[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by accountingsucks However, before I do that I'm thinking I should take off the tile that is there to make sure there is nothing nasty like mold on the drywall or cement board. I've pushed hard on the tile and in my mind it does not seem as hard as the other tiles so it might be wet, but I'm probably just being paranoid. This probably is not a monumental task...

We used to do this in the submarine force-- it's called preventive maintenance!

Take, for example, a seawater pump. You have one small problem with the pump but instead of just fixing that minor annoyance, you take the entire pump apart (destroying another 25% of it in the process) because it's been two years since you've torn it apart looking for trouble. If there's one little problem then by golly it must be worth the time & effort & money to find all the other hidden problems too. Of course rebuilding it (and getting it to work the way it's supposed to work) will occupy most of the next two weeks for two supervisors, three laborers, $50K in parts, and a safety investigation.

That all stopped when the Navy actually began to run out of money. Now the pump doesn't get taken apart until it screeches horribly or abruptly locks up and catches fire. Even then you might hear "Well, you have two pumps in that system, right? Call us again in 12 months."

What Calmloki said-- chill. Spoon the grout into the hole and stop worrying about it for a few months. If it doesn't fall out then you fixed the "problem". If it falls out again then the problem will be that much easier to find, and it won't have caused enough damage to make a difference.

Another way to worry constructively about handyman jobs is through a discount magazine subscription to "Family Handyman". I enjoy reading about the new products and the improved repair methods, but most of all it helps me recognize the signs of a growing problem and do some troubleshooting.