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Christy358
Member
07-10-2007
| Wednesday, August 11, 2010 - 8:49 pm
Dipo, thank you for being a friend to someone in need of one. I know it takes a lot of emotional energy. I have no dirty dishes in my sink for the ....13th day in a row. This may be a new record.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, August 11, 2010 - 11:13 pm
Thursday's Mission Dipo, I agree with Christy. It's nice that your neighbor has someone to count on. Woo hoo Christy! Way to go! Oh plumbing issues suck, lol. This was a very bad week for it (like any time is good.) My bils youngest sis is in town from South Carolina and they've had plans in place for weeks for her trip. Tuesday was her first day here, no time for plumbing. Yesterday they went to the beach, no plumbing work done. Today Darren had work, then a physical, and then school while bil was free most of the day. Tomorrow they have to take her to the airport and they won't be back til late. Unfortunately it's a two person job, so looking like Friday afternoon will be the earliest they'll get to it. And to make matters worse, the garbage disposal side of the kitchen sink clogged up today. That's not really a big deal, Darren can fix it pretty quickly, just not today since he was only home for a few minutes all day, lol. I ran my errands this morning, picked up a little around the house, and took Kota to practice. Also switched cars with sis and bil for them to drive to the airport. Tomorrow I'll just be cleaning and doing laundry, nothing too exciting.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 9:25 am
Excellent Christy! I am jealous as I left for work today and feel like my kitchen is a mess. Got home late last night and didn't have enough time this morning to do much. Looking forward to cleaning up when I get home tonight. "Plumbingate" is becoming an ordeal, LMAO.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 10:35 pm
Friday's Mission LOL plumbingate! I called this afternoon and set up an appt for tomorrow morning with the plumber. Darren will be at work, but bil will be able to be here for part of it at least. All I'm going to have to do is point out the clogged pipe and tell the guy not to touch anything else, Darren and bil will put it all back together when he's done. Also need to get grocery shopping done, if not tomorrow then definitely this weekend. Haven't given much thought to any other plans yet. Darren got slammed at work with a bunch of stuff so he's working 11-12 hour days and looking at working Saturday. My youngest niece is having her birthday party Sat (she'll be 2) but I'm not sure if Darren and I will go or just drop off the kids, depends on the plumbing. If it's working I may spend half of Saturday enjoying a shower in my very own bathroom, lol!
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 8:37 am
I got my kitchen cleaned up, I'm so happy, ran the dishwasher, refilled all the water and soda bottles, can see my beautiful granite again! (It wasn't really that bad but it was bugging me) Watered all the plants and cleaned up a table on the balcony, I have some of those candles to keep bugs away and somehow one of the melted/leaked wax onto the table. Really weird, I can't figure out what exactly happened since there is no hole in the bottom. Best guess is the wax that had spilled down the side must have been heated up and melted onto the table. Anyway, took out a bunch of recycling and now I feel like my house is back in order. I sure hope you can have shower at home soon Wargod! I anxiously await my plumbingate update every day, LOL.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 9:13 am
Jackhammering, they're talking about jackhammering. The plumber at first wasn't even sure he could get a snake through the trap on the pipe and told me the guys might have to cut it off before he could do it, but he would try. He finally did get the snake in, but it was rough going. Snaked it, then ran the water hose down and it still backed up. He tried again and again for over an hour. Finally, he admitted defeat. He said the pipe goes under the foundation and it should only go about 10 feet before it meets up with the main line, but the plumbing in this neighborhood is really weird. He went 30 ft and never connected with the main line, never heard the snake through the one part that sticks up out of the ground for the main and couldn't get the snake any further. He says it drains slowly, but theres still a clog. He thinks the only option is to replace the pipe, which will involve tearing up part of the foundation and going under it and he thinks it'll be about $1,100 a day (1-3 days depending on how bad it is, how much of the pipe they have to replace, etc.) But, also said he was going to call his boss and explain the situation to him and have him call me to explain the options. So, not sure what the next step will be yet.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 10:39 am
Update, update. Boss called, said he thinks another option is to cut out part of the wall so they can get to another pipe up on the roof of the house and run the snake that way. Total cost, $225 for the wall (to cut and repatch) and $85 to snake again with a bigger snake. I asked....what if the guys cut out the wall and patch it themselves, that had already been an option, he said if they can do that work, great! $85 total. I said bils in construction and he said, oh yeah, have them do the cutting and repair. So need to talk to Darren and he'll call dude back later and we'll set something up.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 4:45 pm
OMG, jackhammering, I am LMAO, this is getting really crazy. Oh thank goodness you have a better option!
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Glenn
Member
07-05-2003
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 7:15 pm
Wargod, what kind of drain is not working and ask one of your guys to check and see if it is vented. Most building codes require vents through the attic/roof that would give another access to run a snake without having to tear out sheetrock.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, August 13, 2010 - 9:08 pm
Shower/tub drain, Glenn. Everything else in the house is just fine except for the shower/tub. And uh, totally mixed up, messed up, 60+ year old plumbing. And yep, we have the vents (or is it just one?) Darren talked to the boss on the phone and then boss showed up to check it out himself. Apparently the clog isn't that far down, but because of the trouble with the snake going through the trap or something like that the snake completely slipped past the clog. Boss gave us several options and told us to start at the top of the list. I have no idea what the first option really involves, except no plumber, it's free, and involves shooting hot water directly down the pipe. He also gave Darren some fittings and pieces of pipes to use (which is what had me confused.) Darren has to work in the morning, so he decided to put it off til tomorrow afternoon. Darren discussed the options with bil (while I hopped in their shower) and he thought they were good suggestions, though I still have no clue what the others are yet or why they aren't going through the vent(s?) I will say that anytime we've had plumbers out it's always something and they always stand there shaking their heads for a minute or two over how screwy it all is. Some have blamed it on us being on a corner lot, others have blamed it on the houses being built in the 50's, and some have said all the houses in the neighborhood are weird (that one I kinda believe cuz there are always plumbers in the neighborhood.)
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Glenn
Member
07-05-2003
| Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 6:48 pm
If a clog only involves one plumbing fixture, the shower in this case, it would seem to indicate the clog is only in the line that runs from the shower drain to where it ties into the rest of the plumbing in your bathroom. This distance should only be a few feet in most ordinary cases. Your lavatory and toilet are most likely connected to this same feeder line that the shower connects to. If you have no back up in your lavatory or toilet, it would seem to indicate the feeder line is okay and the clog only involves the area from the tub to this feeder line. Shower drains will clog with hair and soap scum regardless of how old the house and plumbing is. If the clog is not at the drain or p-trap itself, it would indicate there is something else that the hair/soap scum is sticking to further along the drain pipe. Some plumbers have cameras that can be fed into drain lines that can locate and see what the exact cause of the blockage is. This is useful because it can tell you if the line has a low point that prevents proper flow and allows a place for things to settle and start a potential blockage. I would invest in this before I ever had anyone start jackhammering my concrete floor. You do realize they will have to remove the tub/shower if this happens and they may not be including returning everything to original condition in their price quotes. You need to ask.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 8:17 pm
I think we got lucky all the way around, Glenn. Darren got off work, put the fittings together, hooked up the hose and ran the hot water through the pipe. By the time my bil got here (maybe 20-25 minutes) it was draining with no problem. I was more than a bit shocked that it actually worked and thought it was because I hadn't understood what they were doing, but Darren and bil were pretty surprised too. Then they put the pipes back together and went to run the water, watch it drain, and run outside to look and check that there was no leaking. Took them maybe an hour altogether! The first guy that came out said something similar about the shower drain or pipe. He got the snake 30 ft and still hadn't hit the main line and normally that pipe is only about 10 ft. But, he said we're also on a corner lot and some of the corner houses have weird plumbing. We've been in this house almost 12 years now and we've had every kind of plumbing problem there is I think. Clogs, broken pipes, frozen pipes bursting, tree roots, you name it. The last big problem was two years ago and it was everything in the house. They came out with the camera and turned out to be roots in the main line, then they brought out the big snake and did the line all the way to the curb. Haven't had any problems (knock on wood) since then, other than busted sprinkler lines.
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 10:19 pm
Wow War! I sure hope this works! It's been a downright scary read. Thankfully you have Darren and bil sorting the stuff out - AND a reasonable plumber that's not just milking the job.

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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 2:26 pm
I am so happy it worked! What a nice plumbing miracle from the plumbing gods. I went and had breakfast with my sister on Saturday and then got some really cool ornamental grasses and some lavender. Got home and planted everything but the coolest one, the pot we bought for it wasn't deep enough! This morning I met a girlfriend for coffee,to catch up and I was telling her the story about the pot, and she says, want to go and check at Orchard Supply? So off we went, got another pot, then went to check out Target, and now I have planted all my beautiful plants and my balcony garden looks great.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, August 16, 2010 - 10:02 am
Mondays Mission http://www.flylady.com/pages/FlightPlan_Missions.asp Well, didn't do anything since yesterday, but thought I would post the mission.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, August 16, 2010 - 10:14 am
Ack, thanks, Dipo! I completely forgot last night, sad thing is I even opened this thread and then shut it with the rest when I went to bed, lol! I had a moment of freaking out a while ago. Oldest niece is here and I sent the girls to take showers so we could go run some errands. Niece went first, then Kota, and I waited a few minutes before going to hop in for the hot water. Walked into the bathroom and there was about 4 inches of standing water in the tub. Ack, oh crap! I don't want to have to call Darren and tell him the tub is stopped up again! And then I thought to check and sure enough, Kota had hit (or pulled) the stopper button, lol. I pushed it down, stopper came up, and the water drained zippity quick. Other than that, I'm about to head to Costco to shop. Later on Kota has her check up with the dr and she'll have to change into her softball clothes cuz we'll most likely go straight from dr to practice.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, August 16, 2010 - 12:16 pm
I totally suck, lol, though the girls think I'm awesome. We drove all the way across town to Costco, navigated their parking lot (which is a challenge in itself,) parked the car, and I thought...I so don't want to do this! Told the girls, I'm just going to grab a couple things I have to have today and then we're going to lunch! Got cereal, bread, pasta, and tomato sauce and called it done. Which leaves me with grocery shopping tomorrow or Wednesday, but by golly, I took the girls to lunch and we had a fabulous time!
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Monday, August 16, 2010 - 10:42 pm
Sweet! Might as well enjoy the 'hen-party' while you can. Groceries will be around to shop for another day. 
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 12:24 am
Tuesday's Mission Yep, Bisc they will! I don't often get oldest niece by herself and it's nice to be able to take her and Kota out for more grown up stuff, like a sit down restaurant for lunch. Tomorrow Kota and I will do the grocery shopping, really I don't have too much else planned. She's got practice in the afternoon. Wow, is that really all I need to get done tomorrow?
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 11:20 am
Since I had nothing else planned today besides grocery shopping, I just emptied out the fridge, scrubbed every part of it, put it all back together and now I have sparkly clean fridge for the groceries. Need to hop in the shower and then hit Costco.
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Lumbele
Moderator
07-12-2002
| Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 12:31 pm
Ok, mark you calendars!!!! Dh and I gave the living/dining room a thorough once-over, even rearranged the furniture in both. When I carefully hinted that I'd like to do that, he hollered "I'll help you as much as I can, but don't ask me to move the TV or the schrank!!!" LOL, moving both are an absolute horror to him because of the work involved. To me, too. So I had no intentions on either front. Poor Charlie is trying to figure out what the heck is going on and where his stuff moved to.LOL I'm bad, I know, but I like to shake things up a bit now and then.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 5:49 pm
Wow, how great is it to have a clean fridge! I just took out some recycling, I am waiting for my safeway delivery then will put the kitchen back together. LOL, Lumbele, its nice to move the furniture around sometimes!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 9:44 pm
Wednesday's Mission Heh, yep it was great to come home with a ton of groceries and have the fridge all sparkly clean. I got everything split up and put away. Sis called to ask if I'd watch the girls tomorrow afternoon. Bil has a broken tooth and has a dentist appt. Also asked if we'd take oldest niece to practice since he wasn't feeling well. Today was practice just for the pitchers/catchers I'll also be doing some cleaning, probably not a bunch of it.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 12:31 pm
Ran the dishwasher, got the delivery put away except for a ton of toliet paper, got to figure out where to stick it, LOL. Tonight I will unload the dishwasher and maybe just sit on my balcony and read a book. It has cooled off a little so it is really nice out and I can enjoy my new plants!
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Christy358
Member
07-10-2007
| Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 7:45 pm
Spent some time today at a friends apt. He has been under-employed and not happy about. He never was a good housekeeper, but this apt has gotten way out of hand. He said he wanted to get it under control..... I introduced him to fly lady. He never has cooked. (in 20 yrs the stove in his apt has been on twice. I made pork chops and pizza.) So instead of the kitchen sink being clean, we did the bathroom one. LOL Then we did a 15 min de-clutter in the living room and one in the bed room. 4 bags of trash to the dumpster and a little bit more floor available. Then we did lunch and a movie. Baby steps.
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