Bathroom Destruction

[Ed Hurst]

As I write this, two guys are in my bathroom chipping out a section of the concrete floor with a small jackhammer. Two weeks ago I reported that our bathtub drain was slowing down. After several false starts thinking the problem had been solved, they had to call a professional plumbing company. They found that the drain had collapsed.

Strange thing: Our building is divided by a breezeway. On each side are blocks of four apartments, two up and two down. All four bathtubs on our side are linked together before they hit the common sewer pipe. The two ground floor bathtubs have been backing up from the drainage of the two upstairs because the line was blocked. So for two weeks we have not been able to use our shower without having to bail it out. While the other drains are working, I've been toting it outside in a bucket and pouring it into the street gutter (it's just "gray water"). But I've been having to do it for everyone else's bathtub, too. The guy next door to me is physically unable to do that kind of work, and when I bail mine, it drains his, too.

I tried to convince the folks upstairs that I wasn't hostile, but I would wish they could take it easy on me bailing out their bath water. It has reduced the amount, but not completely stopped the backups I have to deal with. But now that the plumbers are destroying my bathroom to get to the pipe, everyone else has been told they must not run anything down their drains, lest it interfere with their work. Also, those guys had me move stuff in my computer office so they could cut out a section of the wall adjoining the bathroom, so I'm pretty much limited to my laptop until they are through.

I find this all somewhat entertaining, so far.

[forrealone]

As I write this, two guys are in my bathroom chipping out a section of the concrete floor with a small jackhammer. Two weeks ago I reported that our bathtub drain was slowing down. After several false starts thinking the problem had been solved, they had to call a professional plumbing company. They found that the drain had collapsed.

Strange thing: Our building is divided by a breezeway. On each side are blocks of four apartments, two up and two down. All four bathtubs on our side are linked together before they hit the common sewer pipe. The two ground floor bathtubs have been backing up from the drainage of the two upstairs because the line was blocked. So for two weeks we have not been able to use our shower without having to bail it out. While the other drains are working, I've been toting it outside in a bucket and pouring it into the street gutter (it's just "gray water"). But I've been having to do it for everyone else's bathtub, too. The guy next door to me is physically unable to do that kind of work, and when I bail mine, it drains his, too.

I tried to convince the folks upstairs that I wasn't hostile, but I would wish they could take it easy on me bailing out their bath water. It has reduced the amount, but not completely stopped the backups I have to deal with. But now that the plumbers are destroying my bathroom to get to the pipe, everyone else has been told they must not run anything down their drains, lest it interfere with their work. Also, those guys had me move stuff in my computer office so they could cut out a section of the wall adjoining the bathroom, so I'm pretty much limited to my laptop until they are through.

I find this all somewhat entertaining, so far.

Oh, yoy!  I can relate.  When we had our house fire three years ago and opted to stay home in one room whilst they redid our house, watching "the show" was entertaining.  I feel for you.....  Apparently, this kind of entertainment comes with a real cost...  loss of sanity and convenience.  Thank the Lord He dwells in us and carries us through these times! 

[Ed Hurst]

Yeah, it means walking to the grocery store nearby to go potty. I caught a glimpse of our tub completely removed and all the back-splash was torn out. The walls on both ends of where the tub sat have been cut or knocked open by the efforts to move stuff around and gain access to the floor. The concrete dust is just bearable. But I still find it amusing because this whole episode exposed a serious flaw in staff communication with the apartment management. I've been trying to warn them they were doing stuff wrong.

This has not soured us on living here. We've had things far worse in other places we've rented. It comes with having a low budget to work from.

[Ed Hurst]

    This is what it looks like when they stopped for the day. My understanding is that they have fixed the collapsed line, but nothing has been put back yet.

[forrealone]

As they say down here, " well, ain't that just spayshul"????

[Ed Hurst]

The tub is back in place and the collapsed line is fixed. However, the actual maintenance crew is who will replace the wall and so forth. That will take days yet. Oddly enough, they gave us the key to a recently vacated apartment down the breezeway so we can shower.

[jaybreak]

Oddly enough, they gave us the key to a recently vacated apartment down the breezeway so we can shower.

It's the little things, right?

Maybe someone is actually listening to you.

[IainH]

I'm glad it's working out for you'uns. At least you don't have to bathe in the creek in January, that's no fun at all but, that's a story for another time.

[Ed Hurst]

I've done the ice-water bathing in the military. Even being raised in Alaska, I don't dawdle in cold water bathing, but I can get the job done.

Today, the maintenance folks came over and filled in the gaps in the sheetrock. They say Monday or Tuesday another outside contractor will come to put up the backsplash and do the mud-n-taping on the walls.

[IainH]

I've done the ice-water bathing in the military. Even being raised in Alaska, I don't dawdle in cold water bathing, but I can get the job done.

Today, the maintenance folks came over and filled in the gaps in the sheetrock. They say Monday or Tuesday another outside contractor will come to put up the backsplash and do the mud-n-taping on the walls.

In December 1984, I spent a long weekend in a hunting cabin deep in the backwoods of NC, it had no running water, an outhouse and a creek. I got muddy crawling through brush to and from the ambush site. I didn't take the buck, the other guy did and it took both of us to haul it back to the cabin. I had the fastest "bath" of my life and I believe I replicated the Rebel Yell in that water. First, last and only time I will ever deer hunt as long as they sell meat in plastic wrap.