A while back I had a clogged drain and after it was fixed, I had a slow leak under the kitchen sink. After the plumber repaired it he said the whole drain under the sink really needed to be replaced as it hadn’t been installed correctly to begin with. So I arranged for him to come back and put in a new drain. This, of course, just added to my string of home repairs that has been plaguing me for the past year and threatens to drive me into the poor house. Do they still have poor houses?

After the plumber fixed the drain, I realized I should have asked a few pointed questions, as he left a gaping hole in the wall.

You see, the kitchen was added on sometime after this house was built, and whoever did it, apparently didn’t do a very good job, as the kitchen sink drain doesn’t empty down into the basement, but goes out into the back yard. Hence, the hole in the wall.

With that hole, the kitchen was now colder than before the new back door was installed last year. And not just a cold kitchen, but the chill went through the rest of the downstairs as there was a discernible temperature drop near the floor, giving me literal cold feet.

Clearly something had to be done.

So I called my Cousin Vinnie (he’s not my cousin and Vinnie isn’t his real name).

Vinnie, I said. The plumber replaced the kitchen sink drain and left a big gaping hole in the wall, and now I have a hole in the wall. What can I do? I’ve already spent a fortune in home repairs in the past year, so I want someone who can fix it for me cheaply if possible.

Hmm, said Vinnie. This one looks pretty DIY-friendly. Can you grab some canned foam at Home Depot and get in there to seal up the hole? “Great Stuff” makes a “big gap” filler.

Oh, said I, but I’m all thumbs when it comes to DIY stuff. I’ll probably screw it all up.

Just wear rubber gloves, replied Vinnie. Piece of cake. The foam won’t look pretty, but it’s under the sink. Who’s gonna see it there? 

So somewhat reluctantly I decided to give it a try. I tend to use Lowe’s rather than Home Depot, so I looked on their web page and found they had it in stock. I was going to walk to Lowe’s, but with my trick knee, I decided taking a Lyft might be better. On checking the cost of a Lyft there and back, I realized it would be cheaper to pay the fifteen bucks delivery charge.

But how many to get? Vinnie hadn’t said. I decided that four cans should fill the 4 1/2” X 9” hole. So I placed the order on Sunday for delivery on Monday. It was only after I placed the order that I began to get qualms. What if four cans weren’t enough? If I had ordered six, I actually could have gotten free delivery and saved a few dollars. So I fretted the whole night.

The delivery came at about 8:30 Monday morning.

Just before lunch, I decided I was ready to begin, so I put on my work clothes.

Then I realized that I’d have to get down on my knees! Oh, my aching knees! Jesus, I’d really rather pay someone to do it than get down on my knees.

Oh, well, I’ve come this far.

To my surprise, the foam that squirted out of one can seemed to be enough to fill the hole.

Who knew!

It definitely doesn’t look pretty but if it keeps the cold out, who cares? I don’t give tours of the kitchen sink drain.

So I have three cans of great stuff if anybody needs them. Really, they’re great stuff.

On second thought, I better hold on to one can, in case it turns out that I didn’t completely fill the hole.