All I wanted was a lemon dessert

Fast Water · 01-09-2006, 03:06 PM

...this of course led to a large number of zested and squeezed lemon pieces left over from the process and last Thursday night someone crammed too many in the 13 y/o garbage disposal and turned it on. From the livingroom I heard an awful noise, went in and discovered that the device was now toast.

We had guests at our house from Friday morning through Sunday and through that time, due to various duties and the fact that I had to cook all the meals, I had not the time to replace the unit. :depressed:

On to this morning. 0730. I pulled the disposal and was about to leave when my wife asked if she could use the sink. Nope, wait till I come back. She suggested that we turn off the water then.

I said OK.

Do you know what happens next. Do ya?

From outside I hear a yell from the kitchen and I rush in to find my Wife fighting a stream of water blasting from the under the sink out onto the kitchen floor. She yells that "It came off" I told her to shut the valve thinking that one of the compressed plastic hoses came off.

Well, she kept screaming and the water kept blasting so I politely shoved her aside to find out that "what came off" was the valve handle and valve stem.

Uh oh. Bad thing. :shocked: Time to find the main water shut off valve.

I knew it was out front next to the foundation, in a 4" pvc pipe, 2 1/2 feet down, in the rain. A lot of stuff can collect in a 4" pvc pipe in 13 years.

After the excavation and shouting out get towel and bucket orders, the flood stopped and the mop up began. I took off the broken valve and went to the two stores in our town and OF COURSE they did not have anything that matched.

I ran up to Searings in Longview and by chance they have one left. Picking up the new disposal at Sears, I found out that I have to buy a cord (accessory package) to wire it myself so I could plug it in. <grrrrr>

An hour and a half later and the proper amount of swearing and other type "a" activities, every thing was good to go.

Lord, I love Mondays.

Hooked on Fish · 01-09-2006, 04:22 PM

Makes me feel much better bout my Monday. Thanks for sharing.

wthr4d · 01-09-2006, 04:59 PM

AH Mark, You make me feel so glad taht at this time in my life when I am extremely busy....I have a landlord to call!!

I feel for you, brother. Im glad to hear that it all came together in the end though. I really hate it when a couple hour project turns into a two day'er.

Paul

Fshklr · 01-09-2006, 05:19 PM

now you can puff up your chest and stroll about the house!!!

The MAN'S work has been done, and you have shown your family why you are the one and all mighty FAST WATER!!!

Fast Water · 01-09-2006, 06:04 PM

Quote:

one and all mighty FAST WATER!!!

Oh yeah. That's me.

The cabinets are about dry. Starting to put things back.
I'm on my 5th load of towels through the laundry.

Fshklr · 01-09-2006, 06:12 PM

Sorry Mark, hope the damage and stress are minimal

...I was reading your post and vividly had a mental picture of the hole process

.

Lemonade!!!!

Away2Long · 01-09-2006, 07:18 PM

Another reason I don't like lemon desserts..............

The only thing DIY plumbing repairs are good for is to teach your kids the words they should never say.

Fast Water · 01-09-2006, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Another reason I don't like lemon desserts..............

The only thing DIY plumbing repairs are good for is to teach your kids the words they should never say.

Ha ha. So true. The wife had to take the young one out to lunch during the instalation phase of the project. I don't do well tucked under the sink.

Dan: No worries. I don't see any damage (yet). I didn't know we had so many towels. Where does she keep them all?

:whazzup:

Super Fluke · 01-09-2006, 08:29 PM

funny

StickFish · 01-10-2006, 06:12 AM

Just be glad it broke the way it did - think if that had happened at night while you slept.

hawgcatcher · 01-10-2006, 07:43 AM

I hate anything to do with plumbing. Everything usually breaks at night, such as a plugged toilet. Then I can never get the water stopped, toilet unplugged or the sink working so I have to call a plumber out on overtime.

$150 and he makes it look easy. Wife looks at me and wonders why I am so dumb. Got fed up with the clogged toilet so I bought a $600 Flush a matic and it works great. It sends its load out with a loud whooosh. Just got to remember to tell friends about it before they use it. Sister in law thought she was going to go with it. Snicker snicker.

I should have had my sons go to train as plumbers. I could be sitting here rich.

1pump · 01-10-2006, 08:28 AM

I bought a house up in AK that was on a well with rock-hard water. The disposal clogged up one day and at the exact second I opened up the cabinet door under the sink and stuck my head in, it decided to launch itself off it's mounting, bounce out of the cabinet and hose the whole kitchen down with water and potato peels.

Of course I got most of it in the face.
It turned out the hard water had corroded the mounting flange (wasn't stainless) and it let go and dropped the still-running disposal right into my lap. I didn't find it as nearly amusing as my kid did.

Fast Water · 01-10-2006, 09:32 AM

I'm feeling better now.

Thanks 1pump. :grin: