In previous blog posts on urinals and toilets, I showed you a field goal in a urinal to reduce spillage as well as the infamous fly in the urinal at Schiphol Airport. So once again, courtesy of Exponential Growth Strategist (http://www.ExponentialPrograms.com) Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com) here is another photo, this time of an unknown location in Amsterdam. This is just another example how we can all take life a little less seriously and enjoy ourselves a little more.
The next time you come across an interesting bathroom or other plumbing related installation, please take a picture and forward it to me - this blog is a collaborative effort from people travelling all over the world to bring you a mosaic of photos, articles and facts that are curious, intriguing and fun.
Our Venetian correspondent is at it again. As you have seen in previous posts Holy S - - T ! A Gondoliers impression and The latest sewer notes and history of Venice Gio the Venetian Gondolier knows how much our readers love to see how waste water and sewer is moved around Venice.
Hey mate!
I’m so proud to be on the site that I decided to send you more stuff about Venice,
Here is first of all a picture of my lane ” calle del Caffettier” ( the coffee maker lane) while a draining is on the go.
As you see on the first pic our local plumber has the drain hose on the left side of the lane with all the pipe going over the bridge.
Venice pumping waste
Then you see how the pipe goes to the canal where the drain boat is waiting with the plumbers mate.
Venetian drain boat collecting waste
Then a picture of our proud fire patrol just after the draining of a boat that sunk because the owner did not drain the rain out…. shame!
Venice fire team to the rescue
That is all my friend.
See the statue of our Lady on the top of the wall near my house? Isn’t it a corner of paradise?
Is it electric or gas? Can you turn off these supplies safely.
The pressure relief valve, T&PR valve is usually near the top of the heater. It should be eased quarterly, it does drip water under normal circumstances, but not constantly running.
Turning your water heater off whilst on holidays saves electricity and gas. The unit will heat and cool for 2 weeks wasting energy & your money. Turn it on when you return, have a coffee, unpack, say hi to neighbours etc. The water will be hot before you know it
Don’t forget to shut off the water valve. Storage heaters are under pressure. My brother in law had his water heater burst, about the time he boarded a jet for the islands. After 2 weeks, the damage to carpet, floorboards, furniture, paint $$$$
Flexible water connections on the inlet and outlet of your water heater are dangerous. Check if you have them. If you do, I strongly recommend you have them removed and have the connections redone in copper tube and brass fittings. I guarantee these flexis will rupture and if they are indoors the damage they can cause is huge.
Rusty water coming from the unit is a sign of age and potential disaster. Don’t ignore it!
Temperature & Pressure Relief valves. Dont forget to activate them
Today pleasure was to meet Dr “Elliot”… This man is incredibly organised.
We were called to his home to run our drain cleaning equipment, the world famous “Rattlesnake” high pressure water drain cleaner, through his house drains downstream to the sewer boundary trap at the rear of his property, adjacent to the swimming pool.
He has had blocked drains in the past and declared he didn’t want the inconvenience of a blocked sewer pipe during the upcoming holidays when his extended family would be visiting and his old sewer line would be put under pressure.
The thought of having his beautifully manicured garden dug up or even disturbed, inspired this house proud professional to maintain one of his homes main arteries.
He compared our house visit to check his drains, just like a patient having a health check with their Doctor, especially as we get a little older. Pipes and people!
Dr Elliott knew where all the access points to his sewer were located, how to test his sewer and all the symptoms of a blocked drain. It was a pleasure to work with such a professional
An ounce of prevention will keep your drains running. Oh, and if pain persists………… see your Doctor
More S - - T from Venice.
The best part about this blog is sharing with so many people and getting your insights into my topic S - - T.
Our knowledge of the sewers of the world grows.
Basically, we all use our toilets regularly and if you are not, then seek medical advice. Now I’m not going to get into anything unsavoury in this post, but I have a few toilet jokes and stories lined up for you in the future.
So stay regular!
Our regular readers would have read about the world famous Venetian Gondolier my friend Giovanni Giudice in earlier blog posts like Holy S - - T. A Gondoliers impression.
Here in Australia, as we drift into the cooler months it’s spring in Venice and Gio has been keeping me up to date with some interesting facts about the sewer movements and the history of his home town.
Here is an excerpt from a recent communiqué:
Mozart slept here!
Yesterday I took these pics of drain boats in the first one you can see how they get the pipes to the house. This house is just in front of the house where Mozart, Wolfang Amadeus Mozart, stayed when he came to Venice in the Carnival of 1771. This is written on the marble white stuff you see. Probably there is still some Mozart S - -T!!
This pic is of another Drain boat in front of San Marco Square. As you see from the last picture I have taken all these pics from my gondola. You can see I’m under the bridge and you see the back (stern) of my lady, my gondola.
take care my friend
Giovanni
Drain boat at St Marco square
If you are travelling to Venice and need a guide, look for Giovanni, he is the best!
It’s Saturday night in the city and we received an emergency call from a long term client, HELP we have a tap over the kitchen sink that is leaking lots of water and flooding our kitchen.
Now on a Saturday night, this sounds like a job for “The Lone Drainer and Pronto“!
We were at the house within 30 minutes!
The kitchen sink mixer tap had exploded, gushing water everywhere, and our clients who were having a peaceful dinner, could not turn the water off!
The 2 valves controlling hot and cold water supply to the kitchen sink flickmixer style tap, and the Water meter at the front of the property could not be turned off.
Both the taps had siezed and the water just kept running out all over the kitchen!
This blog is all about having fun with everything having to do with plumbing, plumbing services and plumbing repairs. If you come across anything that you think my readers would enjoy - please send it to me via a comment on this blog. In advance, I thank you for making this a top blog for plumbing aficionados!
Todays post is courtesy of Joe from Woollahra Sydney
Joe had constant problems with the trees around his Sydney home, and tree roots growing in his sewer pipes, blocking them repeatedly. He would need drain cleaning several times a year to cut the tree roots, as the London Plane trees around his home tightened their vice like grip on his sewer pipes and drains. When this happened, the sewer would overflow in his home and on some occasions the raw sewage would come up in his kitchen sink!
Joe found a way to deal with the tree roots in his sewer pipes, to stop them re-growing and blocking his sewer line.
Now, Joe and his wife Elizabeth, both teachers, travelled to south-east asia to help those less fortunate and during their travels over summer visited Cambodia and in particular the ancient city of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century.
Joe at Angkor Wat Beware of tree roots!
Joe was astonished by the power of these tree roots and how they could almost consume these ancient buildings. He couldn’t wait to share this and other images with us.
Joe says “Don’t let tree roots take over your drains and sewer pipes”!
A friend and colleague, Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com), recently visited San Francisco and came across a great little bookstore… Little did he know it was Chronicle Books the publisher of the great little bestsellers “What’s Your Poo Telling You?” and “What’s My Pee Telling Me?”… I guess this is another example of how small the world really is. These books are as funny as they are informative. If you’d like a copy, I’ve pre-purchased some inventory just for you. Give us a call and we’ll get them shipped to you… Pronto!
Marc chatted with the sales rep in the store and even brought up our website to show him who was selling the books in Australia!
The interest over the new Sydney water desalination plant just continues to grow.
After blogging 2 weeks ago about the taste of our drinking water, a topic that is very important to me, we have been contacted by lots of people who also have an interest in our Sydney drinking water. I believe we have here in Sydney Australia, one of the best water supplies in the world and now that we have the Desalination plant, it does secure our drinking future.
Most of our clients have shared with us their thoughts on the flavour of our drinking water, the colour of water, the taste and smell of water and you are all correct.
Just make sure, if you have leaking taps or running toilets have them repaired as soon as possible.
Save water where you can and keep drinking water. It makes you feel alive!
