French Evier Water

Oooh, sorry, that must be one of my worst plays on French words ever, ‘évier’ being the French word for sink or handbasin. I had another trip back to Brico Depot this morning, I’m afraid, because one of the mixer taps that I bought yesterday was unsuitable to use over my main sink. Basically it wasn’t high enough to fill my Brita filter jug under and it didn’t have a swivel nozzle that you need in a kitchen sink to wash things away, when you’ve prepared food or done the washing up, for example.

It’s lucky that Brico Depot opens on a Sunday. It’s the only ‘magasin de bricollage’ that does and that’s because it’s owned by the UK company Kingfisher (of B & Q fame) who also run Conforama and Tool Station here in France. And it seems to be a policy that works for them from the number of customers who were there today. I just needed a simple, cheapoe kitchen mixer tap and after being refunded for the tap that I bought yesterday that I hadn’t even opened, that’s what I got. And I saved myself 10€ into the bargain, the two taps together now costing me only around 20€.

As usual with anything that a Frenchman has had his hands on, as I’m now finding all the time, what I took out was a total mess, a bodge up, and I was able to make things much better than before. Am I being unfair? I don’t think so.

The hole in the stainless steel main sink hadn’t been cut large enough for the previous tap’s body so it could never in a month of Sundays sit down properly and be watertight and presumably it had been like that ever since the water system was installed. The tap in the toilet was only held in by one bolt so no wonder it was woggly. Hopeless. I also found more leaks on the external valves where the external hose is connected and I’ll have to rectify those as well before the valves give up completely.

But it was enough for me today to end up with a working water system, outside leaks and all. Here are the new taps that I fitted today in the toilet and kitchen areas.

This still doesn’t solve my hot water problem of course. The water coming out of the taps was lovely and warm today but that was because the outdoor temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius and the hose pipe was in the sun, but it won’t be like that in the middle of winter. I’m worried that the electric heater that I’ve ordered, but which still hasn’t turned up, may have too high a current drain and will keep tripping the supply whenever I use it so maybe I’ll have to think again before it’s too late. I also need to find somewhere where I can buy the two sink plugs that I need. They seem almost impossible to find.

Oh, and apologies to Evian for (almost, but not quite…) taking their name in vain 🙂