Buy the good stuff. Although the word brass is in the company name, I see mostly plastic parts here. The race to the bottom happens quickly. It only takes a few years for the greatness of a new thing to be made cheaper, and faster for less to increase profitability until WOOPS we went too cheap and problems happen. This is why mechanical engineers exist in my mind, to prevent catastrophic failures.

It reminds me of my friend Howard explaining how tight to make the crank on a bicycle, He said “tighten it until it breaks, then back it off a quarter”. These guys need to go back to the drawing board. The old fashion nut was replaced with a press-fit. What could go wrong?

Customer Service Excellence is Great to Experience

“Everyone was nice to work with and they took care of the problem”. Great customer service cannot be achieved unless something goes wrong is a mantra I live by, however, I have no doubt that this was an avoidable incident.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about fixing stuff, click here to email me directly, or call 208-639-1808

I do these things during non-Levco time to be sure it doesn’t interfere with the Remodeling business. Repairing things and understanding homes is just another passion of mine.

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