more adjustments; Basin Wrench

[Toolmaker51]

Plumbers may not be actually human; in view of constrained areas they demonstrate entrance to and chose to work. There are a few companies that cater to the rest of us, constructing tools to operate where conventional items just won't.
Friday last; faucet replacement. Predicament was dependable 35 yr old faucet/basin wrench impeded by undersink hardware and lack of universal joints in elbow/ shoulder. This model 1017 had four adjustments, 10" to 17" in 2 5/16" increments. Holes receive spring loaded detent pin. Neither 12 5/16" or 14 5/8" lengths allowed the jaws to reach AND loosen faucet fittings.
Maintain same spacing offset by half, drill 3 additional holes opposite face of 4 original locations.

Used original hole to duplicate centerline, flipped the sleeve 180 degrees, centerpunch and drill as described. New effective intervals are 1 5/32". Didn't take 15 minutes, and saved extensive anger-tinged vocabulary for later.
Plumbing itself and it's respective tools are somewhat unlike those other trades depend on...but accept re-assignment readily. The others, so-to-speak, are less inclined to help out.

[Frank S]

I hear you about the not human part I think most can spot a plumber by their butt cracks extending about 6 inches above their waist this also must give them the ability to have reverse elbows and thumbs on the wrong side of their hands. because any time I ever had to do any basin repairs it seemed that no matter which hand I used my elbow wouldn't flex in the right direction and my thumb needed to be where my little finger was. The last basin I worked on on my own home I simply pulled the entire cabinet works and counter away from the wall to gain access The wife was not impressed when she saw a 12 ft counter top and lower cabinets sitting half way out in the middle of the kitchen But hey it worked and I didn't even need to tap into my colorful expletive vocabulary all and all the job probably took half as long to finish doing it that way

[Toolmaker51]

The last basin I worked on on my own home I simply pulled the entire cabinet works and counter away from the wall to gain access The wife was not impressed when she saw a 12 ft counter top and lower cabinets sitting half way out in the middle of the kitchen But hey it worked and I didn't even need to tap into my colorful expletive vocabulary all and all the job probably took half as long to finish doing it that way

And, finish even faster with "Honey! It's that kitchen island you always wanted..."

[Frank S]

If it had, the cook top in it instead of the kitchen sink I might have been tempted to cut it down to about 8 ft and adding a breakfast bar on it. Still trying to think of a gentle way of approaching the subject of an Island.
Our kitchen/ dinning area is a 21 by 19 ft room so there is more than ample space

[Jon]

Interesting. This is one of the single most awkward house fixit tasks. If your cursing abilities ever get rusty, this is the job you do to sharpen your skills.

If you could just lie flat on the floor, it wouldn't be too terrible. But you're constantly working at a terrible angle, and the job has to be done perfectly.

[Frank S]

A while back there was a guy here who was trying to design a plumber's creeper while the idea is intriguing. with the already severely limited space the application would prove detrimental in most cases.
Access to working areas under the kitchen sink or the lavatory in a bathroom are almost always further reduced by the poorly designed plumbing fixtures we find as American standard even high end fixtures are little more than fancy versions of the cheaper varieties Traps and drain locations, (IMO) have never been well designed
When I was working un my kitchen I wanted to incorporate a more European trap 7 drain system but to do so would have meant tearing out the entire back wall, ripping up a section of the floor and rerouting just about everything. Not an expense or time element I was willing to commit for just so I could have a cleaner under sink cavity.and even that would not have been without its problems later in life since almost everything now days is made of plastic

[Jon]

Yeah, I always stick a $10 battery-powered water alarm in under-sink cabinets. Learned that lesson the hard way, but at least I learned it.

[Frank S]

I have alarms for carbon-monoxide smoke detectors gas leak detectors electrical fault sensors, and now it seems that I might want to invest in water detectors
Thanks Jon I hadn't thought of them.

[Toolmaker51]

Jon, our prolific administrator posted "Yeah, I always stick a $10 battery-powered water alarm in under-sink cabinets. Learned that lesson the hard way, but at least I learned it".
That prompted

I have alarms for carbon-monoxide smoke detectors gas leak detectors electrical fault sensors, and now it seems that I might want to invest in water detectors. Thanks Jon I hadn't thought of them.

Yes, if placed in a pan under a drain.

I'll endorse them too. As $10 the going price, far better than same amount wasted on an insurance policy. Sure the detector is reactive, but what alarm isn't? Rather clean up a 50 gallon spill or 500? There should be a business opportunity coupled to a smart water control valve....
Most common in basements. I'll suggest them in drain pans surrounding inside air conditioner/ furnaces too, announcing sump pump failure.

With the components about, making them is simple. A small sealed 'pontoon', 9v battery and horn, two leads exiting the side. Water completes the circuit and she wails. Assembly needs to be light and stable enough to float, keeping the leads in contact with pooling water.

[mklotz]

I can still remember a design from Popular Mechanics seen when I was just a kid. It consisted of a (spring-type) clothes pin, the two wires wrapped around the tips. The pin was clamped onto an aspirin tablet. When it got wet the aspirin dissolved, the wires touched, and the alarm was sounded.