My predicament was this: I needed a special tool to remove the valve so I could take it to the store and get the right replacement. But I needed to know what kind of valve I needed, so I could get the right tool. On top of that, they don’t sell the tool individually; they only come with the valve or with a repair kit.

So, I went to the store to see what my options were. Then, I went back home to try to get the valve out without the tool, without success. Hoping I didn’t damage it beyond repair, I went back to the store to get a repair kit with a tool inside that looked like what I needed. When I got it home, however, I discovered that it’s too big and won’t fit in the hole.

I should have just called a plumber yesterday, but I didn’t because it’s such an easy fix, I didn’t see any point in paying someone to do it for me. The world has changed a lot since I first bought this shithole, though, and my old brain is slow to adapt and remember that just because a repair is easy, doesn’t mean the parts and tools required to make the repair are equally easy to obtain.

The stores are so tightly packed to the gills with shit that you can’t walk through the aisles, but they never have anything you need, especially if what you need is more than five years old.

I wrote all of that ⬆️ before the plumber arrived. Now, he’s been here, and he couldn’t get the cartrdidge out either, so he has to replace the whole valve. He left here at about 6 p.m., to go get a new valve somewhere in the San Fernando Valley, so there’s no way he’s going to be back her before 7 p.m., at the earliest. And then, once he gets back, it’s going to take him 2 -3 hours to replace the valve. If I had just called a plumber yesterday, I would still be out a grand, but I wouldn’t be dealing with this shit tonight!