A retired lady friend asked me to check out a plumber's work and estimate. Her initial problem was that a faucet on a dressing room sink would not shut off and that the undersink supply line cut off valve would not turn off as well.
She was able to slow the water flow down and call a neighbor for assistance. The neighbor shut off the main water supply to the house and called a plumber. The plumber replaced the two supply line cutoffs for that sink. Cost for the service call and installing the two cutoofs was $125, including, according to his invoice two cutoff valves 1/2" supply, 3/8" outlet. He gave her an estimate of $390 to replace the dual faucet fixtures on both sinks in the dressing room.
My friend wondered if the estimate was reasonable. I felt it was a bit high for Houston, but not ridiculous, counting labor. But, to save her money, I told her I'd rebuild the faucets, instead. Before going for parts, I checked to plumber's work. He had installed cutoff valves with 1/4" outlets! Aren't those only for icemakers and such?
So I installed 4 cutoff valves with 3/8" outlets, four supply lines, and four faucet stems for about $35 in parts. The sinks work like new. I charged no labor, she is a dear friend.
In retrospect, all that was 'really needed' was one cutoff valve and one faucet stem. But since the plumbing is 30 years old, I felt it better to do all cutoffs, supply lines, and stems.
My question, I guess, is why the plumber used cutoff valves with 1/4" outlets? All he had on truck? Wanted to complicate things to ensure getting the additional work? The cutoffs he used had 1/4" compression fittings. Are these used on residential bathroom sinks nowadays?
lee