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It Pays To Get A Second Opinion 

There are some things that happen in life which are beyond our control. I had one of these things happen to me in my house. When the unexpected happens, it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. 

Let me tell you my story. A story that ended with a savings of approximately $1,100 (USD). It all started one day in December 2020 when I was doing dishes in the kitchen of my 1930s built home. Everytime the water went down the kitchen drain, I would hear this fountain of water flowing. But I could not figure out where it was coming from. So I ran the water again in the sink, this time plugging the garbage disposal drain with the in-sink-erator stopper, to fill up the sink and hopefully determine where the water was coming from. When I lifted the stopper to let the water out, low and behold there was a small lake of water on the kitchen floor. As the stream of water flowed, I opened the cabinets under the sink... no water on the floor. So I decided to check the lazy susan (a lazy susan is a cabinet that swivels used to keep spices and hide pipes).  There it was, the wood on the bottom of the lazy susan was all wet. The problem was coming from behind the lazy susan to the left of the sink. I laid on my stomach and inched inside the lazy susan but could not get to the problem. I did not know which pipe the water was coming out of and I could not get to it. The only thing I could do was put a towel down to slow the water from traveling down the wall into the basement. All I could think about was mold forming inside the wall. Not only did I have water coming from a pipe inside the lazy susan but water was also dripping from the sink faucet. Eventhough I stopped using the sink, I spent several days and nights rotating dry and wet towels from the top and bottom of the sink, until I could afford to contact a plumber. Remembering the lack of income I had due to the pandemic, I was mentally preparing myself for the high bill that would naturally come with an older home containing galvanized lead pipes, impossible to reach, many encased in plaster. 

I called the plumbing company that came out right away, with my relatives present. I described the problem and the plumber preceded to look inside the lazy susan, with a wonderfully bright flashlight. The culprit was a burst pipe which was running against the wall of the house. The elongated slit in the middle of the pipe allowed water to run freely. The pipe more than likely burst from the cold

weather, but when? Since my family has lived in the house for more than 50 years there was no way to pinpoint when the pipe had burst opened. The plumber ran water in the sink to reaffirm that water was leaking behind the lazy susan, and checked the main pipe line in the basement which he said had good water flow. There was nothing to show where the burst  pipe led to, as it disappeared behind the stove and double oven. He gave me an estimate of a little over $1,300 to go around the kitchen drain and connect it to the pipe in the basement. There is a little more involved here, but that is the crux of it. 

The water was not able to get to the main line in the basement so it came out of the slit opening in the pipe. There was nothing else that was wet/damp except the area behind the lazy susan and the stove works fine. So it was determined by the plumber, myself and my relatives that the problem was isolated behind the lazy susan.

After the plumber left, one of my relatives suggested a second plumber he knew look at the problem. The second plumber came in and also after seeing the leak behind the lazy susan and  the condition of the main line in the basement, determined the only thing that was needed was for the pipe to be snaked (a snake is a coil that is put down the drain to push the clog through a pipe) from the drain to the main line. The years of grease and food debris caused the pipe to clog. The only way for the water to escape was to come thru the slit in the pipe. He said the dripping kitchen faucet could be solved by replacing it with a new one. Whereas the plumber from the company had to come back to start on the job, the second plumber could begin work immediately. 

It took the second plumber a few hours of work, but the snaking of the pipe worked and I got a new faucet to boot. No more leaks. And the cost???? A little over $200. 

The moral of this story is to please, please get a second or even a third opinion, if you can. There is nothing wrong with seeking the advice of others, do your research. Unless you are in a situation where you have to act immediately, you do not have to accept the first thing someone says to you, even if that person is an expert in their field. A second opinion can save you a lot of stress, anxiety and possibly money.

Note: The  second plumber suggested squirting a grease-cutting dish-washing liquid down the kitchen sink drain followed by a pot of boiling water every day before dishes are done,  to keep the pipe clog free. He said it would not hurt the pipe.  

....Oh, and there is no mold from the water in the basement. 

Disclaimer: Eventhough the second plumber said the boiling water will not hurt the pipe, please use your own judgement. It may be better for you just to pour hot water but not boiling water, down your drain. If you have a garbarge disposal for example, you do not want to cause harm. The boiling water could possibly melt a newer type of pipe over time. 

This does not solve my plumbing issues, but does give me time to plan for more substantial plumbing work.