Home improvement redeaux

Cleaning tools in the kitchen sink. Common sense deserted you that day didn't it <sigh>.

I would try an apology first. Given the fact that the shower came out pretty well perhaps there is no problem at all.

To add to this, if you present her with flowers "Just for the heck of it", she will go looking around for "What has he done wrong now??"

Bill

Steve take heat like a man. Just think it could be worst along with the cold shoulder from Mrs S you could also be footing a bill to dig up you septic line to get the mortar out because its blocked up. Mite want to run a snake down the line to clean it out.

(1) Deny everything, even if they have photos

(2) Follow up with some mild apology for being angry ... "Honey (or insert your own term of endearment), mistakes happen ... but, we're in this together, RIGHT? Now, what's for dinner?"

(3) Destroy the evidence

(4) Let HER make it up to YOU

(5) PRAY you don't get caught ... paybacks are HELL

Oh, yes, now I remember....An episode of "Desperate Houswives" in which the main character (a young and handsome Texan) was a plumber. A sexy lady from the neighborhood asks him if he can drop by her house, that evening, to have a look at her pipes...

You may not be at fault (at least not completely!). Some drain cleaners, if they do not manage to clean the blockage, will themselves form a solid plug that looks like plaster or cement!!!

Did she try anything proprietary? If yes, you are probably only 50% or even much less to blame!!!

It was shown on a recent TV program here, it sets so hard that in some cases the piping will need to be replaced. The stuff in question looks like very fine kitty litter before usage!!!

the recommendation was NEVER to use such stuff!!!

Nope I am not getting out of it that easy... It was plain Drano, and there was little doubt that was morter...

Cost $4.00 and about 30 minutes to fix, (new p trap from Home Depot) and she is very happy to have her sink back..

She also is having great fun telling all her friends the story...

Hi Steve,

You said "Any suggestions for flower arrangements or other apology gifts from [emphasis added] Mrs. S.?"

I sure hope you meant "FOR" Mrs. S!

-John

One of those unfortunate typos that the spell checker is never going to pick up...

However she has now told the story to enough of her friends, that we are about to transition to apology gifts FROM Mrs S!

Dear Steve, If you remember I had asked you not to fix bathroom tiles yourself and get it done from proffesional mason. It seems you did not take my advice so you solved one problem and created other and blamed your innocent wife for clogging the sink.

steve you rang some old bels.

i had a mid fourties female single tenant in one of my rental houses, what she didn't tell me was that she and her kids had a hobby. they made plaster of paris molded figurines. when the regionals and bailiff finally had them in custody a trip into the basement bathroom( it was brand new 4 peice when I rented it to her) revealed evidence of that hobby being pursued. a full bathtub of hardened plaster of paris was going slowly through the flooor joists.

how i got rid of it? simple cut the floor joists from the basement after disconnecting supply and drain plumbing; let it hit the basement floor 8" drop the cast iron split like a saugase the plaster shattered. all we had to do was shovel it into buckets and take it to the landfill, we sistered the cut joist with 3x8's and through bolted them to 7-16 tee nuts.

now your problem as andy points out may not be all your fault about 75% is yours better get some buttercups from the florists. try putting the millwaukee rotosnake down the drain use it VERRRYYY SLOWWWLY it will kick like a mule if you hit the plug too hard. the real problem you are going to have is if it hit your tank bed, rototiller time kids.

last item you want to have things around the house work bit better or more useable that is a tough idea to knock. it takes big cojones to do that yourself but there are times when a bit of knowledge from a pro about how to do a job pays off in many ways, that is why i put out the idea of taking some of your county's trade school courses at night.

'da ber

Dear Guest,

In italics is what you have written and what follows is my own deduction of another unfortunate damage to the tenant - landlord relationship.

i had a mid fourties female single tenant in one of my rental houses, what she didn't tell me was that she and her kids had a hobby. they made plaster of paris molded figurines. when the regionals and bailiff finally had them in custody a trip into the basement bathroom( it was brand new 4 peice when I rented it to her) revealed evidence of that hobby being pursued. a full bathtub of hardened plaster of paris was going slowly through the flooor joists.

I get that they were taken in custody after your complaint to the authorities.

The poor woman was barely making a living by selling the figurines. She, also, was taking two three credit hours at the local Community College. By example of hard work she was giving a good education to her four kids (aged three to twelve).

Due to the written complaint the poor woman was incarcerated for four to six years and the four kids have been put in foster homes in Sugar Land, Texas.

Why, Sir? What was so wrong? I know of a gentleman that clogged the pipes of Mrs. S and got away with that.

Yes Suresh,

I do indeed remember your kind advice... but now that I have also fixed the sink I will go back to being very smug about my abilities as a hobbyist mason and now I can also be proud of my abilities as a semi professional plumber!

Hi Steve,

I've got quite a lot of experience tiling. What I learned to do was to clean the tools in a big paint or other materials bucket (in US meas it would be 5 gallon) leftover from other home improvement projects - usually the one I'd been using for my 'clean water' supply (which eventually silts up during the job). Clean the tools *totally* in that bucket, then just *rinse* them in the sink!!

Now what do you do with the bucket of *really* silty water? Go do something else for a couple of hours. During that time it will settle out (if left over night, it will be almost clear water on top). Use a much smaller canister (e.g. quart ice-cream plastic container) to 'ladel' out as much of the clear water as you can, then pour what's left into another smaller bucket - leave that one to settle out, and so on. Meanwhile the 5-gallon will have a thick layer of goo on the bottom. Trowel that out onto e.g. some cardboard and let it set into a block (overnight or in the sun). Wrinse the 5 gallon with a small bit of water and pour that into the smaller container with the run-off. The idea is to keep concentraging the silt into ever-smaller containers, but *never* pour silt or clean freshly used tools in the sink, no matter how little cement or grout is on them, it's guaranteed to clog the traps...

And full support & kudos for Mr. Slack's (32) reply...

cheers
RF_G