Yep, rats!
I finished the last post below. And I was sitting back... kicking it on the couch. Then... "drip". Ignored it at first. I thought it was the speakers on my surround sound popping because of some bad broadcast. Then "drip, drip..." Hmm... What is going on? I looked up at the half finished ceiling panels that I have yet to complete. Nothing out of the ordinary... I looked at the wall... nothing. I stood up... Wet carpet!!! Oh Shit!!!
So I got up and took a closer look at the ceiling. I started poking it with my finger and suddenly I felt where it was wet. "WTF?" I thought. Where could the water be coming from? I went up stairs to the kitchen and looked under the sink. It was the obvious spot since it was above the basement. Nothing... dry as Utah on a Sunday. This time I went outside and looked at the pipes entering the basement. Well there was only one at it was a gas pipe. So I went back inside and this time I decided to drill two one inch holes to see if I could see what's up. I did. And then shined a flashlight up one so I could see through the other. I found the gas pipe but I also found the 2" Pipe that discharges from the sink and it was all wet.
At about this time I realized my ceiling was gone at least in this section. So I got out the Saws All and started cutting. I found that the 2" Pipe had a decent sized hole in it. At least a 1/2 inch. Holy Crap I thought... Then I stuck my finger in it. What had happened was the sheet rock and the pipe and all the crap that comes out of our sink formed an almost tight seal. And when I stuck my finger through the hole.
I seem calm at this point right? Actually I was panicked in a big way. I woke up DW and Elijah... I was yelling this and that... Well.. whatever... As soon as I stuck my finger through the hole a gush of liquid came out. All the liquid in the pipe. Knowing this was the drain pipe was one thing... but seeing the gush of water, I thought the water was on. We three waste baskets catching the water so it hardly wet the carpet.
I ran out and shut off the water just in case.
Since I had the ceiling apart. And the saw out. I cut out the section with the hole in it, to see if it would leak more... like maybe I had a bigger problem. Nope. I got a closer look at the pipe. Teeth marks!! A freaking rat had chewed through the pipe... Then I remembered... I heard rats in the house a few months back. Since my wife is borderline PETA I couldn't put in rat traps. So I bought that food where they "leave in search of water". Anyhow... This little bastard chewed my pipe for water and found it.
I flew down to Home Depot with pipe. I walked in and for the first time I found everything I needed in one trip to the hardware store. One section of pipe, 2 feet long no less. Two couplers, some pipe glue (We can use PVC Lawryde since it doesn't freeze in warm, sunny California) I found 2X2 foot sections of dry wall and I was all set. $25 and about an hours work and I got it all together. I need to put up that spackel crap and some dry wall tape to make it look pretty and we are all set.
I am a pretty shit carpenter and plumber
So I got up and took a closer look at the ceiling. I started poking it with my finger and suddenly I felt where it was wet. "WTF?" I thought. Where could the water be coming from? I went up stairs to the kitchen and looked under the sink. It was the obvious spot since it was above the basement. Nothing... dry as Utah on a Sunday. This time I went outside and looked at the pipes entering the basement. Well there was only one at it was a gas pipe. So I went back inside and this time I decided to drill two one inch holes to see if I could see what's up. I did. And then shined a flashlight up one so I could see through the other. I found the gas pipe but I also found the 2" Pipe that discharges from the sink and it was all wet.
At about this time I realized my ceiling was gone at least in this section. So I got out the Saws All and started cutting. I found that the 2" Pipe had a decent sized hole in it. At least a 1/2 inch. Holy Crap I thought... Then I stuck my finger in it. What had happened was the sheet rock and the pipe and all the crap that comes out of our sink formed an almost tight seal. And when I stuck my finger through the hole.
I seem calm at this point right? Actually I was panicked in a big way. I woke up DW and Elijah... I was yelling this and that... Well.. whatever... As soon as I stuck my finger through the hole a gush of liquid came out. All the liquid in the pipe. Knowing this was the drain pipe was one thing... but seeing the gush of water, I thought the water was on. We three waste baskets catching the water so it hardly wet the carpet.
I ran out and shut off the water just in case.
Since I had the ceiling apart. And the saw out. I cut out the section with the hole in it, to see if it would leak more... like maybe I had a bigger problem. Nope. I got a closer look at the pipe. Teeth marks!! A freaking rat had chewed through the pipe... Then I remembered... I heard rats in the house a few months back. Since my wife is borderline PETA I couldn't put in rat traps. So I bought that food where they "leave in search of water". Anyhow... This little bastard chewed my pipe for water and found it.
I flew down to Home Depot with pipe. I walked in and for the first time I found everything I needed in one trip to the hardware store. One section of pipe, 2 feet long no less. Two couplers, some pipe glue (We can use PVC Lawryde since it doesn't freeze in warm, sunny California) I found 2X2 foot sections of dry wall and I was all set. $25 and about an hours work and I got it all together. I need to put up that spackel crap and some dry wall tape to make it look pretty and we are all set.
I am a pretty shit carpenter and plumber
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