Trying to keep my head above water

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

I’ve been inundated with water problems.

Back in March Irish Water informed me that I was consuming approximately 1,700 litres of water per day. There was a leak in an old lead pipe in my front garden. I availed of their First Fix scheme. Shortly afterwards I encountered more water problems. It took me days to repair a toilet cistern that was leaking.

To cap it all, last week, water started pouring down through the ceiling in my living-room. I knew that the thermostat on the immersion heater in my hot water cylinder was faulty.

I went upstairs to be greeted by a burning smell and a weird sound. I immediately switched off the immersion heater and turned on the hot water tap and out poured boiling water. I knew I was in trouble.

I left the hot water tap on, ran down stairs to be greeted with water pouring down through the ceiling in my living-room. I’s not a pleasant sight or, indeed, site, and for a few seconds I felt completely helpless. It’s interesting how we react when things go wrong.

The first thing to do is to get a large container to catch the falling water. I’m agitated and excited. I have learned over the years that panic never helps because it’s well-nigh impossible to do anything when panic sets in.

I’m reminded of a TV insurance ad where there is a water leak, people freak out and go looking for masking-tape and saying and doing many silly things.

I turn off the main supply of water coming in to the house. Water keeps pouring relentlessly through my ceiling. Eventually I manage to turn off the supply of water to the hot water cylinder. I stand in the living-room looking up at the ceiling, watching the water. 

Ever so slowly I notice the flow of water is easing, it’s down to a trickle, then to single slow drops. An hour later it’s stopped. The relief experienced at that moment is indescribable. It could have been so much worse. Imagine if the leak had happened over a bed or had my laptop been on a table under the leak. And worst of all, had I not been in the house when it happened.

The cause of the damage was a faulty thermostat on the immersion heater. I’m neither an electrician nor a plumber but I’m wondering why the faulty thermostat did not trip a switch on the Miniature Circuit Breaker in the kitchen?

I’ve learned many lessons from the episode. Householders should know where every valve on every pipe is in their home. And they should make themselves familiar with all their functions.

Any hot water cylinder older than 30 years needs to be checked. And certainly don’t do what I did. I knew there was something wrong but kept postponing repairing or replacing it.

On the scale of things my water leak was nothing. 

What must it be like for people who experience serious flooding in their homes and towns?

And finally, there was the issue with my own waterworks, which landed me in hospital recently. 

But you don’t need to know about it. And I’m certainly not telling you.