OT: The Flood (rant)

[J. Clarke]

Well, last night when I went to bed I noticed that it was raining really, really hard, from the amount of dripping I was hearing. This morning it was still raining. Then I looked out the window and it was bright and sunny. Went downstairs and three inches of water in the basement.

So I looked for the source and find it coming out of a hole in the ceiling with a pipe going through it. Go upstairs and look for the pipe, and of course it's in a wall. Only thing that can find that's on the pipe is the toilet--I know it goes up into the attic and is capped off there. OK, I can deal with that. Had to go to work, so I turned the water off at the meter and picked up a ball valve and other odds and ends on the way home.

Cut the pipe, put the ball valve on it, turned the water back on, nothing dripping. Hallelujah. The water's back on, except for the toilet. I can flush with a bucket for a while if I need to.

The plan for either later tonight if I have the energy or tomorrow if not is to run another pipe up through the floor for the toilet and deal with the one in the wall which is now not connected to anything when I redo the bathroom, which I don't expect is going to happen in this decade.

Surveying the damage, it's not too bad. Mostly looks like I've lost a few odds and ends of MDF and a couple of homebrew jigs and may have to redo several pieces for a toolbox I has in progress. Most of the good lumber is on a rack.

One thing I did learn--with both valves at the meter off there's still seepage--had to pull hose to the washing machine off the cold-water tap to drain the pipe enough to solder--the pipe kept spitting water otherwise. Need to deal with that at some point but it's not urgent.

Tomorrow I need to find my pump and reduce the water level too.

Annoying, this is the first time since 1982 that there's been water in the basement.

Oh, and I got the plumbing stuff at the real hardware store where Larry the cat sleeps on the scale behind the counter. No made in China crap there--the ball valve was made in Italy instead. I'm not sure that I find that reassuring.

[jclarke782542]

And it gets worse. Got up this morning, and hear a hissing noise. Investi= gate and now there's water pouring out around the hot and cold water pipes = on the bathroom sink. It's cold. So now it seems that I was working on th= e wrong pipe. And I gotta work today too, so I guess it gets fixed tomorro= w.

Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Navy--aboard ship every damned p= ipe is right out there where you can see it, after you scrape the asbestos = off it.

[m II]

Many plumbers use the Italian loaf technique.

Shove a piece of bread into the pipe, to suck p water jus before soldering the joint and then work quickly. It just flushes out when pressure is returned.

You've heard of the "Italian Job" haven't you?

And it gets worse. Got up this morning, and hear a hissing noise. Investigate and now there's water pouring out around the hot and cold water pipes on the bathroom sink. It's cold. So now it seems that I was working on the wrong pipe. And I gotta work today too, so I guess it gets fixed tomorrow.

Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Navy--aboard ship every damned pipe is right out there where you can see it, after you scrape the asbestos off it.

[Zz Yzx]

Ouchers. I feel for youc. Especially the part about having to go to work instead of dealing with the homestead.

-Zz

[willshak]

[e-mail] wrote the following:

Investigate and now there's water pouring out around the hot and cold water pipes on the bathroom sink. It's cold. So now it seems that I was working on the wrong pipe. And I gotta work today too, so I guess it gets fixed tomorrow.

is right out there where you can see it, after you scrape the asbestos off it.

Yep, and the air ducts too. They were in my bailiwick in the late 1950s. I was a Metalsmith (ME) on a Heavy Cruiser, the rating changed to Shipfitter Metalsmith (SFM) in 1958, now called a Hull Technician (HT). I added air ducts to existing AC ducts which were also covered in asbestos insulation without benefit of masks or other protective clothing. Discharged as an E-5 (PO Second Class SFM) in November 1958.

[J. Clarke]

Well, the fire at work is out, so tomorrow I can get to work on it.

I hope this isn't one of those deals where every time I fix it it just breaks somewhere else.