Disposal dilemma part 1: the problem

Welcome to the latest chapter in what's becoming a continuing saga of appliances, fixtures, etc. outliving their usefulness in our home. This episode is sponsored by the InSinkErator Badger 1/3 HP disposal that's lived under our kitchen sink for nearly six years.

When I replaced our kitchen faucet in March of this year, I noticed a small amount of standing water on the bottom of the cabinet under the sink. I cleaned it up and made it a priority to find out where said water was coming from. It didn't take long (one running of the dishwasher) to locate the slow leak at the base of the disposal. I placed a small tin flowerpot underneath and again monitored the situation.

Over the next few weeks, there was only a small amount of water in the pot, so I continued to monitor. Eventually, water stopped showing up, so I decided it had been a fluke, perhaps linked to the problem of the dishwasher overflowing (which we'd had repaired). I left the flowerpot in place - just in case - and lined the bottom of the cabinet with some old plastic placemats.

Fast forward to September. We were gathering cleaning supplies for the woman we hired to give our place a good top-to-bottom cleaning every two weeks when my wife noticed some dampness on the bottom of the cabinet. No biggie, I thought, the pot must have gotten pushed out of the way of a small leak.

I saw just how wrong that assumption was when I went to sop up the water. The placemats were practically floating on a bed of standing water, and their undersides were covered in an oozy slime. The veneer on the cabinet's lower shelf had almost completely peeled off. Once I got the mess cleaned up, tossed the placemats and dealt with the wrath of Mrs. Handyman (who rightly said I should have dealt with the problem in the first place), I placed a larger bucket under the disposal. Before calling someone, I needed to be absolutely sure it wasn't a pipe that was leaking.

It wasn't. That first night, after running the dishwasher, there was at least an inch of water in the bucket.

Next up: Part 2: the solution (which wasn't what you might think.)

I want this job

One of my favorite blogs is Home Fixated. They do a great job blogging about home improvement, tools, how-to tips and a lot more - with a sense of humor. Which is why I wasn't surprised to see this great tool review posted this morning. OK, so the Bosch 360 Jobsite AM/FM Stereo isn't technically a tool, but it's close enough.

As its name implies, the 360 is designed to be used on job sites, and the company claims it's "designed to withstand the toughest jobsites (sic)." And the company is apparently willing to back up that claim. Along with their regular product review, Home Fixated posted a video they shot during a drop test demo, which is fun to watch. I particularly seeing it in slow motion.

How did the 360 withstand an approximately 10-foot drop (twice)? Read the review and watch the video to see for yourself.

And while you're at it, bookmark Home Fixated.