Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Burst Pipe: Neighbor’s House is Fountaining Water
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December 15, 2008 at 10:17 pm #589024
JamesonMemberI just got back from walking the dog and noticed that a house about halfway down the block seems to have a burst pipe. At the end of their driveway it looks a pipe leading into the house is spewing water. I tried knocking on the door, but no one answered. The amount of water being leaked I’d say is the equivalent to leaving your hose turned up high, so not going to cause any flash floods, but still, a big waste and not something I’d want to see on my bill.
If they’re not home, who handles this? Seattle Public Utilities?
December 15, 2008 at 10:19 pm #650264
PDieterParticipantOpen their meter box and shut it off.
December 15, 2008 at 10:21 pm #650265
shed22ParticipantI could be wrong, but I believe that if it is a pipe on the owner’s property, the owner is responsible. Maybe post cross streets so if the owner is a blog reader, they can be alerted.
*quietly to self: please don’t be 49th and dawson, please don’t be 49th and dawson, please don’t be 49th and dawson*
December 15, 2008 at 10:29 pm #650266
JamesonMemberNot 49th and Dawson. :)
I thought about trying to shut off the water myself, but decided it’s definitely not within my legal rights to do that (no mater how much I want to help).
You think Seattle Utilities is the right call?
December 15, 2008 at 10:31 pm #650267
shed22Participantsafe! calling the utilities couldn’t hurt. they should have legal right to access the meter.
December 15, 2008 at 10:39 pm #650268
rockergirlMemberWhat area is this happening in? Hope it’s not at my house! You going to turn it off would I am sure be appreciated by the neighbor.
December 15, 2008 at 10:49 pm #650269
SueParticipantI would call City Light, and they’ll tell you if they are the right people or not.
It’s a safety hazard because all that water is going to freeze tonight and make a skating rink on somebody’s property, not to mention that if there’s enough water flowing, it could drop water pressure to the point where it would be hard to respond to a fire in the area, if needed.
December 15, 2008 at 10:55 pm #650270
JamesonMemberJust called Seattle Public Utilities and they said they’d send a crew out to take a look.
Thanks all!
December 15, 2008 at 11:19 pm #650271
SueParticipantI meant to say Public Utilities – not City Light. Duh. But you’ve got it taken care of, so it’s a moot point. :)
December 16, 2008 at 1:19 am #650272
BonnieParticipantI hope they took care of it, if not please post the address so we can all go ice skating tomorrow!
December 16, 2008 at 3:34 am #650273
cjboffoliParticipantFountaining is my new favorite verb. As in “I’ve been cooking a pound of bacon a day for the past week and my freezer is now fountaining with bacon grease.”
December 16, 2008 at 3:55 am #650274
IrukandjiParticipantThere once was a great pipe a’fountaining,
that lead to a neighborhood mountaining,
’till utilities shut off
and the neighbors said ‘Boff!’
I’m left her with ice skates just poutening.
December 16, 2008 at 4:14 am #650275
cjboffoliParticipantIrukandji: Nicely done.
I see your poem and raise you a haiku:
Fountaining water
Unwelcome daytime geyser
Skating rink by dark
December 16, 2008 at 4:22 am #650276
IrukandjiParticipantAnd therein lies the difference between us, sjb. You opt for a much higher art than I.
December 16, 2008 at 8:03 am #650277
waterworldParticipantJameson: I’m sorry you didn’t feel it was within your rights to turn off the water at the meter, although clearly calling SPU was the next best thing. A while back, we were having a sprinkler system installed in our yard. The crew installed some heads improperly, and late that afternoon, we had twin geysers at the top of a short flight of stairs leading from the sidewalk to our front yard. Of course, we were oblivious to the event. A kind neighbor saw what was happening and turned off the supply at the meter. By then, we had a mudflow and our steps were severely damaged, but at least it didn’t get any worse. We are eternally grateful to the neighbor who came to our rescue that day!
December 16, 2008 at 8:27 am #650278
miwsParticipantI would guess that this has been handled by now, in some manner, but I agree with those that said to shut it off at the meter.
Back during the snow/deep freeze of Dec ’90, a similar thing happened a couple doors down from where I lived in at the time.
The neighbor was gone on a long Christmas vacation, and the hose bibb (faucet) on the back of his house broke and was spewing water.(For however long it had been going at the time, it actually created kind of a cool ice sculpture!).
I went ahead and shut it off at the meter, and hoped he would appreciate it, rather than being upset,(didn’t really know the guy at the time). I not only was concerned about the waste of water, and how it might affect his bill, but thought of the possibility that a pipe in the house may burst as well.
Turns out, he was quite appreciative. :-)
Mike
December 16, 2008 at 11:23 am #650279
littlebrowndogParticipantOK, just in case—the meter is that thing out on the parking strip? My husband said he thought you need a special tool for that. I haven’t opened the lid to confirm that, but thought you guys would be able to say.
By the way, Shed22, I am also at 49th and Dawson. Should we make a pact for mutual rescue? You’d think I would have met you over the years (and maybe you are one of the few neighbors I am on nodding terms with) but we have a pretty solid tall fence to minimize our dogs’ noisy fence running, so for a few years now I have been less likely to see neighbors while doing yard work.
December 16, 2008 at 5:39 pm #650280
squareeyesParticipantRe turning off the water at the meter, you just need any sort of narrow implement to pull off the lid – I use a screwdriver. The shut-off is just like the hose bibb handle.
I got first-hand experience a couple of years ago when I was pulling out the hose and the bibb fell off the house (was rusted through). Talk about a geyser! It was the day after Thanksgiving and thankfully (ha ha) the plumber considered that a regular workday so regular rates.
December 17, 2008 at 3:54 am #650281
miwsParticipantMy experience with water meters, is that there’s basically two types of shut-offs. Perhaps what squareyes is referring to is a newer meter/upgrade?
Anyway, the two types I’ve seen are cone shaped and a raised, flat sided shut-off which pretty much looks like a knob.
From my experience as a cashier in a hardware store there are different “meter keys” which work with either type or both. I believe the “Seattle Type” is the universal one that works with both of the styles I described. The meter keys are long handled, to give plenty of leverage when turning the meter on or off, and the user can stand up while using it, though they may have to bend over a bit.
In the neighborhood I referred to in my previous post, we had the knob type, so I was able to get a crescent (adjustable) wrench on it horizontally, and then use the BIG screwdiver, with which I also removed the meter box lid, to shut it off. Of course I had to kneel on the ground to do so.
I actually shut the water off at the meter at my house a few times while doing minor plumbing jobs. It was much easier than scaling the wall in my half basement to the upper part, then scooching on my stomach to reach the main under the house. Especially in the later years I lived there, and my stomach had mysteriously grown! :-)
Mike
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