Monday, August 10, 2009

I am Dizzy Just Writing This

The best plumber in Birmingham is getting on my nerves.

Mr. Richards former home had a few water leaks (seriously, he lived like this???). One of these is in the upstairs bathroom. There is another issue in the downstairs basement shower. The upstairs bathroom is an immediate concern. The downstairs shower isn't a big deal.

Let me rephrase this: THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM MUST GET FIXED. NOW. I have a tenant moving in this week. And, right now we can't turn the water on to the house unless I am planning on offering a waterfall and an indoor pool to Angie.

Last week, Carolsue met the plumber at the house, explained to him the situation. She didn't need big 5" x 7" color glossies--though maybe that would have helped in hindsight. The water leak was apparently obvious. It was leaking from the upstairs bathroom into the garage.

The plumber determined with his sage wisdom, the problem was the kitchen sink. Yes, the kitchen sink was dripping on to the bottom cabinet. But, as she explained, but this drizzle was coming from the bathroom. He nodded his head, and Carolsue took that for plumber language as "I have it under control."

Saturday, Carolsue came back to find out the leak wasn't fixed and water was coming out of areas where water isn't supposed to be. If there had been an enterprising neighbor, they might have sold admission to the indoor water slide.

Monday morning I called back and talked to the plumbing company's owner, explaining the leak wasn't fixed. In fact, if we turn on the water to the house, we have a geyser. The owner explained to me the downstairs shower was the problem. Now I realize I am not there, but I can figure out if water is dripping from the ceiling into the garage, that the downstairs basement shower cannot be the issue. The basics of gravity are in play here.

Monday morning, Carolsue called them too and explained the basement shower was not causing water to seep through the upstairs ceiling into the garage and could they kindly come back out and try again.

Monday afternoon I got a call from the best plumber in Birmingham. They gave me the name of someone who handles shower repairs, as they can't remove tile to make this repair. They wanted to help me out so I can get my shower repaired. Though I appreciate their attention to detail on this shower thing, too bad this isn't really the issue.

When I called the plumber today, I was told by the owner the plumber went back out to the house and the water meter had been pulled, so he borrowed water from the neighbor and poured it down the kitchen sink drain. Yep, the the drain is fixed. And, the shower still has an issue. And, by the way, the dishwasher is missing. For the record, the meter is still there and the dishwasher was missing last time he was there too.

Keeping with the whole good cop-bad cop thing, Carolsue called and explained in a Southern-hear-me-roar kind of way, that they really messed this one up. The water leaking from the upstairs bathroom had gotten worse. The water was off at the meter--but the meter was still there--to prevent future flooding and could someone please take care of this NOW. From what I understand, Carolsue was greeted with a few "bless your hearts" from the owner's wife and a commitment that the plumbing flunkie would be calling to resolve this.

Ok, I have mental vertigo now. And I hope Angie can swim.

1 comment:

Ernie said...

Owners wife called. All leaks are stopped! Good thing too because according to them it was leaking and pooling (must be plumber talk) on the electric box. Lordy. By the way, the first plumber boy is on his way to stand in the unemployment line as I type.