Let Repairman in the House or Wait?

[Retire2013]

I have Homeowner's Warranty so all my appliances, plumbing, and electrical are covered ($75 copay per repair). My dishwasher started to cause a leak to the cabinet under the kitchen sink. There's no leak when I use the faucet and the kitchen sink. Only leaks when I use the dishwasher.

Please share your opinion on this. Should I let repairman come into my house to fix this leak and risking exposing myself to Covid 19 if the repairman has the virus? Or should I just wash dishes by hand and wait to fix this dishwasher much later when there's a vaccine or a cure? If I have a repairman comes, I will wear a face mask, glasses, and will wipe down door knob and any surface that the repairman touched.

I have NOT had anyone in my house since January 1, 2020 so I feel quite safe that my house is virus-free.

Please give me your opinion/thought on this. Thank you!!!!

 

[razztazz]

I'm in the between zone right now. I had two things done in late Feb/early March that really needed to get done. One was a new hot water tank.

I let those guys in but COVID hadn't quite ramped up to current levels.

Late March had the A/C tuned up and cleaned. Most of that was done outdoors. He was inside only a few minutes. As soon as he left I lysol sprayed the surfaces, thermostat box and anything he touched, and washed my hands. Never shook hands never got within four feet more than a second as he came in and passed by me.

I am holding off on some floor work and new carpets in the bedroom because all of that work will be INDOORS and will take all day. I am also holding off on some do-it- myself projects because I would have to do extra shopping to buy the stuff I need and I want to keep my public presence as narrow as possible.

If I were you I'd do dishes the way Grandma would expect you to and let plumbers in the house only for emergencies. At least that way the extra exposure will be justified.

I have Homeowner's Warranty so all my appliances, plumbing, and electrical are covered ($75 copay per repair). My dishwasher started to cause a leak to the cabinet under the kitchen sink. There's no leak when I use the faucet and the kitchen sink. Only leaks when I use the dishwasher.

Please share your opinion on this. Should I let repairman come into my house to fix this leak and risking exposing myself to Covid 19 if the repairman has the virus? Or should I just wash dishes by hand and wait to fix this dishwasher much later when there's a vaccine or a cure? If I have a repairman comes, I will wear a face mask, glasses, and will wipe down door knob and any surface that the repairman touched.

I have NOT had anyone in my house since January 1, 2020 so I feel quite safe that my house is virus-free.

Please give me your opinion/thought on this. Thank you!!!!

 

[RunningBum]

I'd probably do it now. It seems like if you have all the necessary doors and cabinets open, it should be pretty limited as to what they touch, and you could wipe those down. Watch from a distance. This seems like a lot less risk than going to the supermarket. Ask the repair person if they are healthy and what precautions they'll take. If you have any misgivings, wait.

I'm guessing after the quarantine is over, there might be longer waits for service like this.

I don't know anything about your age or health though. If you feel like you'd be at very high risk of bad consequences, maybe you should wait.

 

[Aerides]

If there's no need, nah. In my case we had our master bath shower getting blocked, so we went ahead with roto rooter, but could let him in through the cabana door, so he was limited to that room. Also, having two working bathrooms is part of our in-house quarantine plan should one of us get sick.

But a dishwasher is a convenience, not a need, so I'd wait.

 

[Philliefan33]

I would let someone in to repair the dishwasher as long as he/she wore a mask (I would be wearing a mask also). I’d do a thorough wipe down afterwards.

DH and I have been staying at home and following all the rules. At some point we are going to have to expand our circle of contacts because we can’t/won’t stay hidden away at home for years. Here in PA the restrictions will start loosening on May 1. We hope to resume our bathroom remodel (two workers in the house) soon after. Since I don’t plan to hover and watch them work I’m comfortable with them being here. Our conversations will be minimal and protected by masks

 

[Jerry1]

I'd let someone in. DD/SIL had a water heater go out a week ago. The guys came in and kept in a direct path to the area. They wiped it down before and after and the family stayed out of the way. SIL did talk to them, but with a mask, etc. I'd just use the same precautions one would use to go to the grocery store, keep the area defined as well as possible and wipe everything down well.

 

[Sunset]

I think the bigger issue is, the repairman breathing out virus particles (if they have it, which nobody knows).
The particles will stay in the air for hours.

So If I were to let in a repairman, I'd also wear a mask, want the repairman to wear a mask, watch from a distance, if it was a windy day, open all the windows to blow air though the house and blow the virus out (if any).
When they are done,
Then leave the house for 4 hours and upon return after 4 hours, wipe down the surfaces the person was near, and that are very touchable (light switches, knobs, handles, entire front of dishwasher, and counter)

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/cor...-and-days-on-surfaces-new-us-study-shows.html

Personally, I'm a bit handy so in this situation I would look and see what is leaking as it may simply be a connection that loosened, rather than a real problem with the dishwasher.

 

[Midpack]

I’d look and see if I could fix it myself, could be simple tightening.

Unless you know you’re higher risk, I’d want the leak fixed before it caused any damage. Even if it’s minor now, could it get worse in a hurry? I’d insist the repair person wore a mask, gloves and new footies (for their own sake too), and disinfect everything they touched after they leave. You could even cover the floor and remove the covering after they leave if you want though footies would be preferable to me. I’m not at high risk, so YMMV.

 

[CardsFan]

Personally, I'm a bit handy so in this situation I would look and see what is leaking as it may simply be a connection that loosened, rather than a real problem with the dishwasher.

This was my first thought. It might be something simple to fix. Or maybe you can devise a temporary fix.

 

[Retire2013]

Thank you Everyone for your thoughts/advice.

 

[Sunset]

So just thinking about it for a second, since it only leaks when using, if it leaks from underneath, its probably the discharge hose connection (or a really bad situation of the motor seal).

This is all assuming there is nothing under the water level float that is holding it down so the machine overfills with water.

It is a good thing it's not leaking while not running.

 

[GravitySucks]

Water leaks need to be dealt with immediately.
Use common sense cleaning up after the repairman leaves.

 

[Dtail]

We have a similar policy and had an issue with the sink disposal that I just could not fix.
We let in the repairman stating he must wear a mask, gloves and cover his feet. He did.
He only touched the sink area and no one went within 6 feet of him.
We then cleaned the area thoroughly when he left.

 

[Jerry1]

We have a similar policy and had an issue with the sink disposal that I just could not fix.
We let in the repairman stating he must wear a mask, gloves and cover his feet. He did.
He only touched the sink area and no one went within 6 feet of him.
We then cleaned the area thoroughly when he left.

This makes perfect sense, but if this is the new normal, this really sucks. It's really hard to make any kind of connection with a person who has a mask on. On a similar note, we closed on a refinance mortgage last week. It was really weird to not shake the person's hand and to work with them as a person behind a mask. It's even weird going to the store. I find myself not making eye contact with people. I'm not sure if it's because of the "they may have it gene" or just that without facial expression, communication is difficult.

Either way, some things still have to be done or fixed, in this case.

 

[Dtail]

This makes perfect sense, but if this is the new normal, this really sucks. It's really hard to make any kind of connection with a person who has a mask on. On a similar note, we closed on a refinance mortgage last week. It was really weird to not shake the person's hand and to work with them as a person behind a mask. It's even weird going to the store. I find myself not making eye contact with people. I'm not sure if it's because of the "they may have it gene" or just that without facial expression, communication is difficult.

Either way, some things still have to be done or fixed, in this case.

Crazy stuff.
Even when I walk in the morning, I avoid saying hello just in case the other person responds back and then I might inhale the particles vs. just waving hello.

 

[Bamaman]

The loneliest guy in town was here this week--the Maytag repairman. He intervened with the home warranty company we got when we bought this house in October. A new $1000 Kitchenaid microhood arrived today. He rebuilt the Kitchenaid double convection ovens including the exhaust fans. And he fixed a squeaky dishwasher door.

Everyone kept their distance and he was gloved and had a heavy face mask. That's as good as anyone could do.

 

[Winemaker]

I had to have a shower/tub enclosure replaced as my tenant's two sons are high school/college football players; their weight cracked a fiberglass tub, and it leaked down into the hallway downstairs. The repair team came in, did the demo, and installed the new one in 5 hours. The drywall repair work around the tub will be done the second week in May; I will follow up painting it the 3rd week. You do what you gotta do.

 

[jollystomper]

For a leak repair, I would let someone in now. But I do not have any underlying health issues.

 

[fh2000]

How old is your dishwasher? If it is getting closer to 10 years, you might want to just get a new one.

My previous one was about 10 years old when it developed a leak when in use. I disconnected the power source, the water source, and the pipe to air gap (required by California to have one), and tried to see if I could just replace the part for the leak.

I looked at it, and thought for a minute. Even if I could get the right part, the rest of the dishwasher being 10 years old, might go bad pretty soon. So, I went online and ordered a new one. Not high end, but decent one with maybe $400 dollars. I installed it myself. It is not too difficult.