Like most guys, I learned how to do home repairs, remodeling, and construction stuff as a teenager and young man. If you are like me you think that you can do most repairs for your house if you “only had the time”. But over the years, if you are honest with yourself, you find that since you don’t do it everyday that it is just easier and more convenient to pay a professional when it comes time to repair the drain line to your sink or replace a flush kit for the toilet that you simply pick up the phone and call “somebody”.

This weekend is Memorial Day and I had more time than usual–so when my wife pointed out that we had a leak under the kitchen sink and I suggested I call somebody Tuesday–she “suggested” I try to fix it myself first. I’m not so much of a newlywed to not know that her suggestion really meant for me to fix it.

So I pulled out my tools and un-did all the parts I knew I had to replace,  tossed them in a Kroger bag and off to Home Depot on Gallatin Rd (Briley) I went. I do this because many times at big box home repair stores you can’t really find anyone that knows what they are doing or how to really repair something–having the parts helps you find and replace “exactly” what you need.

Once I got to the plumbing department, I wondered around for a few minutes. Finally after milling around and not finding anything I needed I went to the closest employee I could find. My expectations were not that high. However, Trey Price (the employee’s name) knew exactly what I needed. He walked me to the right section. Come to find out he worked as a plumber for 14 years and knew all of the little tricks and shortcuts. I was going to replace just a pvc p-trap–but as soon as he saw the type of basket strainer I had–he pointed me to a better option. He didn’t think the one I had would continue to do the job and he was right. He answered all of my detailed questions and I even took the pieces apart and asked him questions about how to exactly put them back together. He was patient and walked me through every step.

Thanks to Trey, I was able to confidently assemble all of the drains in a double kitchen sink all the way into the pipe that runs out in the wall. I guess I “could” have muddled through it without his help–but the answers to my questions helped me have a bit more confidence in getting it done. On top of that, he saved me a whole trip back to the store since I would not have bought the new basket strainer on that first trip.

A big thank you to Trey and the Home Depot. Both of you saved me about $100 in plumber’s service call fees and when my wife gets home from the pool today….she will be impressed.