Am I talking about a Simon & Garfunkel song? Or maybe camping in the deep woods? No on both counts. I’m talking about the annoying squeak of a bathroom faucet.

When I first got this 5th wheel, all was good. I could turn the hot and cold water faucets all day long and they would not make a single sound. Then the dreaded day came when they both started squeaking. I endured for awhile but it finally got to be too much. I started researching, then removed both handles and applied some plumber’s grease. That corrected the problem for a few months. When the squeaking started again I thought my only option was to buy a new faucet, something a little higher quality than the OEM faucet. Off to the hardware store I went in search of a replacement. I found the proper size, took it back to the RV and installed in under 1 hour.

I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I first tested the handles and heard nothing but running water. I was back in my happy place for over a year. Then these handles started squeaking. Back to the internet for more ideas. I finally determined that I needed to get way down in the guts of the faucet, or just resign myself to buying a new faucet every other year. Since I hate waste and always prefer to repair instead of replace, I got out a few more tools and began the disassembly. I faintly heard Johnny Five (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Circuit_(1986_film)) in the background saying ‘No disassemble’ but I pressed on.

During the disassembly, I narrowly averted disaster – or at least another trip to the hardware store. While holding one of the plastic pieces I heard something pop and saw a small rubber piece roll to a stop on the floor. I had no idea where it came from so I continued to disassemble the other side. Sure enough I found that piece and it had a spring under it. After a minute of searching, I found the other spring on the carpet. I slathered plumber’s grease everywhere I could and hoped for the best. I’m also ashamed to say that I wasn’t very conscientious about positioning of the plastic valves when I took it apart. I took my best educated guess when putting everything back together. Miraculously, when all was said and done, water flowed when and where it was supposed to. No water flowed, or even dripped, where it wasn’t supposed to. And best of all, there was nothing but blessed silence again when turning the handles. Hopefully, this fix will last longer than the last one.