I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long time I
noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming from the washing
machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I perked my ears and
located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders and
I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I noticed that one
of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a sieve and the drip had
overflowed the bucket I had placed under it some 2 months ago. Who knows
how long it had been dripping, probably less than a day or so, but if I
hadn't by chance heard the dripping sound I would have flooded the basement
and spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot
water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long time I
noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming from the washing
machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I perked my ears and
located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders and
I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I noticed that one
of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a sieve and the drip had
overflowed the bucket I had placed under it some 2 months ago. Who knows
how long it had been dripping, probably less than a day or so, but if I
hadn't by chance heard the dripping sound I would have flooded the basement
and spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot
water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R

In article .com,
"RicodJour" wrote:

the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under
it some 2 months ago...I guess the lesson for me is
to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

I have a better idea: Check the stupid BUCKET you placed to catch
drips more frequently than every TWO MONTHS!! Sheesh!
--
:\
JR

I didn't like going down into my basement either, for the same reason.
We had spiders, pillbugs and the worst, crickets. After doing both of
the above, I rarely see bugs of any kind anymore. I still do, but it's
on maybe 1 out of every 10 visits down there - and with my
dehumidifier, that's now twice a day!

I accidentally dropped some duct tape face up on my basement floor. Came
back a week later and the strip was filled with bugs. Since that discovery,
I've been leaving duct tape strips around the basement floor and it is
amazing the bugs that they collect. Economical and completely non-toxic.

"RicodJour" wrote in
oups.com:


Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and
explore every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long
time I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming
from the washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I
perked my ears and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with
spiders and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I
noticed that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a
sieve and the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it
some 2 months ago. Who knows how long it had been dripping, probably
less than a day or so, but if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping
sound I would have flooded the basement and spend about a gazillion
extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean
the basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R



Ouch Rico! :-)

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"RicodJour" wrote in
oups.com:


Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and
explore every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long
time I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming
from the washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I
perked my ears and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with
spiders and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I
noticed that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a
sieve and the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it
some 2 months ago. Who knows how long it had been dripping, probably
less than a day or so, but if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping
sound I would have flooded the basement and spend about a gazillion
extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean
the basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R



Ouch Rico! :-)

Exactly how would learning how to sweat copper joints help with galvanized
pipe connections? Or maybe you've both never made mistakes before?

"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
news:5CCtg.19070$f76.17045@dukeread06...
I didn't like going down into my basement either, for the same reason.
We had spiders, pillbugs and the worst, crickets. After doing both of
the above, I rarely see bugs of any kind anymore. I still do, but it's
on maybe 1 out of every 10 visits down there - and with my
dehumidifier, that's now twice a day!

I accidentally dropped some duct tape face up on my basement floor. Came
back a week later and the strip was filled with bugs. Since that
discovery, I've been leaving duct tape strips around the basement floor
and it is amazing the bugs that they collect. Economical and completely
non-toxic.
I'm down there with a vacuum on the weekends sucking up spiderwebs and egg
sacs, a little at a time. It gets creepy after a while, feel like those
spiders are gonna gang up on me for killing them off.

The previous owner didn't seal the basement at all, lots of little holes and
crevices to the outside world that need to be sealed up. That's the first
task really, but I'm not sure the best way strategy to take since the
basement needs to be remodeled anyway.

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
"RicodJour" wrote:

the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under
it some 2 months ago...I guess the lesson for me is
to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

I have a better idea: Check the stupid BUCKET you placed to catch
drips more frequently than every TWO MONTHS!! Sheesh!
--
:\
JR

Gee thanks, and how often should I check that bucket, every single day for
the rest of my life? If it didn't leak the first day, the second day, the
third day, after a certain point you have to assume it won't leak. Well I
guess sometimes assumptions turn out to be wrong - so sue me!

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Make sure you get up on the roof too, you'll be surprised what you find up
there sometimes.

S

"mrsgator88" wrote in message
. net...
"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Make sure you get up on the roof too, you'll be surprised what you find up
there sometimes.

S
Hah, I wouldn't be surprised at all. The kids around the neighborhood
always lose softballs, rubberballs, and frisbees in my yard. Probably find
them in bulk up there too! Not to mention the copious quantities of
fireworks that went off in the street in front of my house.

Hmm, maybe time to take a trip up there. Nice thing about it is that my
house has a nice shallow slope to the roof - easy to traverse.

Eigenvector wrote:
"Al Bundy" wrote in message

"RicodJour" wrote in


Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and
explore every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long
time I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming
from the washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I
perked my ears and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with
spiders and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I
noticed that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a
sieve and the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it
some 2 months ago. Who knows how long it had been dripping, probably
less than a day or so, but if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping
sound I would have flooded the basement and spend about a gazillion
extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean
the basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R



Ouch Rico! :-)

Exactly how would learning how to sweat copper joints help with galvanized
pipe connections? Or maybe you've both never made mistakes before?

Mistake...? Not familiar with the word - could you use it in a
sentence?

Listen, I clearly put a smiley face at the end of the learn to sweat
copper comment. So lighten up, okay? If you can make fun or yourself,
well, it's only fair that we get to make a little fun too.

As far as the type of pipe, that's really immaterial. In plumbing you
either have 100% confidence in your joints or you shouldn't be doing
plumbing. Sometimes I'm 100% confident that I'll be checking on _that_
particular joint daily until the water-torture-slow drip goes away.

You also have it easy with the basement. Recently I had to clean out
an alien infestation in a crawl space. I was wrapped and taped up like
a NASA space suit, vacuuming decades of spider ancestry away, so I know
exactly how you feel.

R

In article ,
"Eigenvector" wrote:

Or maybe you've both never made mistakes before?

Of course, I have... Some pretty lame ones, to be sure. Obviously, my reply
(sheesh) was a little harsh.

Your suggestion to check all rooms regularly is good advice.

I had a REAL phobia about bugs. Then I got a job with the phone company that
regularly finds me in cellars and crawl spaces. I decided to "tough it out".
The first time I went "in there" I simply shouted "Aw, right! I'm COMING
IN!!" I don't think the bugs paid any attention but, after all these years, I
have never encountered anything threatening or been badly bitten.

I suggest that you purchase a gallon jug of home bug killer at the hardware
store. It comes with its own sprayer. Sprayed generously around baseboards,
into crevices and all around the perimeter of your basement, and done every
other month or so, your bug problem will be GONE. That stuff works GREAT! Do
NOT worry about any toxic effect on YOU as the chemical "concentration" is low
enough that, unless you DRINK it or bathe in it, you're OK. It doesn't take
much of the stuff to kill the bugs. Take back your house! Good luck!
--

JR

Eigenvector wrote:
non-toxic.
I'm down there with a vacuum on the weekends sucking up spiderwebs and egg
sacs, a little at a time. It gets creepy after a while, feel like those
spiders are gonna gang up on me for killing them off.


It's not the spiders that bother me as much as the centipedes. Damn
things freak me out because they're fast and weird looking. Plus they
can get huge. They're always hiding under or behind something. I,
too, often feel like one day they're going to make me pay for killing
off their friends. ;-)

Bugs never bothered me when I was a kid. I'm not sure what has changed
in the last 20 years.

Doug

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:55:52 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:


"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
"RicodJour" wrote:

the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under
it some 2 months ago...I guess the lesson for me is
to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

I have a better idea: Check the stupid BUCKET you placed to catch
drips more frequently than every TWO MONTHS!! Sheesh!
--
:\
JR

Gee thanks, and how often should I check that bucket, every single day for
the rest of my life? If it didn't leak the first day, the second day, the
third day, after a certain point you have to assume it won't leak. Well I
guess sometimes assumptions turn out to be wrong - so sue me!


You should have checked it twice every hour 24/7.

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:55:52 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:


"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
"RicodJour" wrote:

the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under
it some 2 months ago...I guess the lesson for me is
to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

I have a better idea: Check the stupid BUCKET you placed to catch
drips more frequently than every TWO MONTHS!! Sheesh!
--
:\
JR

Gee thanks, and how often should I check that bucket, every single day for
the rest of my life? If it didn't leak the first day, the second day, the
third day, after a certain point you have to assume it won't leak. Well I
guess sometimes assumptions turn out to be wrong - so sue me!


Get a water alarm.

It probably is a good idea to check out the basement on a regular
basis but a water alarm will tell you immediately if the leak is still
active. They are very cheap, $10-20.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Make sure you get up on the roof too, you'll be surprised what you find up
there sometimes.

Hah, I wouldn't be surprised at all. The kids around the neighborhood
always lose softballs, rubberballs, and frisbees in my yard. Probably find
them in bulk up there too! Not to mention the copious quantities of
fireworks that went off in the street in front of my house.


In my previous house, there was a metal roof on one small section, with
built in gutter/ downspout. Although it was pretty high up, the kids
would frequently manage to lodge balls in the mouth of that downspout,
causing the roof to collect an impressive amount- maybe 100 gals- of
water if I didn't notice. Fun to watch when I lifted the ball out.
Kids. I find it necessary to check out my entire house on
returning home if I've been out for a while. The things they do never
ceases to amaze me.

Eigenvector wrote:
Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders and
I hate those yucky things.

I am so amused by the solidarity Eigenvector is experiencing from the
"I HATE bugs" sector of this newsgroup! Who knew arachnophobia was so
prevalent?

Which reminds me, don't watch that movie if you already have a problem
going down your basement...

Your experience, Eigenvector, is a reminder to all of us that homes are
changing environments and we need to be aware of what is going on in
them and check for potential problems on a regular basis.

On 14 Jul 2006 07:56:57 -0700, "Kyle" wrote:

Eigenvector wrote:
Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders and
I hate those yucky things.

I am so amused by the solidarity Eigenvector is experiencing from the
"I HATE bugs" sector of this newsgroup! Who knew arachnophobia was so
prevalent?

Which reminds me, don't watch that movie if you already have a problem
going down your basement...

Your experience, Eigenvector, is a reminder to all of us that homes are
changing environments and we need to be aware of what is going on in
them and check for potential problems on a regular basis.

Do they ever change for the *better* by themselves? ;

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Eigenvector wrote:

Hah, I wouldn't be surprised at all. The kids around the neighborhood
always lose softballs, rubberballs, and frisbees in my yard. Probably find
them in bulk up there too! Not to mention the copious quantities of
fireworks that went off in the street in front of my house.


And souls. I believe it was George Carlin that described the
religion of Frisbeetarianism - the belief that when you die,
your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.

Jerry

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
Eigenvector wrote:
"Al Bundy" wrote in message

"RicodJour" wrote in


Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and
explore every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long
time I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming
from the washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I
perked my ears and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with
spiders and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I
noticed that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a
sieve and the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it
some 2 months ago. Who knows how long it had been dripping, probably
less than a day or so, but if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping
sound I would have flooded the basement and spend about a gazillion
extra dollars in water usage - it was the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean
the basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R



Ouch Rico! :-)

Exactly how would learning how to sweat copper joints help with
galvanized
pipe connections? Or maybe you've both never made mistakes before?

Mistake...? Not familiar with the word - could you use it in a
sentence?

Listen, I clearly put a smiley face at the end of the learn to sweat
copper comment. So lighten up, okay? If you can make fun or yourself,
well, it's only fair that we get to make a little fun too.

Peace.

As far as the type of pipe, that's really immaterial. In plumbing you
either have 100% confidence in your joints or you shouldn't be doing
plumbing. Sometimes I'm 100% confident that I'll be checking on _that_
particular joint daily until the water-torture-slow drip goes away.

You also have it easy with the basement. Recently I had to clean out
an alien infestation in a crawl space. I was wrapped and taped up like
a NASA space suit, vacuuming decades of spider ancestry away, so I know
exactly how you feel.

R

I have to tackle the crawlspace next and that one will be a real killer for
me. The pipes that I ultimately need to replace are routed in the
crawlspace, right next to giant nests of spiders shudder.

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Eigenvector" wrote:

Or maybe you've both never made mistakes before?

Of course, I have... Some pretty lame ones, to be sure. Obviously, my
reply
(sheesh) was a little harsh.

Your suggestion to check all rooms regularly is good advice.

I had a REAL phobia about bugs. Then I got a job with the phone company
that
regularly finds me in cellars and crawl spaces. I decided to "tough it
out".
The first time I went "in there" I simply shouted "Aw, right! I'm COMING
IN!!" I don't think the bugs paid any attention but, after all these
years, I
have never encountered anything threatening or been badly bitten.

I suggest that you purchase a gallon jug of home bug killer at the
hardware
store. It comes with its own sprayer. Sprayed generously around
baseboards,
into crevices and all around the perimeter of your basement, and done
every
other month or so, your bug problem will be GONE. That stuff works GREAT!
Do
NOT worry about any toxic effect on YOU as the chemical "concentration" is
low
enough that, unless you DRINK it or bathe in it, you're OK. It doesn't
take
much of the stuff to kill the bugs. Take back your house! Good luck!
--

JR

Thanks, ultimately I think just pulling up my panties and charging in with
the broom and vacuum is the best policy - it will cure my phobia. I don't
want to use the chemicals because I think that really spiders are good to
have in your house, too many means you have an infestation with their prey,
too little means they don't have anything to munch.

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long time I
noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming from the
washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I perked my ears
and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders
and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I noticed that
one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a sieve and the drip
had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it some 2 months ago. Who
knows how long it had been dripping, probably less than a day or so, but
if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping sound I would have flooded the
basement and spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water usage - it was
the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.


Thanks all for the moral support, I do wear my heart on my sleeve at times
and I certainly can have a thin skin. Maintaining my first house that the
previous owner never repaired since it's initial construction can be
terribly trying. I think my next post will be photos of the wiring job I
have to do in the basement, luckily for me I'll be using a qualified
electrician for the work. The wiring down there is truly horrific and makes
those ucky spiders look positively tame.

Should have fixed it the day you put the bucket there.

--
Steve Barker

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long time I
noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming from the
washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I perked my ears
and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders
and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I noticed that
one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a sieve and the drip
had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it some 2 months ago. Who
knows how long it had been dripping, probably less than a day or so, but
if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping sound I would have flooded the
basement and spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water usage - it was
the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

"Steve Barker LT" wrote in message
...
Should have fixed it the day you put the bucket there.

--
Steve Barker

Alright maybe I should clarify something, I've been chastised about it
already.

The bucket was put there when I made the original repair. I put it there to
catch the water that was draining from the pipe that I opened up to fix. It
wasn't there to catch any dripping from the repair, it wasn't there just in
case, it was simply left there after I made the repair.


"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and explore
every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long time
I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming from the
washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I perked my ears
and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with spiders
and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement I noticed
that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking like a sieve and
the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed under it some 2 months
ago. Who knows how long it had been dripping, probably less than a day
or so, but if I hadn't by chance heard the dripping sound I would have
flooded the basement and spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water
usage - it was the hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean the
basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

"Eigenvector" wrote in
:


"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"RicodJour" wrote in
oups.com:


Eigenvector wrote:
I recently discovered why it's important to go into your house and
explore every room from time to time.

Upon opening the door into my basement for the first time in a long
time I noticed a loud dripping noise. Wondering if it was coming
from the washing machine that was cycling through its rinse cycle I
perked my ears and located that it was coming from the basement.

Normally I am loathe to go into the basement, it's infested with
spiders and I hate those yucky things. Anyway braving the basement
I noticed that one of my newly repaired pipe joints was leaking
like a sieve and the drip had overflowed the bucket I had placed
under it some 2 months ago. Who knows how long it had been
dripping, probably less than a day or so, but if I hadn't by chance
heard the dripping sound I would have flooded the basement and
spend about a gazillion extra dollars in water usage - it was the
hot water line too!

I guess the lesson for me is to overcome my fear of spiders, clean
the basement, and start exploring my house regularly.

Or learn to sweat copper joints that don't leak.

R



Ouch Rico! :-)

Exactly how would learning how to sweat copper joints help with
galvanized pipe connections? Or maybe you've both never made mistakes
before?



...help with galvanized pipe connections?


You really are an amateur. You don't sweat galv pipes. You use duct tape
silly :-)

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