[hils]

Yay (I think) for those who are interested.... after 5 weeks of frozen pipes, I now have water flowing to some of the taps.

The downside, of course, that, once thawed, the ingress of pressurised mains water turned my cellar into something closely resembling a carwash & I'm still discovering what other consequences are going to be part of my insurance claim (so far, a cracked loo and two sets of - expensive - taps, never mind the flooring, tiling and woodworking around those particular installations).

The upside, potentially, is that I now leave the bathwater (bath once a week, shower the rest) to scoop out by bucket to flush the loos & wash the floors, so - MAYBE - my water bill will be marginally reduced. Not sure how long this eco-conscience will last but ....

H

 

[rynd2it]

Yay (I think) for those who are interested.... after 5 weeks of frozen pipes, I now have water flowing to some of the taps.

The downside, of course, that, once thawed, the ingress of pressurised mains water turned my cellar into something closely resembling a carwash & I'm still discovering what other consequences are going to be part of my insurance claim (so far, a cracked loo and two sets of - expensive - taps, never mind the flooring, tiling and woodworking around those particular installations).

The upside, potentially, is that I now leave the bathwater (bath once a week, shower the rest) to scoop out by bucket to flush the loos & wash the floors, so - MAYBE - my water bill will be marginally reduced. Not sure how long this eco-conscience will last but ....

H

Wow Hils, I know I could not have coped with that, I'd have moved out long ago. You have my admiration.

Cheers

 

[Bevdeforges]

Does this qualify for a round of the old favorite, "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!"

Can't imagine how you have been coping all this time. Sure hope the repairs can be made in short order. (Ah, but this IS still France - well, we can hope, can't we?)

And at least spring seems to be nearly upon us now.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[hils]

Thanks David & Bev

Moving out wasn't an option - had to be here to see when & what would happen when pipes did thaw. Hardship I got used to fairly quickly - melted buckets of snow & then drew buckets of water from the millrace for most uses - bottled water for teeth & coffee. Am BRITISH, after all

You're absolutely right Bev about the "water, water ...." but have got water to kitchen, one of the bathrooms & the washing machine now. Repairs ????? yeah well - as you say .... this IS France, and as for the insurance paperwork & their sneaky snivelly way of not paying out anything - we'll see.

Galling is that insurance won't pay to replace the fridge/freezer in Corsica that suddenly had a rat in residence, and won't pay daughter's ongoing medical needs following her snowboard accident in Switzerland, but they're quick enough to quote for new policies to cover what they say isn't currently covered - ha ha ha. I don't think so .... Anyway, that's a different issue - not like I'm doing anything else with my time, is it?

Apparently, just for info., a lot of second-home owners have been called back to check on their properties here following severe evidence of leaks/flooding ('nuther complication to getting anyone in to fix things in a timely manner!) Ah well ..... the joys of living in la France Profonde.

H