Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with water

Water shut off due to non-payment by landlord. What are my rights?

slavlin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:18:28 -0800

My landlord pays the water bill for my apartment complex. Today the water was shut off in the middle of the day. When I called the water company, they said that the complex was shut off due to non-payment. Are there any legal requirements about notice or use of rental fees by the property management? I live in Tennessee. I have been living in this complex for about 9 years. Though it has had it's problems, it is spacious and fairly cheap, plus I hate moving. I do pay an additional fee for water (along with rent).

Also, I checked the Better Business Bureau and there is only one complaint on file and there was no response.

Finally, the property management is Starwood Property Management (Lease says Starwood Management LLC.) There is no address on the lease other than our complex. The management company is based out of New York, but the managers here have been told they are not allowed to give me the phone number for the main property office. Would they be required to do that, since they technically do have an office here that I can go to?

Is my apartment company liable for my shorted-out laptop?

iamisaid — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:12:03 -0800

Is my apartment management company responsible for water damage to my laptop that occurred as a result of their lack of maintenance? Excuse me if this a common-sense question that I should already know the answer to, but IANAL, etc.

I live in a ground-floor apartment, and over the past several months there have been multiple ceiling leaks coming into my living room from the bathroom of the apartment above mine. I have informed the apartment manager of this on multiple occasions, but it continues to be an issue. On one occasion they patched and repainted a spot on my ceiling where a leak had occurred. And they say they have told my upstairs neighbors not to be so "messy" when they shower.

But as far as I know, that's the extent of maintenance action they've taken, despite the fact that this has happened more than half a dozen times. When I've spoken to them about it, they've claimed that there's really nothing else they can do to prevent future leaks, which does not seem like an acceptable answer to me.

So there was a leak once again last night while I was sleeping, and the water got into my laptop. Now my laptop won't boot up, and it was working fine yesterday.

Does this mean the apartment owners are liable for damage to my laptop? If so, what are the chances of actually getting them to pay up, and what's the best way to go about that?

A hard water rain's gonna fall in my dishwasher.

mecran01 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:27:46 -0800

We have hard water and I've had to pull apart our dishwasher to clean out water deposits and gunk. Is there any way to limit accumulations without buying a water softener? I keep seeing references, in the UK, to special baskets that fit in the dishwasher and hold water softening salt. Is something like this available in the US and would it work to reduce deposits in my dishwasher?

Starting a pilot research on water privatization

elpapacito — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:51:30 -0800

Water privatization: I'm starting a pilot research on this subject and I am looking for quantitative data, reports and studies on any water privatization experience. At this point, anything that doesn't show up in a few obvious google searches is welcome, as well as suggestion for websites or publication on the subject.

Jealous cats ruin computers

mesh gear fox — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:04:50 -0800

Water spilled on my desktop computer, what now? This morning, my cat knocked a glass of water off the back of my desk. The water splashed down the back of my cpu case. The computer shut itself down within seconds. The water seems to have pooled on the bottom, on top of and around the power supply. I disconnected the power cord and waited for a few minutes. When I tried to turn it back on, there was no response from the computer.

Should I bother trying to dry it out (let it sit in rice, etc.) or should I just assume I have to replace the power supply?

Will my other components (i.e. motherboard, video cards, hard drives, etc.) be ok, or is there a chance they are fried as well? Is there any way of telling if they are?

Any advice for replacing the power supply?

Thanks for your help.

Can I get a safe, low-tech, cheap water distiller?

Flunkie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:42:56 -0800

Help me not blow up my kitchen, while simultaneously not spending hundreds of dollars on a water distiller. I am considering purchasing an AeroGarden (a hydroponics system in which you can grow herbs, vegetables, et cetera). One potential drawback: I have hard tap water, and their FAQ says that's no good. Nor is that same tap water good even if filtered through something like a Brita.

Distilled water, however, is good. So, I searched on Amazon for "water distiller". I was surprised to find high-tech electronic gizmos that cost hundreds of dollars, and nothing else.

It seems to me like I'd just need something like a pot with a tight lid, sitting on the stovetop, with a hole in the lid leading to a tube, with the tube leading to another pot, and that pot sitting in a tub of cold water. It seems to me that this should cost significantly less than hundreds of dollars.

At the same time, I am reluctant to just roll my own based on this vague scheme, due to a desire not to have an explosion when my half-assed creation turns out to fail in a spectacular way under the pressure of boiling.

Is there anywhere I can get a safe version of this sort (or some other sort) of low-tech distiller, for a reasonable price?

Here comes the rain

selfnoise — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:10:37 -0800

My basement is currently flooding. Anything I can do before it stops raining? In Westbrook, Maine. Heavy rains. Water is coming through holes in the foundation. There's a drain... it was draining but no more... I think the storm drains may be full. No sump pump. Unfinished basement. Furnace and tank in basement on some blocks. Any suggestions other than wait it out and assess the wreckage tomorrow? I was bailing the puddle above the drain and I put a tray under the most obvious/fast hole, but there's no way I can keep up with it all night. Thanks!

Maybe she just needs a crazy straw...

nevercalm — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:25:48 -0800

Not really worried, more just curious about my cat and how she's been drinking water...she dips her paw and then licks the water from it, repeatedly. My cat Smudge is a real doll, and like many cats, totally fascinated by water. She's there every time fresh water is poured into the dish, trying to drink out of the jug and then spending some quality time with the bowl. Taking a bath? She's right on the edge of the tub, with that "how do you DO THAT????" look on her face.

As of late, she's developed a strange habit...she seems to exclusively drink by dipping her paw in her water dish and then licking up everything she can get. She then repeats this until, presumably, she's had her fill.

She's done a version of this since she was a kitten, but we always interpreted it as "finding the surface," trying to figure out where the water is in the dish so she didn't submerge her nose. For the past month or so now, she's pretty much only using the paw.

Anyone had a similar experience? She's pretty normal otherwise, so I'm not thinking this is something to worry about....but it's a pretty strange little quirk. Is she just another weird cat, or what?

Power-vented water heaters -- what say you?

sesquipedalia — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:35:58 -0800

Replacing a water heater... to power-vent or not to power-vent? That is the question. Old water heater (possibly as old as 18 years) is leaking and will go away soon. It's currently chimney-vented; I'm pretty sure the chimney has a liner, but I don't know much about its size (so it's hard to tell if the current venting is effective at venting the heater's output). The furnace no longer vents to the chimney. This has all been unchanged for the past 7 years and there have been no problems, no carbon monoxide alarms aboveground, etc. The house is old and the basement windows (most windows, actually) are far from airtight, so there should be sufficient drafts for convection.

Plumber is recommending a power-vented heater instead of ventung the new one throughy the chimney too. His main argument is that as houses get tightened up and more airtight, chimney convection gets much less effective.

We're probably moving out of the house in the next 5-10 years and don't currently plan on doing an energy audit / making the house more airtight / replacing the basement windows etc in the meantime.

Plumber's quote is $800 for straight replacement with a new chimney-vented heater); $1500 for installing a power-vented one, setting up the venting, etc.

What experiences do you all have with power-vented heaters? Pros and cons? Do you think it's worth doing in this case? And is the cost differential (and the actual amount quoted) reasonable?

Thanks, hive mind!

Not just any boat, but at Shel-Ca-yak-atemer-noe

DetonatedManiac — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:11:14 -0800

WaterSportFilter: I want to buy a small versatile Kayak like watercraft. I have different (competing?) things I'd like it to do (Paddle AND Row; single and tandem riders) can I get all of this into one boat? Are there available modifications? What should I get? I got a chance to use "hybrid, open top ocean kayak / canoe" at the coast a few weeks ago. It was amazing. I want to get one but I know very little about kayaks and similar craft.

What I would like to use it for:

1)Exploring various waterways: Lakes, Coastlines, Rivers--NOT whitewater.
2)Fishing.
3)Exercise (see below)
4)Eventually it may be an extra tender when I get a larger Sailboat.

As two added twists I have these additional requirements:

First - I will often use this boat by myself, but it MUST be able to accept a second paddler/passenger,

Second - This is more wishful thinking I believe, but, while I like paddling most of the time just fine, I'd really like to have a modular retrofit or add-on or something (??) so I can use the craft as something like a recreational shell rowing setup as well. Mostly for the exercise (I hear that rowings gives a good full body workout) and because it seems more elegant. But to be clear, I don't intend to race or anything, and it is OK if the "performance" of this aspect of the boat is compromised.

I expect that last requirement forces me to buy a completely separate boat, in which case I can do without it, but if possible I'd like to get all of this in one packager (or maybe with a little custom fabrication on my part?).

Thoughts, recommendations?

Water Heater/Oil Burner Question

jimmyjimjim — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:09:25 -0800

How can I determine how much hot water my upstairs neighbors are using? I rent a house with a totally separate apartment up on the top floor. When I moved in, my landlord told me the upstairs has its own hot water, so I'd need to take care of the entire oil burner bill myself. Then my oil burner failed...and, very interestingly, they didn't have hot water upstairs! So my landlord offered to contribute $20/month toward my oil bill to compensate for the upstairs hot water use (note...they have electric heat and no washer or dryer or dishwasher upstairs).

Problem is....there's a certain sound when the neighbors use hot water. And sometimes I notice that sound continuing for hours and hours. I have no idea what's up with that, but I'm wondering if they're using a lot more than $20 worth/month.

Is there any way to measure/track their hot water use versus my own, without installing expensive/fancy equipment? I don't need it exact, I just want to know if the $20 is going anywhere near to taking care of their share of the bill. I do have access to the oil burner/water heater.

How can I get my dog to stop gulping his water?

MeghanC — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:29:39 -0800

My new dog's gulping water so quickly that he's making himself sick. How can I get him stop? Yes, I Googled, but most of the answers dealt with gulping food and didn't seem to apply.

Last week, we got a dog, a sweet little terrier mix. He was from animal control, and has clearly had a rough time of it--you can count the knobs on his spine, and he's about the skinniest dog I've ever seen. (And that's after three weeks of regular feedings at the shelter.)

Housebreaking is going well, introducing him to the cats is going well... really, everything is pretty awesome, except that he doesn't seem able to moderate his water intake. Put him in front of a bowl of water, regardless of the size, he'll gulp it all down in moments. He's made himself sick on multiple occasions, gulping the water and then immediately vomiting it back up. How can I get him to stop?

Right now, he's on a leash in the house and it's easy enough to monitor his drinking habits. We're hoping to let him off by this weekend, but we can't do that until we're sure he's not going to make himself sick all the time.

Possibly relevant:
He doesn't mind when the bowl is taken away, just goes on to the next thing.
We have multiple cats, and they use a gravity-fed waterer. Only allowing the dog water on a schedule won't work, as he has access to the cats' water and will drink that if his own is gone.
He seems quite happy and healthy in all other regards, and doesn't seem bothered when he vomits the water back up.
He's urinating regularly with no signs of strain or distress.

Basement water source mystery

miyabo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:57:27 -0800

How is water getting into my basement? I discovered a substantial amount (~20-30 gallons) of water in a puddle in my basement. I haven't been in the basement in a week, so there might have been more, and it either went down the drain or evaporated.

I figure the water may be coming from seepage through a hidden crack in the wall, from the basement drain (which is near the puddle), or from the water main.

It's been raining a lot here lately, which points to seepage. But the walls and floor don't have any visible cracks, and the walls are completely dry.

The water main is suspiciously near the puddle, and looks old and corroded (green). It's even slightly damp on the outside. But it isn't actively leaking.

The basement drain is also near the puddle. Can seemingly clean water come out of a sewer drain when it rains?

We don't have gutters, so it's not a gutter issue.

Should I call a plumber for the water main, for the drain, pile up more dirt against the outside wall, or just live with it?

Thanks! This is really bothering me.

I want to know about low-flow water wells.

zamboni — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:38:40 -0800

I want to know about low-flow water wells. We're about to move into a house which we've discovered has a low-flow well. As I understand it, this means that if used without forethought, water demand can exceed supply, and the well temporarily runs dry. Experimentation indicates that running two taps is OK, but if we run the shower and a tap at the same time, water shuts off after 15-25 minutes, and stays that way until the well catches up.

I'd like to hear advice, anecdotes, strategies and stories about living with a well, particularly the low-flow variety. Should we spring for a reservoir tank, which should completely (albeit expensively) mitigate the issue?

Bonus points if you've lived with a sulfur well. The house already has a chlorine based sulfur abatement system, but I'd still like to hear about them.

When iDiots, iMmersion and iPhones collide, the iDiot needs help.

nevercalm — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:59:17 -0800

Iphone 3GS+Water=Unhappiness. Can I reactivate my 1st gen iphone while the 3GS is sitting in a bowl of rice for the next few days? So my iphone wound up immersed in water. I immediately dried it off, popped out the SIM card, got as much water out of that slot as well as anywhere else I could find it, and then covered it in rice.

I still have my 1st gen iphone. Can I reactivate it and use it while I'm waiting to see if I'm about to be several hundred dollars poorer 5 days from now? What would the re-re-activation process be should the 3GS (fingers crossed, hopinghoping) work again?

These questions as well as any further advice/anecdotal info (experiences replacing phones with water damage, how long I should wait, etcetc) would be much appreciated!

Where did the water come from?

spacefire — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:06:29 -0800

Miystery Leak in apartment that we just purchased...where could it be coming from and how to proceed to ensure it doesn't occur again? We bought this apartment in as-is condition. It is on the ground floor of a building that used to be a bank since 1900s and was converted to condos in the 1980s. We did some renovation work and for about a week and a half since then everything appeared fine.
However, late night on Thursday I noticed water seeping from under the refrigerator. We do have a unit that came with the apt, bottom freezer style, and the freezer door has a broken hinge so sometimes it doesn't close properly. I naturally assumed the water was coming from the freezer/refrigerator, and moved the unit a bit, but the water was not coming from the refrigerator, rather, it seemed to be coming from the area without tiles shown in this picture (now dry):
where water was pooling

We have a cabinet over that area, now it is in the living room, I am afraid to put it back there.

We have a dishwasher and sink in the kitchen, but we haven't used those because of a small leak under the sink. Also, the floor appears slanted in the opposite direction, so water could not have come from the direction of the kitchen sink or dishwasher.

I kept mopping the water and eventually shut off the cold water from the water heater valve, and the flood seemed to stop.

But!

The next day I had plumbers come in and look at it, and we open all the valves and ran water in the bathroom (tub, sink, toilet) (which is adjacent to the kitchen, more on that later)...and the area stayed perfectly dry. Over the weekend, using these fixtures normally, no water appeared in the kitchen.

Now, as I said, the kitchen abuts the bathroom. The wall you saw in the picture is between the bathroom and kitchen and is empty inside. In the second picture you can see the area inside the wall where a big (drain?) pipe is coming through. The shot is taken from the bathroom and plumbers and I noticed evidence of prior water inside the wall, also what looked like recent moisture.

looking in the wall that separates the kitchen and bathroom, from behind toilet

The plumbers said to monitor that area, and that water was coming maybe from someone upstairs who had a flood or something. The said they didn't want to break into the wall yet. I asked the neighbors upstairs if they had any issues and they said nothing happened on their end, but there are six more floors above.

The water heater had been through a flood in the past as evidenced by rust on the bottom, but no recent moisture was noted, also, the water heater is on the other side of the bathroom from the kitchen.

The building management said that they cannot yet investigate unless the leak occurs again and they are called when there is actual water...which, if the leak occurs that late at night again, obviously is not an option. I sent them a report with photos of the areas, just to be on the record. Obviously it would be a lot of detective plumber work to figure out what happened and since it is not our fault someone else would have to pay for it.

I don't want the leak to occur again, because, if it does when we are not home and stays unchecked, it can do a lot of damage.

So, how should I proceed from here? If I keep on going with life and normal, we might end up with a lot of damage in the future. I can't keep a constant eye on that area and I also hate having the area bare and the cabinet in the living room. The volume of water observed is such that a simple towel placed there would not contain it.

I live in a condo and pay association fees...what can we do to ensure all the work that was put in the apartment doesn't go away. I don't think we have flood insurance but we have some form of liability insurance called HO6, I assume other owners in the building have it too and it would pay for the damages to our apt, but we have already been through one stressful period of time buying this place and getting it fixed up, and we don't have the time or energy to deal with all this.

Manhattan water delivery

mkultra — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:46:37 -0800

Can someone recommend a water delivery service in Manhattan that is not Poland Spring? I'm specifically talking about water coolers, not personal bottled water.

My landlord's a jerk, but how big of a jerk?

Beardman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:32:29 -0800

Does my landlord have to give me advance notice if he's going to shut down the building's water for a few hours? This is in Ontario. This morning at 9:00 AM, some plumbers turned off the building's water. It wasn't an emergency, it was a repair that they had been scheduled to make. They told me the landlord was going to tell us. The first we heard of it was when the plumber knocked on the door and said "We're shutting it off now."

Obviously it's rude not to inform your tenants, and the landlord knows this too--he usually lets us know. However, I want to know how much notice he is actually obligated to give us, according to the Residential Tenancies Act, in which water is considered a vital service. I asked on Yahoo Answers, and someone replied that the RTC doesn't apply. Is that true? Is my landlord really not obligated to tell me when he turns off my water supply in a non-emergency situation? I would have assumed 12 or 24 hours was required! I want to know so that I can specify how much notice I want in the future.

Do these lederhosen make my ass look awesome?

JimmyJames — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:29:19 -0800

Where in the SF Bay Area should I celebrate Oktoberfest? Last year I felt like I found out about amazing Oktoberfest parties a few days after they happened. Where should (and shouldn't) I head to celebrate the most noble of drinks? Size really doesn't matter, big or small both appeal to me. Events with Oompah bands and other fun touches score bonus points.

What are the best earplugs for swimming?

Sevenupcan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:58:28 -0800

What are the best ear plugs for swimming? As a child I always had really bad ear infections. So much that it put me off swimming for a while as I would always get water in my ears and it would really hurt! I soon discovered that wearing a swimming cap was the best solution. A fair few years have passed now and I am a little less bothered by water getting in my ears but still find it painful at times.

Now I'd like to find a really good pair of earplugs. I always used to find the wax ones let water in after a while and often get dirt on them. But then again some silicon ones felt uncomfortable because it felt like they were digging into my ear canal.

When it comes to earplugs for swimming is there one universal name or brand that springs to mind?

what's the gray residue in my water

keener_sounds — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:39:57 -0800

What's the gray residue in my water? We moved into this home (built circa 1985) 2 years ago. After bathwater has drained, you find a silty residue left in the tub. You can't see it in the water itself. Residue looks a bit like the calcium deposits one might find normally, but ranges from gray to sometimes sandy brown. Lately there is also some substance much like this clinging to dishes after the dishwasher runs too. Have been working with city water company for a whole year -- they tested the water and found nothing of concern; they put a filter into the ground to test water coming into my home and first said it was clear, then on another test they too found gray substance on the filter -- they said it "contains" iron and manganese (but if it contains anything else, they don't know.) They also said that iron and manganese do not pose a health risk. They asked me to scrape up accumulated bits of the residue after each bath so they could test it -- this took a long time as it's hard to get much up at once without it disintigrating -- and then they said it couldn't be tested because there was soap in it (duh!). I'm frustrated and don't know how concerned I should be for my family's health. How would one even know if this was coming from one's own pipes? I was looking into a private lab, but the ones the city recommended are meant for corporate testing. Does anyone know what this stuff might be? I live in central Indiana. If anyone has any insights, I'd be very grateful.

What risks does drinking LA tap water pose?

Jenna Roadman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:20:03 -0800

What risks does drinking LA tap water pose? ? Should I be using a filter? The plant says that water is potable after it is processed, but my neighbor just told me that all the dirty pipes it goes through, plus the fact that the potable water from the plant still isn't healthy means I should really get a filter.

Specifically I live in the West Hollywood area and can't seem to find any info on this.

These are my cons:

1) I'm living on Production Assistant wages at the moment and do NOT spend money unless absolutely necessary. This would cost me $34 for the unit and $34 for two filters (filters changing once every 4 months or so).

2) I HATE how slow the water comes out. I fill up my fridge with tons of flavored water bottles and this would really slow me down. Also, I hate the pitchers because you get barely any water out of such a bit unit, so I would have to get the sink unit.

Did the Brita filter spoil my homemade wine?

kturner — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:57:41 -0800

Does Brita filtered water work for making wine? My experiment got no yeast fermentation in four batches of wine using Brita filtered water and great yeast fermentation in three batches of unfiltered tap made similarly as a control. I know yeast needs trace nutrients to live and multiply. Does the Brita filter out enough of these that the fermentation will fail?
Due to the success vs. failure rate this seems like the likely reason.
Unless the filter leaves some type of inhibitor residue in the water?
I plan to add some unfiltered water and then more yeast culture.

Is it safe to drink from stainless steel?

pasici — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:54:08 -0800

Trying to be safer and heeding the advice of many, I threw out all my plastic water bottles and bought new stainless steel ones including this stainless steel cup. On the cup (but not on the bottles), there was the California Proposition 65 warning that "This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." Why? I thought the whole point of switching to stainless steel was that it was not a carcinogen. Is the manufacturer just being overly cautious? Is there some difference between the cup and the bottles? Is this something for my (worry-prone) wife to worry about?

Can Asus EEE laptop be fixed after getting water spilled on it?

micketymoc — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:00:57 -0800

Asus EEE 1000h laptop, daughter spilled water over it. Won't turn on anymore. Help! Asking for a friend. Daughter spilled water on it. Let it dry out, and it still worked. 24 hours later, it wouldn't turn on anymore. Is repair still possible, or practical?