Water Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink
Saturday evening as we were eating dinner we heard the sound of rushing water coming from downstairs, so we rushed down to find water spewing everywhere in the downstairs bathroom. There were two inches of water in the floor within the five minutes it took me to shut the water off.
We spent the next three hours cleaning up water and mud that came when the water blew. Yuck.
We're on a well system, so when the water is off we have no drinking water, cannot shower, wash our hands or dishes, flush the commode, wash laundry. Any of the normal everyday activities.
After this happened, I made three phone calls to find an emergency plumber. No one answered their phones, which I figured must have been due to the Easter holiday. So I called my brother in law.
My brother in law and friend came over on Sunday morning to look at the problem and determined we needed a new regulator. My BIL went to Home Depot for parts and had the water turned back on around 4:30 that afternoon.
So, we were without water for around twenty-four hours, but it was long enough to make me postpone our Easter dinner because I still had dirty dishes from Saturday night and I didn't want to add to the mess. We will have that dinner another day soon.
Not using an emergency plumber definitely saved us money. We only had to spend about $30 on parts, so in the end the problem was fixed very frugally.
The first thing I did when the water was turned on was to wash those dishes. I don't like having dirty dishes in my sink, but that also helps me save money. I wouldn't want to go into a dirty kitchen to cook, so keeping mine clean ensures I will go in there and cook, which saves us money over eating out.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
Glad your BIL was able to help. We went to Easter at my sister's house. She is a single mom of 2. About a half hour there my other sister said the toilet wouldn't flush. Hubby went to check it out. A part had broken. He went to Lowes and got the parts. He had to buy a tool since we were out of state and my sister has very few tools. It cost her $28 for Hubby to fix and she has a tool. She said last time she had the plumber in, it was $150 to walk in the door.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marybeth.
DeleteHow great that you all were there when that happened. And now she has a tool to use as well. There are many savings to be had when someone can fix things like this without calling for professional help.
Oh, what a mess! Glad it got sorted out so cheaply though. I don't think anybody can stand a sink full of dirty dishes. lolz
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Sluggy. I can't stand it. LOL
DeleteWhat a crazy thing to have on Easter of all days. You poor thing. So happy you were able to get it done for so little. Our next door neighbors had just moved in with a 6 day old baby and a new mini van (like they had to have that for one baby) Their water main broke. It was about 12 feet down in the middle of the back yard. It would cost over $18,000 to have a professional find and dig. So we ran a hose over to their house and a plumber rigged it so they could have water until they got the line fixed. It took over two months for this young man and his father to dig and find the pipe. We got a $700.00 water bill! We also received a $20.00 gift card and a thank you note. I didn't have the heart to show them the water bill.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Kim. That is horrible. You were a kind soul not to say anything. You would think since they had just moved it it would have been covered by the previous owner.
DeleteOh, I'm so sorry that you had to deal with this. But I am very thankful for you that your BIL could make the repairs. Did the water do any damage? I hope that your life is back to normal, now.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lili. No damage other than having to get rid of some clothes my Dad had stored down there. He told m to "trash" them and now that space is cleared out, so that's a good thing. :)
DeleteOh gosh Belinda. What a pain.
ReplyDelete24 hours sounds quick but when you're in it it seems forever.
And the mess! Ugh.
I'm glad things got fixed and your BIL is a gem.
Have a good week
Debra
Thank you so much, Debra. I was happy that I had a pitcher of filtered water on the countertop when it happened. That made it little bit better. I hope you have a good week too.
DeleteBelinda that is an absolute nightmare. I am so glad your BIL is there for you. I can't imagine how expensive and even more stressful that would have been if you had to use an emergency plumber.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Safyne. I'm so glad he was able to help us out.
DeleteWe used to be on a well, which I actually miss, but you are so right....when it's down, it's down. Glad you guys were able to fix it quickly.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Little Penpen. :)
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