Thread Number: 43761
Granny Clampet Does the Laundry, and Gets a Bath
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Post# 643196   12/1/2012 at 14:24 (4,134 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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I decided today to put the new-to-me GE washer to work washing a full load of the girls' bedding.  As with all of my 'extra' washers, this one is on the carport (I do not have a basement or garage).  When they are used I have to bring one garden hose from the backyard and one from the frontyard for my supplies and I usea free-standing 2" PVC pipe with an ell on one end as my standpipe.  There is a GFIC device just inside the utility room so with this nifty arrangement I can actually wash.  However, I've always felt like the neighbors opinion of this arrangement is something like "OMG he looks like the Beverly Hillbillies over there - doing laundry on the carport"!  Nevertheless, I don't let their opinion deter me from enjoying my new Filter-Flo washer.

 

Today I tried something different.  I realized that the drain for the water heater is right there, within reach of the washer - VOILA - a source of hot water (not really so hot since it's the bottom of the tank, warm at best, but still - not tap cold).  This drain does not have a handle.  The entire valve is the handle; one grasps the plastic valve and rotates it one way to open the valve, the other way to close the valve.  But with the threaded end for a hose, it can be confusing which way produces which result (when I attached the hose I tried to pre-curl it in the opposite direction that opening the valve would twist the hose).  It's important to remember direction-thing as it has direct bearing on the rest of the story.

 

The wash was perfect.  I got the washer leveled, she filled with warm water, washed, spun, re-filled with water (warm water option selected), rinsed, and drained.  NO unusual sounds, just a wonderful chug-chug during wash and hummm during spin.  Leveling the washer makes a big difference!  When the washer turned off, I proceeded to disconnect the hoses so I could clean up the area and let the tub dry.  Started with the hot hose first.  Now, lets see, which way do I turn this valve to close it (hose is all twisted by now because apparently I pre-curled it in the wrong direction)?  Hmmm... I think it goes this way.  Psssssstttttttt!!!!!  Uh-oh, that's not the way!  I frantically turn the other way - nothing happens except more water comes out.  I turn the valve back the other way - THE EFFIN VALVE COMES OFF IN MY HAND!

 

CAPTAIN - WE'VE STRUCK AN ICEBERG!!!!!!!!!

 

Now I have a full-blown stream of water coming out of the bottom of the water heater, drenching me (pants, shoes, socks) and the room.  Nothing seems to work, I can't get the valve back on the nipple and each attempt results with a faceful of water.  Sh*t!  Where's the cutoff?  There it is - close it!  Nope no difference (must be the blankety-blank hot side).  I do not see another valve....  Crap, now I've got to go to the street to turn off the water; I start, stop, say to myself "No Dummy, there HAS TO BE a shutoff on the cold side - look again"!  Water is now everywhere in the utility room and flowing out the door across the carport.  I look again and TA-DA; there it is.  I close the valve (it seemingly takes 283 turns to close that valve) the water stops.  Must have been how the Titanic crew felt - when's it going to turn????

 

Now the room is drenched, standing in maybe 1/2 inch of water, flowing out across the carport, my feet squeek inside my soaked tennis shoes; and I stand there...  Nothing to do at this point except laugh - and start brooming the water out of the utility room.  The Filter-Flo did great!  Filtered out all that nasty fur, hummed through a perfect spin, perfectly balanced; but Granny Clampet didn't do so well.

 

Storal of the Morey:  I am going to have a dedicated hot and cold water line installed before I use the Filter-Flo again.  I can still use an improvised standpipe and allow the water to drain across the carport, into the shrubbery and yard, but no more messing around with that *!//%%$ water heater valve for me.

 

lawrence





Post# 643205 , Reply# 1   12/1/2012 at 14:57 (4,134 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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There'll always be an incident eventually occur in this business of playing with water, electric, and machinery.  Laundry studio in my master bath had one near-miss catastrophe thus far.  Drain hose got misdirected out of the tub ... but it was toward end of the drain period (or during the spin) so not a full load of water, and luckily the tile floor is a bit off-level so the water pooled toward a corner of the room, away from direction of the carpeted bedroom.


Post# 643206 , Reply# 2   12/1/2012 at 15:01 (4,134 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)        

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Well, look at the bright side. At least the water heater got all the silt/grit flushed out. Maybe not the ideal, recommended method but who's counting?

RCD


Post# 643228 , Reply# 3   12/1/2012 at 16:23 (4,134 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

We had the same thing happen, but luckily the plumber was there and since the water was not scalding hot, he grabbed the valve and knew what to do. It is unfortunate that opening the valve is really just unscrewing it from the heater and closing it involves actually reattaching to the heater if you unscrewed it a bit too much. Hope you have dried out.

Post# 643236 , Reply# 4   12/1/2012 at 17:19 (4,134 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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Tom,

All dry now, thanks!  Just one of life's lessons, I think.  It was mostly funny (after it was over, anyway).

 

lawrence


Post# 643316 , Reply# 5   12/2/2012 at 00:32 (4,134 days old) by lotsosudz (Sacramento, CA)        
On the bright side

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At least the FF performed great, and the load came out well. I somehow envision you looking a bit like Lucy, and Ethel, when the huge loaf of bread shoots out of the oven. Sheer pandemonium. LOL
Hugs,
David


Post# 643323 , Reply# 6   12/2/2012 at 01:12 (4,134 days old) by westingman123 ()        
Lucy & Ethel

Actually, the shower episode came to mind when I read of his travails.

I'm so glad you could laugh about it. Things just go so much better when you see the humor in them!


Post# 643325 , Reply# 7   12/2/2012 at 01:31 (4,134 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)        

A few years ago we had a toilet valve on the wall break. In this house they are made of plastic! We replaced them all with metal valves that have a 1/4 turn shut off. Sure does make life easier.


Post# 643333 , Reply# 8   12/2/2012 at 04:33 (4,134 days old) by beekeyknee (Columbia, MO)        

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Yes, those 1/4 turn ball valves are great. They rarely leak. On the other hand, the multiple turn stem valves have to be nursemaided all the time. The stems have to be kept clean and greased with plumbers grease or the stems will scratch the packing inside of the nut and when the water's turned back on the water leaks past the packing nut and there's a drip. Very aggravating.

If one has some cruddy looking w/v's that haven't been turned for awhile, I wouldn't mess with them unless you have the know-how and time to rebuild one, replace it or the money for a plumber. It's important that all the water valves in a house work properly.

When I lived at home with my parents I would clean, grease and operate all the valves in the house every year. Now that I've been gone for 30 years they're mostly all stuck open. And they have hot water heat! Water valves everywhere.

I can just here my parents thinking, Funny how things used to work so well around here all the time. I wonder what happened? What's changed?

Your son left home maybe? No, that couldn't be it. He's just a stupid kid. Kids don't know anything. I tell them and they stare at me and blink their eyes, like the kids on "South Park", then start to argue with me about it. I don't say anything anymore except, "Call a plumber".

"It's not me that needs a doctor, Blanche!" Don't get me wrong. I love my parents, but I'm not going to try to reason with a brick wall.

It would have been funny if you had a video of it, Lawrence.


Post# 643373 , Reply# 9   12/2/2012 at 09:10 (4,133 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)        
Fix it now while you can!

Or have to!
The first thing I do when buying and installing a water heater is to purchase one with a regular valve at the bottom. Not one of those stupid white things that unscrew like you had happen. Then, prior to installing it, I remove the factory valve and install a brass nipple and new brass ball valve with a hose adapter attached to that. When it comes time to drain the tank, you have a nice,large, straight thru valve that will allow all the large pieces of crud flush right out of the tank and valve. Not to mention how much faster it will drain too!
I started doing this years ago when I had a piece of lime get stuck in the angled factory valve and then had to take the stem off to get it out and had a small flood too. Live and Learn!


Post# 643374 , Reply# 10   12/2/2012 at 09:11 (4,133 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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Hmmm a video?  If there were sound it would all be bleeped.  Lots of 'expletive delete' going on at that time.

 

lawrence


Post# 643396 , Reply# 11   12/2/2012 at 10:48 (4,133 days old) by e2l-arry (LAKEWOOD COLORADO)        
The shower

Was actually from the 1st season of The Lucy Show where the plumber walks out and Lucy and Viv have to finish the job. They put the door on backwards so they can't get out when it fills with water. It's a great episode!
Lucy: "Go ahead Viv, kick the glass in."
Viv: "Oh no you don't. Not that I'm afraid of cutting myself but the blood may draw sharks!"

Lucille Ball was even better with Vivian Vance.


Post# 643404 , Reply# 12   12/2/2012 at 11:26 (4,133 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)        

You are so right about those water valves needing maintenance. I didn't know that the conventional ones need maintenance. I still have a few more to go (mainly under sinks) but I will eventually replace them all with metal 1/4 turn valves. They are not expensive at all and I look at it like insurance against a flood in here. Who in the hell would use a water valved that is made out of plastic anyway?

There have been a few cases in our subdivision of these valves shattering all by themselves and flooding the house while the homeowner was at work. When it happened to us I was glad I was home, but even though it was only a few minutes before I got the water completely shut off I was amazed by the amount of water that came out of that pipe in the bathroom!


Post# 643418 , Reply# 13   12/2/2012 at 11:45 (4,133 days old) by CleanteamofNY ((Monroe, New York)        

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We all have those OH SHYT moments!
LOL


Post# 643455 , Reply# 14   12/2/2012 at 14:15 (4,133 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)        
Fortunate!

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Good thing it happened in the UTILITY ROOM and not inside the house.  

 

Malcolm


Post# 644006 , Reply# 15   12/4/2012 at 12:11 (4,131 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481)        

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Here in Florida it is quite common to have laundry in the carport. I guess it was OK for old skool analog appliances that didn't have the circuit boards today's appliances have, because the humidity is ungodly most of the year. 

Might want to consider getting one of those fitted vinyl washer covers you see available on ebay to keep the area looking tidy when not in use. 


Post# 644080 , Reply# 16   12/4/2012 at 18:19 (4,131 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)        

Let me add insult to injury! If your WH is electric and it emptied itself, it probably burned up one (or both) ot the elements in seconds! No need to thank me, it was my pleasure.

Post# 644093 , Reply# 17   12/4/2012 at 18:55 (4,131 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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Cuffs,

Sorry to steal your thunder, but the water heater is gas.

 

Photo of carport attached.  Similar to the Florida shot, but lacking the gussied-up trim on the utility room door....

 

lawrence


Post# 644101 , Reply# 18   12/4/2012 at 19:59 (4,131 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)        
I Can't Think....

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....Of anything more midcentury Atlanta than the little "utility" room at the rear of a carport.

Chamblee was full of houses with that arrangement, southside Atlanta too. Many have been remodeled out of existence, but at the time, it was a cheap way for a builder to give buyers a laundry room of some kind without enlarging the square footage of the house itself. Since it was a given that a carport was going to have a roof, putting up four non-insulated walls (usually with no interior finish, just bare studs) with one door at one end of the carport added very little cost. The plumbing would have been the major expense to the builder.

Note to those in other parts of the country: Atlanta houses don't necessarily have a basement, the way other sections' houses do, so a laundry room often either had to go on the carport or inside the house. And the winters are mild enough so that a homeowner would have to worry about freezing in a carport utility room only occasionally.

I remember the first time I heard a grown-up of my acquaintance use a really dirty word - it was when she was using her utility room to do laundry and a sudden gust of wind snatched a sheet from her and blew it right into the middle of the oil leak her husband's car had left on the carport floor. You needn't think hubby was neglectful of maintenance, either: '50s cars often leaked like sieves, due to more primitive gasket materials than we have today.

Ah, memories....




This post was last edited 12/04/2012 at 20:17
Post# 644211 , Reply# 19   12/5/2012 at 11:05 (4,130 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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Sandy,
You're correct about this neighborhood, although some of the houses here do have basements (the added space is great but the price is high - too much closet space is sacrificed for the basement stairs). All of the houses here have the identical floor plan and the "normal" arrangement was for the washer to be in the kitchen, the water heater (gas) was in the utility room, and the furnace (gas) was in the crawl space. I do not know if the homes with basements had the washer and water heater moved to the basement or not, I've never been inside one with a basement to know. Most of the residents here added a gas dryer in the utility room because gas was readily available and the electrical panel (fuses) was full. I have rearranged the kitchen so I now have the washer and the dryer in the kitchen.

lawrence


Post# 644220 , Reply# 20   12/5/2012 at 11:41 (4,130 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)        
Lawrence:

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When I was growing up in Atlanta, the only houses built with "basements" were houses on sloping lots, creating a house one story high in front, and two in back, yielding what was called a "walk-out basement." Even then, the little "utility" room was still often present on the carport - my aunt's 1960s house in Fayetteville has this arrangement. The washer/dryer connections are still present in the utility room, but at some point, a second set of connections was added in the basement, where the washer and dryer are now.

You're absolutely right about basement stairs eating huge amounts of real estate in a house's floor plan. I now live in Iowa, where nearly every house has a basement, and the repercussions are serious indeed. The space for the basement stairs is almost always taken from the kitchen, and I have seen many a midcentury house here with insufficient room for dining as a result. My own little house's kitchen (and I do mean little house - one bedroom, and only 480 square feet), can accept a dining table no larger than 30 inches square, and no more than two chairs. My house is exceptionally small, true, but I know of two-bedroom houses that can't seat more than three in their eat-in kitchens.

I am hoping to find a basement-less house at some point - I'm getting old enough so that stairs' wear and tear on my knees is a problem, and I'm not really a fan of carting washing up and down either.


Post# 644229 , Reply# 21   12/5/2012 at 12:13 (4,130 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
Lawrence,

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That's a great story, I loved it, and I want to thank you. There's an old Easy in my basement just feet away from the very same valve of your nemesis. How many times have I been tempted, hovering and twisting like a Robin on a worm? Thanks to you, I will never yield to the temptation. God save us from the serpentine valves. Amen.



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