Do any of you, my dear readers, know anything about plumbing? No, no, you pervs. Actual plumbing. The kind that carries water.
I live in a large apartment building. While my section is only three stories, the main building is a 12-story structure. From time-to-time I've noticed weird bubbling in my toilet. I've never been able to diagnosis it as it happens when I haven't used the facilities for quite a while. I've never really thought much of it, either. Last night, however, I heard the bubbling when I was working on the computer. A few hours later I went in the bathroom and noticed that the toilet was full of soap bubbles! It smelled like laundry detergent but I had done no laundry whatsoever yesterday. Weird, huh?
Any ideas? I don't want to both my super unless it's something to worry about.
Posted by mikewolf at June 02, 2003 09:18 AMYou share the plumbing lines with the people above and below you. If your toilet was bubbling up with soap, it probably means that someone else above you flushed a lot of soap or something.
It shouldn't be backing up like that though unless the sewer or septic tank is blocked or clogged up, though. So my advice is to get it taken care of NOW. Or the next time it might not be soap. I speak from experience, and you do NOT want to know the details.
Posted by: Mark on June 2, 2003 12:30 PMIn one ground-floor apartment I lived in, my bathtub suddenly went full of water, without the faucets being turned on. Worse, there were icky bits that I swear looked like maggots, which naturally sent me screaming from the room. It turns out they were bits of noodle, and something was up with the plumbing in the upstairs apartment, according to the maintenance guy.
So do call about it. If it's not a big deal, they'll say so (though make sure they really think so and aren't just putting you off).
When I think of plumbing, I think of plumbing. Maybe it's different for boys. ;-)
Posted by: Lady Crumpet on June 2, 2003 01:25 PMMike, get out of the house now!! GET OUT NOW!!!
Just kidding. Yeah, I'd call the super. Something's clogged somewhere. I used to get that at a place I lived in, only it was the kitchen sink.
Posted by: Jim on June 2, 2003 10:50 PMRemember Melina?
She had a squirrel in her toilet once.
I think by comparison, soap is totally acceptable.
"Toilet squirrel". Is that a scatalogical euphemism?
Posted by: Jim on June 3, 2003 09:17 AMLike Mark, I've had a little experience with backed up apartment toilets. If it goes as far out as the sewer system - run for the hills. No need to have someone else's baby diapers end up on your bathroom floor. Thankfully, we were able to use the incident to break a lease in a nasty complex. But we still had to live through it. (And I still can't understand why anyone would flush baby diapers into the sewage system. Some things just need to be thrown in the GARBAGE!)
Posted by: Meredith on June 3, 2003 10:33 AMHey, whaddya complainin' for? now you can wash your dirty underwear in de terr-let. Dat's a convenience!
I want to be a supe, someday.
Deano, that would be funny, but it reminds me too much of the people in my office who store important email messages in the Deleted Items folder of Outlook. I've tried to ask them if they keep their Will in the trash can at home but I usually just get blank stared. Maybe I'll try your analogy next time.
Posted by: Meredith on June 4, 2003 02:48 PMLike the most people here call the Supe. He needs to go upstair and unclog the pipes up there. It may only do it when they do laundry. that much water when the washer drains is too much for the system. They need to snake the pipes that should work.
Posted by: Brad on June 9, 2003 09:01 AM