Last night I was in bed early for a change, sleeping away, when B. gets up to go to the bathroom. I'm half dozing, waiting to make sure he gets back in bed, when I hear a loud noise and the sound of water spraying hard! I lept out of bed ran to the bathroom, thinking OMG! B. is standing there dazed and water is gushing out of that little pipe that runs water from the pipes into the toilet. I couldn't believe the amount of water spraying across the floor. I tried to turn it off, but the little nozzle was too tight. Ran to the kitchen, grabbed pliers, ran back and got it off. Meanwhile, there was tons of water covering the bathroom floor and seeping into the bedroom carpet. I used up every towel in the house to sop it up. Yikes! The seal had popped off when the toilet flushed. B. just stood there and watched the whole thing. It was another wakeup call of how helpless the poor guy would be in any kind of emergency. I was so glad I was home when it happened.
I know little to nothing about plumbing...is that blowing a gasket? haha
Anyway, I feel like blowing one today. Because after that, B. obviously couldn't use that toilet. But everytime he got up (at 4am, 5am, 6am, 7am) he didn't remember and I had to get up and direct him to the other bathroom. I really am not at my best that early in the morning without my coffee. I ended up taping the toilet shut with duct tape until the plumber can get here. I guess you hafta laugh...(and do a shot of whiskey with your sisters)...that's what I did anyway.
shoegirl, I noticed my Mom being unconcerned over something like that happening and now I am seeing the same thing in Paul. He will look down at the floor where he has dropped food, while eating and just look at it unconcerned. If he spills something, unconcern. Like you said "no good in an emergency". Scary.
shoegirl - don't worrry, you can always take a bucket or big pan of water and flush the toilet. It actually takes only a gallon or so to flush down even poop.
The moral of this story is that all of you ladies out there need to know where the main water shut off valve is in your house, condo or apartment and how to turn the water off to each the individual fixtures. It could save you a lot of headaches and money.
I agree jimmy and I know mine are all under the sinks but not the one coming into the house. I think shoegirl said her valve was on too tight and she had to look for pliers. The shut off doesn't do us much good if we can't close it.
Good idea Jimmy, I have no idea where the main water shut off is. But I will ask the plumber when he comes. I was just happy I knew where the pliers were! What other kind of household things should I know?
Shoegirl..you may also need to learn where the electrical box is, in case you have to reset circuit breakers, or turn off electricity. Ususally, they are located close to the electrical meter coming into the house.
Our electrical box with circuit breakers is in the garage. I also always fear that something like toilet will over flow, my husband would just stand there watching it.
shoegirl, can we blame that on the full moon effect thats here TONITE! ?? yipes. things happen around my house day before- i agree you need to make sure all toilet shut-off valves are able to be turned to close if necessary. i have 6 (yes you read it right) bathrooms. only 2 i have to 'clean'. hahah. or i 'd really be bonkers! i know where the street shutoff valve is but doubt i could get the concrete cover removed. ahha. my nite was equally strange. started yesterday morning, DH didnt nap at all all day!! he always sleeps after breakfast,- nary a peep. up and walking and very active, reading mags with magnifier glasses, and was up all day til bedtime. didnt go to sleep after meds as usual either. talking laughing in bed, actually watching! tv.. i always get out of bed to go to bathroom with him. somehow i drifted off and he went on his own. panic sets in when i open my eyes and he isnt in bed. ha! found him sitting on edge of bathtub eating a bar of soap. UGH! a third of it was gone. how can you eat soap?? haha. brushed teeth, water, back to bed and not an eye closed all nite. til this am at 5am he drifts off.. sigh. i have to keep him up or else and full moon tonite!!!!!!!! its going to be hard keeping him up today. on a good note, his breath is very clean smelling..:) divvi
Shoegirl, you bring up an important point with your experience last night. We have so many links to important information for legal matters, financial matters, health care, etc. on this site. Maybe we should start a new topic that outlines household matters for those of us who have always had a handy man around to take care of those things. There's probably lots of good information out there.
Great idea Liz! I started a new thread called "Hey where'd my Handyman go? Important Household tips". Jimmy and Phrangue maybe you could put some of your good information there for us.
Our toilet did overflow full of too much paper and poop and my H just watched it. Later came to me and asked if my bathroom was working as his was not. I went to look at his and OMG.......the plunger is right there by the toilet and it needed only one plunge to send it down but the carpet was ruined. I could not get it dry and after several days trying with the carpet cleaner and a heater, had to call in a tile man to pull up the carpet and replace with tile. I hate carpet in the bathroom anyway so next I will have him come in to tile my bathroom. I was not married to him when he had this house built or we would have a lot of things different around here, like no white carpet, geezzz....who puts white carpet anywhere?
Oh divvi, a third of a bar of soap! Sorry, it is pitiful, (guess you've removed all dangerous cleaning stuff he could eat) but the way you put it, who could help but chuckle. Good luck with the full moon.
well grandmas used to wash our mouth out with soap for cussing:) so its been eaten for centuries. :) and it was one i use that has camomile and very mild. not deordorant type! his lower lip is somewhat swollen and maybe his tongue a bit, but over all he ate breakfast very well! so i am forcing fluids and 'watchful. i am sure his colon will be flushed which could be a good thing!. haha. poor guy. you know it tastes dreadful but with AD they do have taste issues. oh, and after daylite and sun, i found several chunks spit out in the bathtub and around the bathroom so he didnt eat that much. good thing.. the hooligan is back! haha. divvi
We had the toilet overflow while watching problem here also...on hardwood floors! It will take a year to get them dried out enough to refinish..one more time. I also just had the carpet removed from our bathroom and tile laid down...better safe than whatever!
If you don't already have a super flush toilet, those of you with "overflow problems" might want to consider investing in at least one for DH. My DH used to have to use the plunger almost daily and it got pretty scary at times. We have all the other problems and don't need more.
Reading this thread has reminded me why I stopped leaving my husband home alone. The visual of him just watching as something bad happened, not knowing how to stop it, was basically the reason. It never actually happened, but I could easily see how it might if I wasn't around.
marilyn, I also can visualize lots of things happening like turning on the gas heating stove burner (but since he never cooks I don't think it would be a problem but I have ceased asking him to turn a burner off. Want to leave that alone. Also, I have, in the past caught him trying to put something in our toaster oven on a paper plate instead of the microwave. Now, leave the toaster/oven unplugged. DH occasionally leaves the water running in the shower or sink (I have stoppers removed).
I know, Lois, the potential disasters are just waiting to happen! Can you elaborate on the super flush toilet? The only one I'm familiar with is the Toto.
They run $300. or so but worth it. I have worried about stopped up and overflowing toilets for years. We have had this one for 3 years and it hasn't been plunged, or stopped up. It has a double holding tank and you can push one button for .8 gal. water or the other button for more than double that. Great water saver. We seldom use the extra water flush. Only thing is you cannot use a deodorizer in the holding tank because of the type system it has for flushing. No room. As long as you flush after each use we haven't had a problem. Mary has a couple of these toilets also. I am sure there are other brands of good flushing toilets but I am not familiar with them.
Back to the water shut off valve issue for a minute, I need to make a clarification. I was talking about the main water shut off valve in the house, there should be one on the main water line where it enters the house. If you don't have on in the house it is good to know where the water shut off is at the meter. You usually can't turn off the water at the meter as it requires a special wrench. Only your local water department or a plumber will have the wrench.
It is a good idea to turn do a practice run on the water cut offs at the fixtures so you can get a feel for how it is done. If you will turn them off and on once every six months or so that should keep them free and turning easily.
Jimmy, I have been doing this for several years just to make sure I could turn off each one individually if necessary. But yesterday, the hot water valve under the bathroom sink won't turn the water off. It turns and turns, but won't turn the water off! Strange. Cold water will. So....had to call the plumber.
Before you call the plumber look and see if there is a screw in the middle of the handle, if there is, tighten it up with the screwdriver and try it again. If that doesn't work call the plumber.
Jimmy & T.J. - thank you so much! There is a screw - I couldn't see it because it was turned to the back of the cabinet! Got the water off. But still have to have plumber come. Faucet still leaks - it's a ball type faucet; plus we have major leak on outside faucet and pipe running under the house! So I'll just let him fix both of them. At least now I know about that screw!
ok plumber guys! i have hot /cold water in sink next to the tub/ but very limited hot water in the tub- hot handle turns but only a dribble coming out.. do i need a plumber too?? ps i looked at the screws too. thanks for that tip!divvi
You have to be careful with those outside faucet leaks too. I had a hose connected to water shrubs and didn't turn the water off at the house and the connection was not good. A couple of days later while going down in the basement could see where water was in the concrete blocks behind the faucet. Lesson learned. I am putting the quick-snap connectors on all my outdoor faucets and garden hose. I have trouble screwing the hose to the faucet. I installed one the other day and it works great and now I won't have to screw and unscrew the hose. Can just snap it off.
I'm not sure, divvi, is there a cap in the middle of the handle covering a screw? If so, pop that off and see if the screw needs tightening. Or maybe you have a set screw on the side of the handle. If so, that could be loose. Good luck!
Yes, the snap-on things are great! THat's one of those things that has been driving people - apparently Joe, not just women - crazy for years. I'm trying to think, I know there are a number of other things that we just put up with, that are really poorly designed, have been exactly the same for ever and ever.. and then someone comes up with a solution and you think why did it take so long?!! (One I can think of is the connections on the back of computers - remember the rs232 plugs where you not only had to plug them in (reasonable) but screw both sides in very carefully and tightly?)
divvi, does that shower with just a dribble of hot water have separate knobs for hot and cold, or is it one of those deals where there's a single knob that you turn all the way for hot or less so for medium or cool? If it's the single knob type, then it's probably just an "adjustment" problem that might be fixable by popping off a cover, removing a screw, removing the knob, and re-installing it in a slightly different orientation -- perhaps there's a splined or keyed shaft.
Ghipper no it is separate knobs. i got it off with a screwdriver yesterday and looked inside. it has alot of calcium buildup i think white gunk, cleaned what i could get to, it may be inside the back too and clogging it up. causee the hotwater runs ok just dribbling. will get a plumber out eventuall-its one of the 3 guest rooms. haah-no hurry = i want to know where the main shutoff is too! thanks for all the tips guys. and gals. its good to know. divvi
Here's my handyman tip: Don't start that job (especially plumbing) on the weekend or in the evening! If you need to call a professional real fast, it's cheaper if it doesn't happen during overtime or time and a half hours.
So true, Pat! Our furnace went out on Christmas Eve morning one year! Yikes!! We had to call the furnace people- it was freezing weather - but oh, what a price we had to pay!
Oh boy! Am I glad we moved to the OldPeoplsHome five years ago. No house problems we have to solve on our own. As I read the boards and know that DH is edging into Stage 5 I can imagine what a basket case I'd be if we didn't live here where all the little nitty gritty problems are solved by the maintenance staff. This is a Continuing Care facility too.
I can manage most plumbing problems inside the house. I have amazed myself at my prowess in dealing with faucets, toilets and disposals. What I cannot do...and will not do... is go outside to the main water cutoff beneath the metal lid in the yard...because I am deathly afraid there will be a frog or snake in there. My fear alone would cause a heart attack.
I have become so used to keeping a bathtowel crunched around the base of the toilet, it is beginning to look like it belongs there. I use white towels, (match the tile) and I can wash them with bleach and they keep the pee from discoloring the grout and making a brown ring around the base of the toilet. I cleaned and sanitized the tile twice a day for months before I came up with this solution...and it works for me.
Back to being handy around the house, I really have become quite proficient in many areas. Just takes some thought about what makes things work...and then go for it! All this time, I thought my DH was soooo smart because he could fix everything. He would breathe a heavy sigh and head for the tool box, put on his work gloves and make a huge mess in his task. Most things that go wrong for ME can be fixed with my one pair of pliers and screwdriver in my "junk drawer" in the kitchen. Occasionally, I resort to a hammer for extra force.
Does everyone have a "junk drawer" in their kitchen -- we do. And yes, there's a pair of pliers and a couple of screwdrivers in there, as well as scissors, rubber bands, scotch tape, new and used twist ties, toothpicks, matches, a ball of string, Elmers glue, protective glasses for cutting up onions, a small hairbrush, a plastic gadget for measuring out spaghetti servings, coffee filters, and maybe a few other things like keys that don't fit anything, etc.
...and don't forget the little plastic or metal mystery pieces that we know belong to something, so we're afraid to throw them out. And when we finally do throw them out, the next day the thing they belong to needs to be used, and THEN we remember what that little piece that we just threw away was supposed to be used for.....
Oh, yeah....and an old fashion garlic press, and a lemon juicer (saucer type that you put half a lemon on upside down and turn it so that the juice is in the saucer and has a pour spout? My mother had that when I was born, so it is over 67 years old!! Still works like a charm! LOL
Since my decluttering and organization of the whole house, I don't have a junk drawer any more. Everything has its place, and there are fewer things to have to be in a place. And its so easy to keep things in order, and work around the house including all the caregiving tasks. I highly recommend it.
I couldn't have done it in a million years myself, Mary, so I hired it done, but I worked right alongside her. Cost me a small fortune, but so worth it!
But, but, but...I neeeeed all the stuff in my junk drawer. I cannot imagine not having a place for those things that do not have a permanent home yet. Coupons, telephone numbers, business cards, pencils (who uses pencils), return address labels (thousands), a Christmas cheese spreader, little picture hanging nails, half used bottle of hand sanitizer, and and old dog collar.
thats funny, my junk drawer has the very same junk! xmas cheese spreader, nails, picture hangers, gluegun and elmers, assorted DEAD batteries, :) hammer, various screw drivers of many sizes, the tiny eyeglasss one? those peices of plastic off something shanteuse mentioned i may need later. i weed it out occasionally and it fills back up..! divvi