05.04.08
Plumbing Project Complete
I did complete the plumbing project on April 29. Here is what the room looked like before:
Notice the less than 2 feet downspout for the washing machine that is in the ceiling. Not very washing-machine friendly. This set up also had the kitchen and washing machine going into the same 200 gallon cesspool, while the 700 gallon cess pool had just the bathroom sink. Let’s just call it poor planning.
Here is the new, improved basement plumbing. I know it’s still ugly, but everything works–without flooding. And we now have a basement sink. The sink is a great blessing since the condensation dryer and the dehumidifier both require frequent emptying. Yea!
Under normal circumstances, I would try to hide the piping. However, based on the set up of our basement, I thought we were safer keeping the pipes exposed. I’m afraid to know what is behind the wood panels.
Also, one minor correction. Teo’s friend who wielded the copper piping for me isn’t a professional plumber. He’s a machine tool maker. Regardless of his title, I really appreciated his help and blowtorch!
07.18.07
Flood
I had a plumber here on Monday, and while he was here, I asked him to take a look at our hot water heater. We’ve been seeing water on our basement floor and weren’t sure if it was due to condensation or a leak in the heater. He pointed out the water condensed on and dripping from all the cold-water pipes in the basement and said that it was probably due to condensation. I was satisfied by the visual evidence, and he left after finishing the work we had scheduled.
By Murphy’s Law, that night my husband went into the basement and it had flooded with an inch of hot-water on the floor in some places. (old house = uneven floor) I called the plumber the next morning and made an appointment for today. The leaking heater was still under warranty through GE and Home Depot.
If we count the time on the phone with GE, time talking to or in a Home Depot store, time with the plumber, and time getting water out of the basement, this was a two day time sink. Everyone was very nice, and the Home Depot customer service was decent. We now have hot water again and are waiting for the basement to finish drying out. We’ll need new carpet in spots as well.
Despite the trouble, I feel very blessed at the moment. The heater just happened to blow in my final week of maternity leave. If it had waited until next week, I would have had to balance returning to work, starting my baby in day care, and a blown water heater all at the same time. By blowing this week, I had the time and patience available to me to deal with the situation somewhat gracefully. God does love me!
Still, you can feel free to say a little prayer for me that the trials I face next week will be bearable–mostly pray that our little Che will adjust easily and quickly to day care.
