My hands are still recuperating from my battles with the plumbing snake. I haven’t been able to play the guitar or bass without experiencing discomfort in my fingers, that being said, yesterday I decided to tackle another plumbing job.
I wanted to make a modification to the water line that runs to my cabin. The plan was to install a shut off valve just in case of an emergency. It’s always nice to have a shut off valve. I’m not a plumber but I know enough to turn off the main water line before removing pipes, and in this instance I needed to remove a small section of pipe to attach the shut off valve.
I located the water main, and tried twice to shut it off, but I couldn’t get a good grip on it and wasn’t able to turn it. I spent half the day trying to figure out a way to get my hands in a position to shut it off. I finally I said “phuck it!”
The new plan was to remove the pipe that needed to be removed and to quickly cap the flowing water with the shut off valve that I wanted to install. It wasn’t the best way to do it, but I figured what the heck a little water wasn’t going to kill me. It would just take a second the water would rush out and I’d stick the valve on and that would be that.
The plan was working beautifully. I got the pipe to turn and it was coming off. I had the shut off valve at my side. Water started to spill out of the pipe. I predicted that much. When I removed the pipe completely the water gushed out faster and at more volume than I anticipated. No big deal. I reached for the valve and placed it on the threaded pipe, all I had to do was screw the valve on and the job would be complete. Easy.
I placed the valve on the pipe and started to turn. The water was spraying about pretty good. It was spraying onto my cloths and in my face. I screwed the valve on but it didn’t fit right. The more I wiggled it the more water sprayed into my face. My clothes were drenched. The water was spraying everywhere. I started to panic. The only way to turn this thing off was to cap it, but it wasn’t cooperating with me. I fiddled with the valve and tried more than one way to get it on there. Plan B! Reattach existing pipe. I was working quickly. There was water gushing everywhere. My shoes were soaked. The dirt was turning to mud. The water was racing down hill. The situation was uncontrollable. I needed to cap it, and fast. I had my own version of the Deep Water Horizon on my hands. Plan B didn’t work. Abort! Plan C! There was an idle faucet nearby. The faucet was part of another plan altogether, but I needed it. I rushed toward the faucet. My foot hit a slippery patch in the mud. I fell to the ground. Now I was covered in mud. I gathered myself. I found the faucet. I stumbled back to the pipe. Water everywhere. I put the faucet onto the pipe. Water was spraying in my face. I fought through it. I got the faucet to wrap around the pipe. I screwed it on as fast as I could. It shut off. The situation was secure.
I stood there for a moment in quiet contemplation. I was water soaked, but not defeated.
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