What You Don't Want to Hear from Your Neighbors When They Knock on Your Door
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
June 9, 2017 3:07pm CST
I'm sitting at my computer when I see two people, one at least male, coming to my door. I ask my husband to answer. Then these people we didn't know told us about the water that they saw leaking as they passed our house while out walking.
I hadn't been outside yet today, so I'm glad the neighbors brought this to our attention. The leak is bad. We are too disabled to turn off the water at the street so we called someone who lives down the street to come and help. He turned off the water and as we were discussing what to do next, another neighbor stopped to join us.
He said he was a school district employee on his lunch hour and is job is to work with irrigation systems. He had to get back to work but said he'd stop back tonight and try to find the leak and do something about it. It also appears, though, that a water pipe may have broken in back that is also affecting the behavior of the front irrigation which is controlled by valves in back. We may yet have to call a plumber.
Meanwhile, we have no water. We just may have to go back to Templeton tomorrow and sleep there, since we have no water in the house except our filled bottles. That's about 8 liters of water to drink and some that has been collected from my last shower to use for flushing toilets.
We have some hand sanitizer in the bathroom. Fortunately, we have full pots of coffee and tea to heat up and I made a tuna sandwich mix yesterday. Washing fruit will be trickier. Perhaps I'll run around the corner to the gym and wash some there. Too bad I don't know any of my neighbors.
The neighbor who's coming tonight said it's likely if we have a broken water pipe under the house it could take up to $30,000 to fix. We haven't even caught up with the dentist bills yet. I hope it's just the irrigation system.
Anyway, I'm very thankful for helpful neighbors today.
Have you had a water emergency lately? How about in the past? How about an experience with a helpful neighbor?
9 people like this
12 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
9 Jun 17
No Yes and No.
I am so sorry this is happening to you.
Of all the things to happen. Hope it is not a water pipe Barbara.
They turn the water off here sometimes dont know what they are doing (apartments), but it comes back on in few hours. Nothing major like that.
Helpful neighbors here? Bwahahahahha
Of all the things to happen. Hope it is not a water pipe Barbara.
They turn the water off here sometimes dont know what they are doing (apartments), but it comes back on in few hours. Nothing major like that.
Helpful neighbors here? Bwahahahahha1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
9 Jun 17
I am thankful I have neighbors who are willing to help an old lady. The man across the street is always ready to help, but he wasn't home today. I'm really not on a socializing basis with any of the neighbors. Since now hardly any woman stay at home, it's much different than when I was younger and all the woman were in an out of each other's homes. I knew my neighbors much better in the city we lived in before we moved here.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
13 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView Nope. the one neighbor who's day job is working on irrigation systems found the outdoor shut-off for the front yard that I was sure was there, but the plants had covered it up. We were able to turn the inside water back on. We have hired the neighbor who found the problem to fix it, and he will as soon as the parts he needs come in.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
9 Jun 17
@bagarad Oh yes nice man to help..that is a really good thing Barbara. Wish he had been home. Oh you have moved so these neighbors you don't know so well.
Well now you may have to Templeton you think?
1 person likes this
@djbrat13 (392)
• Phoenix, Arizona
12 Jun 17
I'm sorry that you have water problems, it was really nice for those people to tell you and make you aware of the leak. Did you ever find out what it was? if you don't mind me asking.
A few years ago, my now ex-husband and I had to replace water pipes out front and ran us a pretty penny. That definitely was Not a good day. Hope every thing is well for you guys ((hugs))
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47683)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Jun 17
That's too bad. Hope it gets resolved without flattening your wallet too much.
When I first moved in here I had plumbing problems but luckily the sewer break was on the city part of the lot (city owns 16 feet in from the curb) so I didn't have to pay for the repairs.
And now I'm leaving here and moving somewhere else. I certainly hope I don't have plumbing problems there!
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47683)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
13 Jun 17
@bagarad The only problem I foresee is where to put everything!
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
16 Jun 17
@BarBaraPrz I can certainly relate to that. Good luck with the move.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
10 Jun 17
Sorry to hear of this! Do you have homeowner's insurance? Many times they will cover things like this. It might also be the fault of the city. I hope the news is good when you finally find the cause of the leak! Nice of those first 2 people to let you know about it, it's always great to have people like that in the neighborhood.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
13 Jun 17
@bagarad Thank goodness for that!! I'm so glad it's not a complete disaster. Any unexpected expenses are major these days but I'm glad it won't be more.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
16 Jun 17
@dragon54u We are thankful.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
9 Jun 17
I guess that's the good thing about living in a retirement home. To live in one here I'd be paying over $3000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. I know because my mom lived in one here for three months before deciding to come back to her house. She was giving it a three-month trial. That was 12 years ago, and I'm sure the rental rate has gone up by now.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
9 Jun 17
@bagarad sje must have had a deluxe one as myu socaila secuirty amd ssdi pay my rent and board itsd usdt 12000 a nmonth but I do not have a private room I have a roommate too thiosd isd
not an ecpensive nursing home tjey are very differett
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Jun 17
I was going to ask why you have a faucet near the road, but you mentioned an irrigation system, is that common for that part of CA? I've never heard of it other than on farms. Around here, though, some people do have underground sprinklers, but the sprinkler people would have to check things out if there was a problem with that.
I would hope that even if it is something under your home it could be found easily and fixed without that larger expense. Is there not a type of crawl space under your houses there to access the pipes more easily?
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
20 Jun 17
@MarshaMusselman WE've given up on a lawn with so little water in the state. Brown is the new green in my neighborhood.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
17 Jun 17
@bagarad Oh, okay. I'd never have thought of that. Even the sprinkler system would be hard to work with, I'd think, if it was leaking as you'd have to tear up your whole lawn and then replace it.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
11 Jun 17
Luckily we have never had to deal with something like this as we are no where prepared either
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16790)
• China
10 Jun 17
It is nice of the neighbor to come to your aid.Just as a saying here goes,"A relative far off is less help than a neighbour closeby."Hope the problem with water pipe will soon solve!
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (117146)
• Anniston, Alabama
9 Jun 17
No neighbors close by here, but yes we fix busted pipes all the time.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
13 Jun 17
I can't believe how handy you are at making repairs.
@Ronnie1121 (49)
• Cavite City, Philippines
10 Jun 17
Good for you to have neighbors like them.Whilst my neighbors are so unlikely.In fact they are neglectful of our help concerns recently when we ran out of water in the faucet.They simply dont care at all....
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
13 Jun 17
We are fortunate to have good neighbors, even if we don't know all their names. Of course, everyone is concerned about water conservation and do let us know if they detect any water leaks.
@GrayCats (23)
•
9 Jun 17
Oh man that is terrible! But thank gosh for neighbors right? But geez, hopefully you have someone to help you out with that cost. I'm not too knowledgeable on legal stuff but can you get compensation, since technically, it's not your fault.
My family and I had a water emergency last June but we live in an apartment so it wasn't terrible and we didn't have to pay for the damages, but since we had no renters insurance, we couldn't get compensated or moved even though it was the apartment building's structural issue. It had rained really hard that month and muck had accumalated in the terrace drains, so it ended up flooding the entire apartment and we had to throw away so much. There was mold, and they had to tear up the carpet and we had to move EVERYTHING out of the apartment and into the laundry room storage areas. It was a huge ordeal and even know I still smell the mold/mildew and there's some mold growing on my wall.
But anyway! I hope you guys don't have to pay much either and that is isn't a busted pipe.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
13 Jun 17
The busted pipe is in the outdoor irrigation system, so won't cost so much to fix and indoor plumbing would cost to fix. I'm sorry you had such a mess at your home. I think I fear flooding more than anything since it makes such a mess to clean up. Mold is a terrible problem.
