msconduct: (Default)
msconduct ([personal profile] msconduct) wrote2020-10-25 10:49 pm

Dry Season Day Two - Plot Twist!

So there I was late last night, basking in the knowledge that I might have no running water but at least I had stopped the massive leak in its tracks until the plumber could arrive after the long weekend. All was exceptionally quiet at 2 a.m. when I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth using a bottle of water. Wait a minute. WHAT. IS. THAT. NOISE?

It sounded like the leak, only not as fast and furious. But it couldn't be. The water was shut off.

I explored all the possible ways wastewater might be leaking out. It wasn't any of them. And when I went out onto the deck, I could hear with perfect clarity in the quiet of the night that the leak was exactly where it was before under the deck. When I tried running the taps in the kitchen, there was a little bit of water in them. So. Clearly not as shut off as all that.

At least I knew that if the shutoff valve was malfunctioning that was Auckland water provider Watercare's problem, not mine. But that knowledge alone did nothing to actually stop the torrent of water currently undermining the house foundation.

Internet to the rescue. According to Watercare, you could call them 24/7 to report a problem and they would attend to it in four hours. Four hours? In the middle of the night on a public holiday weekend? I was HIGHLY sceptical. I didn't even think they'd answer the phone.

But they did! And they told me a repair crew would be there between six and seven the following morning (it was after 3 a.m. by this time). When I got up this morning (NOT between six and seven) there was blessed quiet. They'd been, they'd gone, they'd shut the water off for realz. Huzzah! That's pretty awesome service, I reckon. Now I have only one more day to wait until the plumber gets here and I have a flushing toilet again. (I hope.)