There's nothing to put you in the proper Christmas spirit like-- well, what happened was this:
It's Tuesday night, and I'm extra tired-- partly because we got up for a while in the middle of Monday night to observe the lunar eclipse. It's time for bed, so I let the dogs out for their walk, then go to the kitchen to wash my hands (because I've been handling the dog treats, and yes, I do wash them every time I handle treats because I've heard that dog food and treats can be contaminated with salmonella, and yes, I'm slightly neurotic like that). Imagine my surprise when I spy a reflection on the floor-- a puddle right in the open pantry doorway.
At first, I think Molly must've had an accident-- though it has been a loooong time since she's done that and the pantry seems like an odd choice, but who am I to judge the appeal of different locations for puddle-making?-- but as I approach the supposed scene of the crime, I see that it is too big to be a mere "accident" puddle.
Okay. Molly's vindicated. Now what? Well, I have some emergency water stored in there, in emptied and cleaned 2-liter cola bottles. Maybe one of them has sprung a leak. *Sigh* Oh well, better clean it up right away. So I head for the laundry room, where I store our "doggy towels"-- ideal for mopping up a medium-sized puddle of water.
*Slop slop slop*
At this point, you may be wondering what's making that slopping sound, and I can't say that I blame you. Unfortunately for us, it is the sound of me stepping into another, larger puddle-- one approximately the size of the utility/laundry room. For the second time in only twenty-two days, the entire floor of that room has been flooded. (That's right, it's been less than a month since our last "adventure" with standing water in the utility room.)
Yay. Another leak. This is just what I needed right now. Yee-haw, etc., etc.
My thoughts begin to run along the lines of "crappity-crappity crap crap CRAP", and so do my spoken words.
Ok, let's switch out of the present tense now, shall we? Now that the Big Reveal has happened, I'm ready for summary mode.
Donald (hearing evidence of the aforesaid crappity-crappity crap crap CRAP, came to see what had happened, and we quickly began the frustrating process of removing as much water as possible. This was especially irritating, given that (have I mentioned yet?) we had done the same thing less than a month earlier, but at least it was less of a mess this time, since the room was still in its new, cleaner state after the last clean-up. (Also, Donald figured out that our wet/dry shop-vac does a pretty good job of picking up most of the water, so we didn't end up with a hundred wet towels afterward.) Still, there were plenty of things to move and dry off... And it's not exactly fun to wonder how much damage the water had done/was doing to the house.
We also turned off the water (and water heater) and tried to figure out where the water had come from. The intake on the water heater-- the first place we checked, because that was where we had the last leak-- seemed dry, as did the pan around the water heater's base. The hose for the washing machine-- also dry. Basically, everything we could think of as a possible culprit inside the room was a dead end. Which left the plumbing behind the wall. There was no visible dampness on the wall, but... well, where else could it be coming from?
(Crappity-crappity crap crap CRAP.)
With all the water removed, we performed a little test. Donald turned on the water to the house again while I looked to see if any new water seeped under the baseboards and we both listened. No new water, but yes, we both heard something that sounded suspiciously like water behind the wall. (CRAP.)
So, now we get to have another little "adventure" in the world of plumbing. I suppose the final result will be that we'll have to shell out who-knows-how-much to have this mess fixed-- quickly, with any luck. Meanwhile, we have to haul our water in from the pump, and if it takes more than a day to fix, we'll have to rely on the generosity of family (who are fortunately also our neighbors) for warm showers. It could've been worse, of course. The weather today's going to be ok-- and not cold at all, so we won't miss the hot water as much as we might have... And at least it didn't happen on Christmas Eve/Day... And I suppose we found the problem pretty early. (I guess that if we had gone to bed without seeing it and shutting off the water, it would've leaked all night and flooded even more of the house. ~shudder~) And in the end, it's only a house repair, so not the worst thing to ever happen to someone in this cruel world-- but still, not just the thing to put one in her best mood right before the holidays, you have to admit. (And now I'm really worried about every *censored* pipe in the house. And I feel like kicking whoever did our original plumbing right in the you-know-where. GRR/*sigh*.)
