One of our downpipes has been blocked and subsequently overflowing and causing damp on the wall. I took it apart yesterday and there was a big stone in it causing the blockage, which I was able to get out. All unblocked now, all good. BUT, how the fuck did a big stone get in there in the first place? I know this is going to annoy me for a long time and it’s sullying the warm sense of achievement I got from fixing it in all honesty.

Nico Adie wrote: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:26 pm One of our downpipes has been blocked and subsequently overflowing and causing damp on the wall. I took it apart yesterday and there was a big stone in it causing the blockage, which I was able to get out. All unblocked now, all good. BUT, how the fuck did a big stone get in there in the first place? I know this is going to annoy me for a long time and it’s sullying the warm sense of achievement I got from fixing it in all honesty.

Some chooch threw it on your roof and over time the water washed it into the pipe.

Nico Adie wrote: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:26 pm One of our downpipes has been blocked and subsequently overflowing and causing damp on the wall. I took it apart yesterday and there was a big stone in it causing the blockage, which I was able to get out. All unblocked now, all good. BUT, how the fuck did a big stone get in there in the first place? I know this is going to annoy me for a long time and it’s sullying the warm sense of achievement I got from fixing it in all honesty.

You haven't gotten on the wrong side of a crow lately (or ever), have you? They don't forget....

Anyone switched from a gas tank water heater to an electric tankless water heater? We have a fairly small home (1400 sq/ft), two adults and a toddler, run the dishwasher most days and laundry a couple times a week. Would love to reduce some of the natural gas usage in our house, and I kind of want to get this done sooner than later if shit gets more expensive because of tariffs and not wait for our nearly 15 year water heater to suddenly shit the bed.

tallchris wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 3:00 pm Anyone switched from a gas tank water heater to an electric tankless water heater? We have a fairly small home (1400 sq/ft), two adults and a toddler, run the dishwasher most days and laundry a couple times a week. Would love to reduce some of the natural gas usage in our house, and I kind of want to get this done sooner than later if shit gets more expensive because of tariffs and not wait for our nearly 15 year water heater to suddenly shit the bed.

We installed one at our old house, it seemed pretty damn useful and it only took up a fraction of the space.

If I recall correctly, if we wanted hot water it might take a moment (because there's no hot water just waiting for you in a giant tank) but once you got it you never run out until you turn it off. I've seen folks online complain about being unable to do more than one thing at a time if they both require hot water, but I don't remember experiencing anything like that, so I'm not sure if that's just marketing crap to scare people away from tankless.

Since your current water heater is that old.. sooner rather than later seems like a good idea.

Tankless is probly gone need I dedicated circuit run to the breaker box…I have no 1st hand experience but would think they use non-trivial amounts of electrical energy

Nico Adie wrote: Sat Jul 06, 2024 4:26 pm One of our downpipes has been blocked and subsequently overflowing and causing damp on the wall. I took it apart yesterday and there was a big stone in it causing the blockage, which I was able to get out. All unblocked now, all good. BUT, how the fuck did a big stone get in there in the first place? I know this is going to annoy me for a long time and it’s sullying the warm sense of achievement I got from fixing it in all honesty.

How well do you know your neighbour?

Check this story out. Our good friends bought a house and we discovered some horrors immediately after closing. My wife and I were interviewed for this article.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchd ... t-poop-pee

cakes wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 9:18 am Check this story out. Our good friends bought a house and we discovered some horrors immediately after closing. My wife and I were interviewed for this article.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchd ... t-poop-pee

Whoa! What a horrible thing to discover! Best of luck to your friends, who I would think have a pretty good case.

Oddly, we heard a similar horror story from someone who works at the salon where we get our hair cut. They made an offer on a house after a contingent inspection. The inspection came out pretty clean, but the inspector wasn’t able to access the attic. He was only able to get into it several days after his initial inspection—and after the couple had paid the earnest money. When he entered the attic, it was a horror show of raccoon shit. They demanded their earnest money back, though the owner tried to force them into completing the contract. (Didn’t work—they got their money.)

On a brighter note, we close on our new place on Wednesday. It’s a pretty large loft with brick walls and timber ceilings and will without a doubt be the coolest fuckin’ place my wife and I have ever lived. (Happy to report that the inspection was just about perfect. Also: no attic.)

cakes wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 9:18 am Check this story out. Our good friends bought a house and we discovered some horrors immediately after closing. My wife and I were interviewed for this article.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchd ... t-poop-pee

Ohhh man, that's awful.

I've sold two homes in my lifetime (that were my primary residence) and wondered after the fact about how much I could screw myself over by declaring whether I was or was not aware of any material defects in the house. The last house I sold was 115 years old - of course there were things wrong with it when we sold it! But I wasn't failing to declare a mountain of cat piss and shit.

I don't have first-hand experience dealing with Grandview, but some family and friends do. Companies like that make all their money by making shitty things look and smell pretty. Sometimes they actually fix the shitty things. Sometimes, when it's too expensive to fix them, they hide them. I hope they are held accountable here. Best of luck to your friends.

Wood Goblin wrote: Fri Apr 25, 2025 9:46 am On a brighter note, we close on our new place on Wednesday. It’s a pretty large loft with brick walls and timber ceilings and will without a doubt be the coolest fuckin’ place my wife and I have ever lived. (Happy to report that the inspection was just about perfect. Also: no attic.)

Congrats!!