jane's plumbing megathread because HER HOUSE CONSTANTLY HAS ISSUES LIKE THIS

Salix Babylonika

hello children

I would like to ask you to envision the inside of a toilet tank, the top part of the toilet, the rectangular part.

You know how inside, there's a stopper, which connects to a chain, which connects to a handle, which connects to the flushing lever? And how when you flush the chain pulls the stopper up, draining the water out of the tank and how it's impossible to flush a toilet if you don't do that?

Well, our lever's been broken for a while now. Today, we had a fun, additional complication! The chain--still attached to the stopper--fell into the pipe the stopper covers and is stuck on something. I have been trying to remove it for the past half hour, to no avail

life is pointless and we all return to dust eventually

Imipolex G

Salix Babylonika

not really in the mood but I appreciate the thought nonetheless

Imipolex G

I figured you could use a plumber, or an extra life

glennmagusharvey

edit: post moved to other thread

Crystal

I really don't think that sort of wholly personal ramble is fitting for this sort of thread.

Odradek

Yes

Crystal

Like, I don't want to talk overmuch because this is Jane's thread for her persistent and always awful plumbing issues, in a housing situation which is all too known (it's Bad and I wish I could like, go there and fix it or something). So going off on what is essentially a tangent, in radically different circumstances, wherein Jane's issues are literally not mentioned even a bit... is like, a faux pas, at best.

Imipolex G

Glenn.

glennmagusharvey

Crystal said:

Like, I don't want to talk overmuch because this is Jane's thread for her persistent and always awful plumbing issues, in a housing situation which is all too known (it's Bad and I wish I could like, go there and fix it or something). So going off on what is essentially a tangent, in radically different circumstances, wherein Jane's issues are literally not mentioned even a bit... is like, a faux pas, at best.

Sorry about treating this as a thread about the topic more generally.

I've moved the post to my personal thread.

Salix Babylonika

our outtake pipe has frozen for the fourth winter in a row and this time we do not have the money to fix it.

I am in physical pain.

Salix Babylonika

and any time I try to complain my mom starts fucking guilting me as though it's my fault that we live here. she constantly says she feels like she's not allowed to complain about anything but then turns around and does the same fucking thing to me

Anonus

is there anything we can do to help

Salix Babylonika

not unless you have like $4,000 just laying around

Salix Babylonika

lee4hmz

I have to wonder if you can just insulate the drain pipes and be done with it, or if the plumber said "oh there's more to it and you have to do this and that"

eriophora zia

Insulation usually helps prevent issues, but it often doesn't resolve them after a pipe is already frozen. Other good prevention steps include leaving faucets dripping and leaving cabinet doors open so heat can reach pipes inside and in the walls.

Frozen pipes are nasty and almost always need a plumber to shock them.

Also... Jane, you rent and don't own right? Because your landlord should be required to repair stuff like that, and they should NOT be charging you for that. You should only be charged for damages you have actually caused.

lee4hmz

I'm wondering why a plumber would want $4,000 to fix a frozen pipe, though. It seems excessive, as if they're expecting to redo the entire house's plumbing.

eriophora zia

Plumbers are expensive. Admittedly, generally not 4k expensive, but I wouldn't be surprised by an $800-$1200 bill depending on how deep the freeze is. Guessing Jane was just throwing out a number since they're all equally inaccessible to them :/

glennmagusharvey

How are things where you are, Jane?

Salix Babylonika

eriophora zia said:

Insulation usually helps prevent issues, but it often doesn't resolve them after a pipe is already frozen. Other good prevention steps include leaving faucets dripping and leaving cabinet doors open so heat can reach pipes inside and in the walls.

Frozen pipes are nasty and almost always need a plumber to shock them.

Also... Jane, you rent and don't own right? Because your landlord should be required to repair stuff like that, and they should NOT be charging you for that. You should only be charged for damages you have actually caused.

we rent the lot from the park, but not the house (which we rent from someone else, so yes we pay two different rent bills per month), and the result here is that if we were to try to call either entity they'd pass the responsibility off to the other and you'd get an endless game of back and forth. We know because we've tried before. The park *would* send down their maintenance man, but we also know from experience that he'd go under the house, tell us he doesn't see a problem, and then slap us with a $400 fee.

glennmagusharvey said:

How are things where you are, Jane?

thankfully the pipes seem to have warmed up and unfroze, or more likely they were only ever partially frozen in the first place.

I don't quite know what we're going to do if they fully freeze at any point though.

Salix Babylonika

lee4hmz said:

I'm wondering why a plumber would want $4,000 to fix a frozen pipe, though. It seems excessive, as if they're expecting to redo the entire house's plumbing.

eriophora zia said:

Plumbers are expensive. Admittedly, generally not 4k expensive, but I wouldn't be surprised by an $800-$1200 bill depending on how deep the freeze is. Guessing Jane was just throwing out a number since they're all equally inaccessible to them :/

I believe the bill the last time we had this done was almost $4000. The outtake pipe had basically corroded away and the entire thing needed to be replaced.

eriophora zia

"The park *would* send down their maintenance man, but we also know from experience that he'd go under the house, tell us he doesn't see a problem, and then slap us with a $400 fee."

This honestly sounds illegal. They shouldn't be able to charge you more than the cost of sending the guy out (and even that's iffy!). I can 100% guarantee you that it didn't cost them $400 to send the guy out. I'd have to be more familiar with your state laws, but that's sketchy as fuck. Make sure you document all this stuff just in case, and if they try this shit again... ask them for the invoice for the maintenance visit. 

Salix Babylonika

The park has also changed hands twice since we've lived here so I'm not even sure who we'd be suing (nor do we have the money to do that, they do these things because most people who live here are too broke to put up a legal fight).