I like Mike Holmes. I enjoy his reaction to poor workmanship. It's great, the way he fights for the average guy who knows nothing about carpentry, plumbing, electricity, and the like. I had a Mike Holmes moment today.
Yesterday, I noticed a drip from the ceiling; it came from a wet spot the size of a baseball. Ugh. Called the plumber and he came today. He did an inspection of the visible areas of plumbing that are around bathroom and the laundry room. He ran the washing machine, he inspected the pipes (the parts that aren't in the wall), he looked at the toilet, tub and shower. The only thing he could find that was obviously wrong was a gap between the tub faucet and the wall. He said that gap was enough to cause dripping into the floor below. So, he caulked around that gap and now we have to wait to see if there's any more dripping. He said he tries to do what he can on the outside, before ripping open walls to see what is wrong inside. Thus, we'll have to see if the dripping happens anymore, now that the tub is properly caulked. And, just to test things out, I've put two loads through the washing machine twice since he left and there isn't any dripping, yet.
But, to get to my point about Mike Holmes. As my plumber inspected laundry and bath, he grumbled about the fact that the builders had not left any access panels in the walls by either laundry pipes or tub/shower pipes. I agreed with him that, upon reflection, that wasn't wise of them. We'd had that same problem with our renovated Feltwell house: a plumber had to cut into a wall that should have been left with some sort of access panel. When our plumber noticed the faucet gap, he said right away that it was certainly something the builders should have done right the first time.
I took him down to the basement to see the water pipes and he immediately said, "You've got a gas leak!" For four and a half years, I've been insisting I could smell gas. No, no, that's just the basement smell. No, actually, it was a gas leak. He put soapy water on the places where the pipes join together and he easily found the leak. He criticized the inspectors again: they are required to do some sort of testing along the line as far as the switch-off valves, but then they are meant to test the rest of the connections with soapy water, as he did. When he went to tighten the connection for us, he said it was so loose, it was most likely only tightened by hand, not with a tool. The incompetence of those builders, again!
He walked around the basement, following the path of the gas line and he shook his head, "That 1/2-inch pipe never should have passed inspection." It's too long and should be a 3/4" pipe.
It was as if I were walking through my house with the ever-thorough Mr. Holmes!
So, now we wait. While I am pleased with the service provided, I do hope we don't have to call him here, again!
3 comments:
They always put panels in old homes....hence, the panel, which is for our downstairs bath, is in the linen closet. However, there is no panel for the shower in the new upstairs bath. What were we thinking???? It would have been so easy to put it in during construction! As far as the gas leak goes.....years ago, when we had a leak, the man from the gas company said that if a woman smells gas she should always call the gas company because she is always right. Seems to have something to do with our keener sense of smell.
I like Mike Holmes, too! Wish I had him on retainer!
Yeah, I do recall that advice, about the natural gas odor.
So far, no more leaking. Perhaps it was the shower? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Oh gosh, how awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. It is so frustrating to trust that work is going to be done correctly (or inspected correctly!) only to find out it is all wrong.
Why can't Mike Holmes clone himself and help protect us all! :)
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