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Sink overflows

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-13          104125


Just venting here. We had a big laundry room sink overflow and experienced a minor flood, doing some damage to the cabinets and subfloor. Why is it that vanity sinks are made with overflows but laundry, kitchen, and utility sinks do not? This seems to be the opposite of the way it should be. I think most vanity sinks are small and filled while somebody is standing in front of them, but big sinks take forever to fill. It's much more likely that someone will leave a big sink unattended while it's filling than they would a small one.



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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-01-13          104128


Look at the bright side..... at least it wasn't the toilet overflowing on the floor. Geez I hate that.

It is strange that only bathroom fixtures have built-in overflows. ....


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shortmagnum
Join Date: Nov 2003
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2005-01-13          104129


Ken,
Our laundry room sink is constantly overflowing. Not from water though, it's the dirty clothes that my wife collects in the tub while she waits for just the right amount of other clothes with just the right color so she can wash just the right load. Unfortunately this is always at just the right time for me to want to wash my greasy hands.

I see now that I should have had the plumbers put the washer's waste water drain into the utility tub so she would have to keep it cleared of any clothing. But then I suppose we would have your water overflow problem.

Well, I feel better. I hope you do too.
Dave ....


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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-01-13          104130


Sorry to hear about that Ken. I had a similar situation in the ranch house about a month ago when I turned on the well for the first time and checked for leaks. Someone left the water heater drain valve open and I missed it.........at at least until I got into the house and heard the water running. Just try to dry the area out as good as you can and see what the damage looks like after that. I would suggest using a dehumidifier and one of those oil filled space heaters to do this if this area can be closed off. The faster you get this done, the better as you will lessen the risk of mold or mildew. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2005-01-13          104131


Ken, when I replaced our laundry tub the guy at Home Depot, a retired plumber, gave me a good tip.

He told me to buy a double drain even though I was just getting a single tub. Then use a hole saw, a little more drain pipe and install a second drain fitting in the side of the tub near the top to act as an over flow. It works great.

Mark, I don't want to even guess at what causes your toilet to overflow .... LOL

Randy, when our water heater was replaced they put two pieces of hose it and ran them into a drain, one from the drain pan around the heater (in case it blows and becomes a gusher) and a second one from the pressure relief valve. It seems that it is fairly common for relief valves to let go when they get old, the spring weakens and snaps letting them run till someone notices.

Best of luck. ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-13          104136


This actually happened a few months ago, but every time I walk into the mud room it bugs the crap out of me. Time to do some repairs I guess. ....


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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-01-13          104149


We learned the hard way quite a few years ago to turn off the main water valve to the house before going on any more than an overnight vacation. We had a built in dishwasher in the farmhouse where we used to live and sometime while we were gone on a three day vacation one of the hoses to the dishwasher burst. We have no idea how long the water had been flowing but the furnace vents were acting as floor drains in the kitchen and dining room. Wow what a homecoming, but fortunately the insurance co. we were with picked up most all of the damage expense. Frank. ....


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lbrown59
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2005-01-13          104150


one of the hoses to the dishwasher burst.
===============
Never leve the hoses on the cloths washer turned on either.
....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-13          104158


Our overflow was a case of operator error. Since the sink takes (seemingly) 10 minutes to fill I walked away and got distracted by something. As a CRS impaired individual, I simply forgot about the sink for about 30 minutes. The HVAC vents did make nice floor drains. We have sensors under the dishwasher, washer/dryer and water heater that will shut the water off when leaks are detected, and the security system announces the problem and calls my cell phone. Unfortunately the sensors aren't under the sinks (which are hard-piped). ....


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jwngej
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 53 Wisconsin
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2005-01-15          104283


If any one needs their clogged drains cleared, I think Iowafun has a snake he would be glad to loan you.....permanately... ....


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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2005-01-16          104294


jwngei U-R-BAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!! ROTFLMAO.... ....


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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2005-01-16          104323


Ken
Sorry to hear your problem. I know this is after the fact but at home depot/menards etc. they sell a water/leak detector. About $7 it runs on a battery like a smoke detector. When the contacks on the bottom sense any moisture it rings a tone (about 85 decibals) to alert you. It saved my butt ONCE near my sump pump. They are kinda cute also besides making a great present for home warming gifts.
Hardwood
It is funny you mention that. You must be from the old school (or school of hrd knocks?) My father-in-law said the exact same thing to me 3 months ago. I was installing a new system when he mentioned it to me that I have no way of shutting off the water from my pressure tank with out shutting off the whole house. He then said the exact same thing you did and I NEVER thought about that till then. GREAT ADVICE I since had to re-do the plumbing job that he helped me with (I dont want to go there again, I should of done it my way the first time) I installed a new pressure tank and when I did this (using pvc LOL this time) I also installed a shut off from the pressure tank. NO LEAKS and now I have a upgraded system.
KEN
Maybe it is time to install a double tub there. Make sure only one is able to have water in and the other one could be a drywell for the little misses? ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-16          104330


My plan is to pull in some wires to the kitchen and mud room sinks and hook some more sensors into the existing alarm system, but having a couple of those battery powered alarms seems like a good idea until I can get roundtoit. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-01-17          104358


Alarms are great, if there is someone to hear them, or the battery is not dead.

They also only tell you there is a problem, they don't do anything to help with it.

For about the same amount of installation time, and about $4 in material you can just put an overflow drain opening near the top and there is no mess to clean up.

Best of luck. ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-17          104361


Our hard wired alarm also shuts the water off at the water heater and pressure tank. I'm not gonna even try to retrofit an overflow in a porcelain sink, but I might give it a shot in our big plastic utility room sinks. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-01-17          104362


I've never been a big fan of those auto-shut off features, a neighbour lost his house because of one years ago.

He had a relatively minor (at the time) kitchen fire, he grabbed a garden hose and stuck it in the kitchen window, he only had the water running for a few moments when the water sensor under the kitchen sink detected moisture and shut off the water.

As soon as the water stopped he realized what had happened and beat it out of the house to wait for the cavalry, b y the time they got there the fire was already through the roof.

To add insult to injury, when the fire dept. got there they had the electric people disconnect the service to the house to make sure nobody got electricuted. When they did that the solenoid opened and the water went back on......

Best of luck. ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-01-17          104364


For every story like that there are hundreds or thousands of homes flood damaged by burst hoses and other sorts of water leaks. Isn't flood damage the number one claim made on homeowners insurance? ....


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grassgod
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 566 ct
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2005-01-17          104370


You both have valid pionts. Seems like being extra, extra carefull might be the answer? Maybe that means do not leave a running sink under any circumstance? Just a suggestion not trying to insult anyone. In September my washing machine drain backed up from a glog. We werent home. The floor now needs to be replaced so we are in the same irritated boat Ken. ....


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