Trying to replace a faucet,
I nearly flooded the whole place
The story of blowing an entire Sunday afternoon after watching one wrong YouTube video
Every disaster began with one small sound.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
That sound from the bathroom faucet. The one that sounds especially loud when you lie down to sleep at night. After enduring it for about a month, today I finally made up my mind.
YouTube search: "Faucet replacement DIY in 10 minutes"
870,000 views. The comments were full of "I did it too!", "Easier than I thought!", "No tools needed!"
I watched the video three times. My confidence swelled. I went to the neighborhood hardware store and bought a washer set, a wrench, and coating tape. ₩18,000.
Faucet washer set — ₩6,500
Adjustable wrench — ₩8,900
Plumbing coating tape — ₩2,600
Total: ₩18,000 / I thought this was all it would take.
Back home, I rolled up my sleeves. In the video it looked really easy. First, shut the water valve. Detach the faucet handle. Replace the washer. Tighten it back. Done.
2:47 PM, everything went wrong
I shut the valve. Or rather, I thought I did. It was the moment I detached the handle.
Water poured out.
It wouldn't stop. The valve I'd closed wasn't for the bathroom faucet — it was the sink's. The plumbing layout of the home in the video and mine were different. I only realized that in that moment.
My hands froze.
The water kept pouring.
I laid down towels. They soaked instantly. Water began pooling on the floor. It seeped out under the bathroom door. I scrambled to find the auxiliary valve under the sink. I barely found it and closed it. The pressure weakened but didn't fully stop.
I started looking for help
I called a neighbor. No answer. I called the building office. On Sundays there's no manager. I texted family. "Do you know how to do plumbing?" The reply came much later. "Nope lol call a company."
I searched "Sunday plumbing emergency repair" on Naver. I called four places.
Meanwhile the bathroom floor filled to 1cm. All four towels were soaked. The edge of the living-room carpet started getting damp.
I took a photo and sent it to PanSol
I'd installed the PanSol app after Episode 1. But I never thought I'd use it like this.
I opened the chat and wrote honestly. Embarrassing, but urgent.
A plumbing-specialist partner is on standby 0.9km from your location. Rating 4.9 · 15 years' experience. Shall I connect now?
I turned the T-valve all the way as the AI instructed. The water shrank to a trickle. For the first time, I breathed.
3:29 PM, partner Park arrived
The moment he arrived and saw the bathroom, he said nothing. He looked at it for a while.
"So you tried it yourself."
It wasn't criticism. Just a matter-of-fact tone confirming a fact, which made it more embarrassing.
"You bought the washer correctly. But on this model, you have to shut the auxiliary valve first before disassembly. The structure is different."
He pulled out his tools. Shut off, disassemble, replace washer, reassemble. It took exactly 18 minutes.
"If you'd called first,
it would've been ₩28,000."
Those words were funny and painful at once.
Final repair-cost settlement
Calling from the start would've been ₩28,000. Trying it myself then calling made me ₩49,000.
The difference is ₩21,000. The hardware-store tool money flew away entirely.
What I learned that day
- ๐ดWater-related repairs — valves, pipes, faucets. Don't touch if you don't know the structure. It leads to flooding.
- ๐ดElectricity-related repairs — outlets, breakers. Mishandling means fire or shock.
- ๐ดGas-related repairs — boilers, gas stoves. Never do these yourself.
- ๐กSmall wallpaper/paint jobs — YouTube is enough. Failure isn't fatal.
- ๐ขBulb swaps, AC filter cleaning — definitely do it yourself. No need to call a pro.
Courage is a good thing.
But courage in front of plumbing
sometimes becomes the most expensive courage.
Before fixing it yourself,
ask first
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