The day after the discovery of the dishwasher discharge, (which happened to be New Year's Eve morn) I had a conversation with Ken M. who is a friend as well as a building inspector. I told him what I had discovered. He said it makes perfect sense, especially in light of the fact that the house was vacant for so long, and the age of the dishwasher. He said those rubber hoses can get dry-rotted, and when they/ I began using the dishwasher with such enthusiasm, the hose expanded and contracted and then probably cracked. He also went on to say that it should be a relatively simple fix: a hose from Home Depot or Lowes and pull out the dishwasher and replace it.
When it comes to water and electric, I'm pretty chicken. I was happy to FINALLY find the source of the leak. I was willing to do without the dishwasher for a short while. I would assess the matter.
New Year's Eve and the holiday weekend saw some record cold temperatures here in SW FLA. I pulled the two turkey carcasses from Thanksgiving out of the freezer and decided to make Turkey Frame Soup. I boiled down the carcasses and Sarah removed the major bones. I put the broth and the turkey in the fridge and would make the soup the next day. Saturday afternoon I sliced and diced carrots, celery, onion, sauteed, added corn and seasonings, and made a wonderful pot of turkey soup (complete with large egg noodles).
In the process, I had liberal use of the garbage disposal. I ran plenty of cold water with its use. You guessed it: drain clog.
How do you plunge a clogged drain in a 2-sided sink? Plug one side and plundge the other. Ever try that solo? I have been plundging with great faith - but little luck.
I spent Monday from 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM in Council meeting. Then Tuesday AM from 8:30-11:30 in staff meetings. Never a chance to call a plumber. I talked to some friends about "knowing somebody" that I could hire to check it out.
Meanwhile, I plundge.
Here it is Wednesday, January 6 and I have a clogged drain and out of commission dishwasher.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
The mystery of the water part V
When I moved in on Nov 4, I moved all my things into the house before I moved out the previous owners’ stuff. In trying to trouble shoot the water, I went through boxes and buckets and drawers and cupboards trying to get my hands on a working flashlight. I changed batteries (rather pleased with myself in finding the box with the replacement batteries) and then changed bulbs – I went through a half dozen various flashlights. At one point, Kev offered a pen-light he had in his truck. Sarah climbed the ladder to the attic but the pen light dimmed and died as soon as she moved away from the stair.
I’ll stop at the hardware store after work tomorrow, I said. We’ll take a look at that leak tomorrow night.
Wednesday nite we had two new bright flashlights. We pulled down the attic ladder, and with a tin pan in hand, Sarah climbed up to check out the leak. (I supervised from below J) After a short while, Sarah climbed back down. “Mom, that’s not the problem – the pipe’s not wet, the insulation and the wall is dry…that’s not the source of the leak….”
Darn.
We put the ladder back up. I poured a glass of wine.
Sarah and I sat down to California pizza and a garden salad. After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes and took a shower. I was in my bedroom readying for bed, when Sarah called, “Mom? Are you still awake?” I opened my bedroom door. “It’s the dishwasher!” Sarah exclaimed. I looked in her room at the cement floor now flooding. The smell of Cascade was pronounced. The water was running from the corner of the bedroom adjoining the kitchen, along the exterior wall (under the window) and pooled in the closet.
I turned off the dishwasher and hauled out the shop vac.
Boy is this getting old…..
I’ll stop at the hardware store after work tomorrow, I said. We’ll take a look at that leak tomorrow night.
Wednesday nite we had two new bright flashlights. We pulled down the attic ladder, and with a tin pan in hand, Sarah climbed up to check out the leak. (I supervised from below J) After a short while, Sarah climbed back down. “Mom, that’s not the problem – the pipe’s not wet, the insulation and the wall is dry…that’s not the source of the leak….”
Darn.
We put the ladder back up. I poured a glass of wine.
Sarah and I sat down to California pizza and a garden salad. After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes and took a shower. I was in my bedroom readying for bed, when Sarah called, “Mom? Are you still awake?” I opened my bedroom door. “It’s the dishwasher!” Sarah exclaimed. I looked in her room at the cement floor now flooding. The smell of Cascade was pronounced. The water was running from the corner of the bedroom adjoining the kitchen, along the exterior wall (under the window) and pooled in the closet.
I turned off the dishwasher and hauled out the shop vac.
Boy is this getting old…..
Friday, January 1, 2010
intermission
As intermission from the mystery of the water,
here's a pic of me !
enjoying my company in my new house!
Thanksgiving 2009
The mystery of the water Part IV
Monday after work I was sitting in the kitchen, at the "breakfast nook" table. Sarah and I were just chatting about various things; some work stuff, some family stuff, and my ever present mystery of the leak. "I know I seem to be obsessed with this..." I would frequently say. It was starting to make me crazy. As we talked, I looked up and saw the patches in the ceiling from the truss repair work that was done the day after I moved in. I wonder if perhaps the guys dinged a pipe or something putting the trusses in... I thought to myself.
At the time of the house inspection, it was noted that 3 or 4 trusses had extensive damage from termites. The previous owners knew of the subterranean termites and had the house treated. They also maintained the annual inspection and treatment. There was no presence of live termites at the time my house was inspected, but some of the trusses over the kitchen area were so badly damaged from the termites, that the inspector urged that I address this damage soon. The next day a local GC came by and gave a quote: $1,000. to "sister-up" the 4 damaged trusses. It would mean bringing the boards up through two cuts to the ceiling over the kitchen. The day after I closed on the house, Mark (the GC) and helper showed up at 9AM and fixed the brittle trusses.
As I looked up and at the patched drywall, (which, BTW, was an awesome job! it matches beautifully!...you wouldn't notice it if you didn't see it done.) I thought about the inspection report......
Monday night went on and Tuesday morning took me to work....all day something nagged at me: I needed to get my hands on my home inspection report. It was somewhere in a pile of all kinds' o' papers, folders, binders....paper.... stacked on the dresser in my bedroom. I'd gone through it quickly the morning before I left for work, and didn't find it. Tues night I found it. It was where a calmer, more careful look would have found it.
I turned to one of the pages with small photos of problem spots. That's what had been nagging at me:
DAMAGED COPPER WATER LINE IN ATTIC- LEAKING NOTED
"Well, there you go!" Sarah quipped when I read it to her. There I go, indeed. I turned to the page which detailed
PLUMBING.
and read:
NOTE: Evidence of leaking is noted at one of the copper lines. This is near a 45 fitting over the kitchen area. This should be checked and repaired by a licensed plumbing contractor.
Well there I go.
At the time of the house inspection, it was noted that 3 or 4 trusses had extensive damage from termites. The previous owners knew of the subterranean termites and had the house treated. They also maintained the annual inspection and treatment. There was no presence of live termites at the time my house was inspected, but some of the trusses over the kitchen area were so badly damaged from the termites, that the inspector urged that I address this damage soon. The next day a local GC came by and gave a quote: $1,000. to "sister-up" the 4 damaged trusses. It would mean bringing the boards up through two cuts to the ceiling over the kitchen. The day after I closed on the house, Mark (the GC) and helper showed up at 9AM and fixed the brittle trusses.
As I looked up and at the patched drywall, (which, BTW, was an awesome job! it matches beautifully!...you wouldn't notice it if you didn't see it done.) I thought about the inspection report......
Monday night went on and Tuesday morning took me to work....all day something nagged at me: I needed to get my hands on my home inspection report. It was somewhere in a pile of all kinds' o' papers, folders, binders....paper.... stacked on the dresser in my bedroom. I'd gone through it quickly the morning before I left for work, and didn't find it. Tues night I found it. It was where a calmer, more careful look would have found it.
I turned to one of the pages with small photos of problem spots. That's what had been nagging at me:
DAMAGED COPPER WATER LINE IN ATTIC- LEAKING NOTED
"Well, there you go!" Sarah quipped when I read it to her. There I go, indeed. I turned to the page which detailed
PLUMBING.
and read:
NOTE: Evidence of leaking is noted at one of the copper lines. This is near a 45 fitting over the kitchen area. This should be checked and repaired by a licensed plumbing contractor.
Well there I go.
The mystery of the water Part III
I left the rug and pad rolled back in the bedroom for about an hour while I "studied" the situation. The carpet was soaked, and stunk. The padding was soaked. The concrete floor was drying. After about an hour or so of study, I dug out a razor knife from one of the drawers in the garage and tried to cut away at the wet carpet. My logic was that the carpeting throughout the house was old, stained, worn and dirty. Before moving in, I fantasized about putting in wood floors, or laminate, like Pergo. Knowing that I would have hidden expenses, I decided to move in and deal with the cosmetics one at a time. I decided at this time, with saturated stinky dirty carpet, that it was not worth saving. If the wet carpet is gone, I can better gauge where the water's coming from. Plus, my daughter should not have to sleep in such a stinky room.
Well, the razor knife was too dull to make a dent in the carpeting, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed the knife that I used to slice the Thanksgiving turkeys. It was indeed sharp. I cut away about 3 feet wide and 8 feet long of wet carpet and padding. The wet carpet and pad was outta there. I hauled it off to the garage to wait for trash day.
I was still scratchin' my head, stewing over this dilemna. Troubleshooting is indeed trouble-some. It was about sundown on a sunday eve. I went back to my belief that it had to be something not tested in the home inspection. Even though I had run several loads of laundry that day, I decided to run "one more". The carpet was up, now, so, any leakage would be apparent. I ran the washing machine, and no leaks. I ran the 'water in the door' on the fridge, ran the ice maker, ran the garbage disposal, ran the showers, the toilets....even the outside faucets. Nuthin'.
I was feelin' a bit stumped.
Well, the razor knife was too dull to make a dent in the carpeting, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed the knife that I used to slice the Thanksgiving turkeys. It was indeed sharp. I cut away about 3 feet wide and 8 feet long of wet carpet and padding. The wet carpet and pad was outta there. I hauled it off to the garage to wait for trash day.
I was still scratchin' my head, stewing over this dilemna. Troubleshooting is indeed trouble-some. It was about sundown on a sunday eve. I went back to my belief that it had to be something not tested in the home inspection. Even though I had run several loads of laundry that day, I decided to run "one more". The carpet was up, now, so, any leakage would be apparent. I ran the washing machine, and no leaks. I ran the 'water in the door' on the fridge, ran the ice maker, ran the garbage disposal, ran the showers, the toilets....even the outside faucets. Nuthin'.
I was feelin' a bit stumped.
The mystery of the water, Part II
Kev and I patched the gap in the back of the house where the A/C tube came in. (Actually Kev caulked, I 'supervised'). Rain was forcast for the next day, so this will set up in 3 hours. I was at work the next day and called home to ask Lauren to check whether the floor was dry after the rain. It was. whoo hoo!
Several days later, Sarah was moving in her stuff into the 3rd bedroom. She will no longer rent the house on the beach where she's lived for the past 2-3 years. That's a whole 'nother story perhaps for another blog, but this particular evening she was setting up her bed and the knees of her jeans were wet: "This carpet's wet, mom....." I was surprised and puzzled. Sure enough - it was soaked in the corner of the closet and under the window - just as it had been before. I certainly got my money's-worth out of that shop-vac. This time it wasn't quite as much water, but I vacuumed and put the fans on and opened the window to dry it out. What the heck could it be?
There was some theory that the A/C drain was clogged, but that didn't make sense as I hadn't run the A/C since I moved in. It had to be something that wasn't tested in the house inspection before I bought it. The washing machine wasn't tested - but that was on the complete opposite side of the house - but where did the water drain to? The ice maker wasn't on when I moved in: the refrigerator backed the bedroom, so perhaps that's it. I turned it off for a day or so.
We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas eve, with a dinner of blackened ahi tuna and short ribs, baked potato, fresh broccoli and carrots and a garden salad. We opened our gifts late into the evening. Christmas day we went to the Beach for a great dinner with my brother and his family.
The day after Christmas I was doing chores, including several loads of laundry. At one point I checked on the carpet only to find that it was again saturated. Days earlier, I pulled away the carpet and pad in the closet to expose the concrete pad. I was able to look directly at the floor to see any new wetness. With this current flooding, I pulled away more of the carpet into the bedroom under the window. The rubber pad underneath was saturated. I pulled Sarah's bed away from the wall, only to discover that the carpet was soaked the whole length of the room along the back wall. I pulled back 2-3 feet to expose the concrete floor, which was puddled with water. Shop Vac time again.
This is so darned puzzling.......
Several days later, Sarah was moving in her stuff into the 3rd bedroom. She will no longer rent the house on the beach where she's lived for the past 2-3 years. That's a whole 'nother story perhaps for another blog, but this particular evening she was setting up her bed and the knees of her jeans were wet: "This carpet's wet, mom....." I was surprised and puzzled. Sure enough - it was soaked in the corner of the closet and under the window - just as it had been before. I certainly got my money's-worth out of that shop-vac. This time it wasn't quite as much water, but I vacuumed and put the fans on and opened the window to dry it out. What the heck could it be?
There was some theory that the A/C drain was clogged, but that didn't make sense as I hadn't run the A/C since I moved in. It had to be something that wasn't tested in the house inspection before I bought it. The washing machine wasn't tested - but that was on the complete opposite side of the house - but where did the water drain to? The ice maker wasn't on when I moved in: the refrigerator backed the bedroom, so perhaps that's it. I turned it off for a day or so.
We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas eve, with a dinner of blackened ahi tuna and short ribs, baked potato, fresh broccoli and carrots and a garden salad. We opened our gifts late into the evening. Christmas day we went to the Beach for a great dinner with my brother and his family.
The day after Christmas I was doing chores, including several loads of laundry. At one point I checked on the carpet only to find that it was again saturated. Days earlier, I pulled away the carpet and pad in the closet to expose the concrete pad. I was able to look directly at the floor to see any new wetness. With this current flooding, I pulled away more of the carpet into the bedroom under the window. The rubber pad underneath was saturated. I pulled Sarah's bed away from the wall, only to discover that the carpet was soaked the whole length of the room along the back wall. I pulled back 2-3 feet to expose the concrete floor, which was puddled with water. Shop Vac time again.
This is so darned puzzling.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
