Hi
Not my disaster, but I think it's quite funny.
I went on holiday recently, and the first day I was away my mother (who lives nearby) found water dripping from her hallway ceiling. Knowing I was away, she phones my brother-in-law who lives 5 miles away.
He was putting up new fences for another relative, so stops what he is doing to race round to my mothers.
There was a leak around bottom feed to her cistern so he turns it off at the adjacent isolator valve and goes to get a replacement part.
Next day he returns to fit it.
While doing so he moves the vertical feed pipe very slightly ... and an old soldered elbow joint gave way (inspection showed it hadn't been soldered properly, but had been OK or >30 years until the slight movement caused it to give way).
He then has his finger over the pipe to stop her bungalow from being flooded by mains pressure water, shouting out to my mother to "turn the f.......g stop cock off!!".
She, being elderly, can't get under the sink to get to the stop cock, so runs over the road - in her nightdress and dressing gown - to a neighbour to ask him to help (which, to the great relief of my mother and brother in law he was able to do). B-in-law then goes on to replace the elbow and finish the original job.
I have to admit I was glad to be away and not cop that problem myself, but
have to laugh at the pictures that come to mind thinking about it.
Regards
Ray
Not my disaster, but I think it's quite funny.
I went on holiday recently, and the first day I was away my mother (who lives nearby) found water dripping from her hallway ceiling. Knowing I was away, she phones my brother-in-law who lives 5 miles away.
He was putting up new fences for another relative, so stops what he is doing to race round to my mothers.
There was a leak around bottom feed to her cistern so he turns it off at the adjacent isolator valve and goes to get a replacement part.
Next day he returns to fit it.
While doing so he moves the vertical feed pipe very slightly ... and an old soldered elbow joint gave way (inspection showed it hadn't been soldered properly, but had been OK or >30 years until the slight movement caused it to give way).
He then has his finger over the pipe to stop her bungalow from being flooded by mains pressure water, shouting out to my mother to "turn the f.......g stop cock off!!".
She, being elderly, can't get under the sink to get to the stop cock, so runs over the road - in her nightdress and dressing gown - to a neighbour to ask him to help (which, to the great relief of my mother and brother in law he was able to do). B-in-law then goes on to replace the elbow and finish the original job.
I have to admit I was glad to be away and not cop that problem myself, but
have to laugh at the pictures that come to mind thinking about it.
Regards
Ray
