My cistern runneth over

A test of endurance

We had a technique for flushing the toilet and you could not have two consecutive flushes in the space of 10 minutes of each flush, one had become accustomed to that. When going away, I completely shut off the water mains because the cistern did overflow even after it was obvious that no water was being fed into the cistern. All it took was about 3 days for the floor to flood.

Whatever adjustments I tried to make to the ballcock valve mechanism only seemed a temporary fix and it never got better. This weekend, it came to a head, as the cistern was leaking within an hour of the last flush. Then when at home, you don’t want to close off the water mains as it is needed for the kitchen, the dishwasher and the washing machine, amongst other things, it had become inconvenient.

Calling the toilet doctor

We have a website to log issues with the letting agent that arranges for a workman to visit and fix things. My call went out just after midnight in the transition from Sunday to Monday and by 10:00 AM I had a response that I will be contacted by a service engineer. The report was detailed with photographs along with the suggestion to have the ballcock valve mechanism changed and a stopcock or isolating valve on the pipe feeding the cistern.

When the engineer/plumber arrived, he had made assumptions, a jiggle here and there, he concluded everything was fine and I was not convinced. Within 30 minutes of his departure, the floor was wet and the bathroom rug was soaking wet. He was not available on the phone so I updated my incident report with new photographs of the high-water mark in the cistern extended by about 15 millimetres.

Back on a goose chase

At least, one thing I learnt when he was here was that there was already an isolating valve on the pipe feeding the cistern that could be operated with a flat screwdriver. I flushed the toilet; had it fill up and activated the isolating valve in anticipation of his next visit. That did not happen until I called the letting agent this morning the plumber offered to arrive in 30 minutes with a new fitting.

The fitting after about 45 minutes did not fit, so, he put the old contraption back together and indicated he needed to get another suitable part. He was away for about an hour before returning with a new part and I left him to his devices to do what needed doing. Some 30 minutes later, he called out to say he was done whilst I was on a conference call.

Just try to listen first

Like I suggested at the onset the ballcock valve mechanism was fully replaced and I now know of the isolating valve. Whilst I am no plumber, he could have had a look at what I reported and be prepared for all eventualities rather than end up visiting thrice for over 2 hours of work.

To think the ballcock mechanism was replaced just 4 years ago, you do wonder about the durability of the water cistern system or the quality of the workmanship that fix it that last time. The fixtures seemed to be on worn or misaligned screw threads. I withhold comment on the quality and just look forward to the peace of an easy toilet flush without any expert holds whilst being barred from doing the simple things.

The second photograph with symptoms - the isolating valve is just above the indicator for a stopcock.

After the first visit, the high water mark in the cistern was exceeded by 15 mm.

Thought Picnic: The flashes of creativity that die

Drawing from wells of nourishment

Creativity is like a flash of light, it might be a well sunk deep somewhere where the water your draw from it only comes in buckets that you sling down easily but draw up with much exertion and perspiration. At least I know that is it is not a running supply that delivers water to your sink as you turn the faucet on demand.

Yet, once you start to create, there is a zone of flow that appears to suggest you are connected to an inexhaustible pool of resources of deployment and expression, and that you must always be thankful for.

It died completely

Just under three weeks ago, I was writing a piece that was an appeal to the goodness and professionalism of someone else on behalf of my sister. I had completed the write-up and was just proofreading it when my computer died on me. I mean, died completely.

Now, for a while, I never thought of using a tablet device my main computing device, I had preferred lightweight laptops until at the end of November 2016, I went on holiday trialling a Galaxy Tab Pro S tablet device running Microsoft Windows 10.

As an entry-level low specification device with just 4GB of RAM and a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD), I did not expect much from it that I had my laptop as a backup device, but I grew to love the tablet that it eventually became my main computing device as I eventually left the laptop untouched for months.

The voice that spoke in vain

On my last trip to Edinburgh, I had a deep premonition that I ignored, it suggested I take my laptop with me, but that required rebuilding the laptop and working on a few other things; that little voice does matter.

I had not saved the piece I wrote when my Samsung tablet died and could not be revived again. Taking it to the Samsung shop in Edinburgh, I was told it had to go for service and repairs, an arrangement I could complete in the shop and then have the courier come over to my Edinburgh office to pick it up.

For days, I monitored the service records that indicated the device was being repaired, then they were waiting for parts for another week.

The stand-in did not stand out  

Meanwhile, on the matter of creativity, it all seemed to dry up, the replacement, Samsung Tab A (2016, 7.0, Wi-Fi) was the least expensive stop-gap device I acquired in the Samsung shop because I needed to retain online communications. It fell short on one of the critical elements of transcribing the blogs that I usually write and format in Microsoft Word before pasting in the Google Blogger editor, but now on an Android device. The formatting did not keep and that was just not acceptable to me.

Recalling what I had written before I lost it was not easy. Whilst I could remember the context and the ideas, the first run that looked like it nailed all the points I wanted to express was not going to be like my second attempt, which I eventually published using my computer at work.

I pined and pained

The loss of my primary device, however, left me bereft of inspiration and without the ease of communication I was already accustomed to, I became a recluse of the mind, all dried up with a famine of ideas even if there was much to write about and there was.

On my last day at work in Edinburgh, there was much to close out, documentation, demonstrations and discussions, even that suffered from my inability to produce and excel. It bothered me so much that I had to step away from my desk a few times, in the hope that the changes in environment and engagement in other activity might trigger something.

The surprise that arrived

I arrived early and I was the last to leave because of this and then just after 2:00 PM, a phone call from the mail room informed me that I had a parcel waiting for collection. My Samsung device had returned even though I put on notice that I be informed before it was sent back, just in case I had left Edinburgh by then.

The motherboard and power port was changed per the information in the parcel, I cannot explain why the motherboard would just die like that, but I am pleased that the device was under warranty for the repairs not to cost anything, or at least the cost to me seemed invisible, apart from having to acquire a temporary device and then being unable to blog with a sense of flow.

To create again

I still struggle to get back into the rhythm of blogging and I know I would get back there because of all creative endeavours, that is the one I seem to be getting good at after 13 years of doing it.

Creativity is like a flash of light, if your eyes are closed you might not see it, if they are open and you are looking directly into the source of light, it might be blinding, else, it momentarily illuminates your surroundings and in that instance, if you can see, observe and perceive, you get a good idea of where you are and where to go from there.

The plumber calls

Boiler leaks

The opening of a closet in my apartment revealed a mess I could do without, somewhere around my immersion heater boiler water had leaked onto the base soiling too many things and creating quite a stink.

Unaware of where exactly the leak was coming from the first thought was to electrically isolate the boiler to forestall the possibility of electrocution.

Having done that, I took out a few cardboard boxes and some other material that all had to go to the recycle bin and then I got a few towels to soak up the water. I literally got two buckets of water from the spillage and contemplated what next to do.

I found a cold water tap leading into the boiler and turned it off not knowing it was the water feed to the whole apartment. I only learnt this when I called the concierge realising there was no water supply to the cold water taps as I drained the boiler of hot water.

Why this?

He then explained how the water system works, the cold water inlet feeds into the boiler where the colder water settles at the bottom and the heated water rises to the top, I could still not say for sure how it all worked.

Somehow the overflow system had been messed up and that was why there was a leak and I was advised to inform the agents of the landlord of the problem which should be solved as soon as possible.

So, I sent an email to the agency and within an hour I received a response that the plumber will be available in the afternoon. It was going to be a lady.

And fixed

When the plumber finally arrived, it was a man and his apprentice sidekick, the lady stayed in the van. Though this did not stop me for quipping about the gender confusion making the news lately, to which is smirked and laughed.

He checked the boiler and found that the ballcock, and that is a real plumbing engineering part was not working closing off the water when the boiler filled up. Besides, this he noticed that the inlet pipe should have been placed higher than overflow pipe, but they were placed at the same level, hence the leak.

The ballcock was replaced and the problem solved, I wrung the towels dry and then set up a fan to dry up the cupboard overnight.

This was all done in the space of 3 hours and I was happy.

Thought Picnic: To see a bicycle with unequal wheels

Bolts amiss with much damage

I returned to Amsterdam this afternoon to pick up my bicycle. It needed a basic repair job of attaching the back carriage to the body of the bicycle with two nuts and bolts.

I had planned to ride down to the repair shop where I bought it a few years ago with the intention of even doing the repairs myself if they had no time to see to it immediately.

As a walked up to the apartment block where I once lived, I was somewhat emotionless about it, it had become part of my past and it was necessary to be detached and move on swiftly.

When I saw the bicycle, some vandal had bent the back carriage out of shape such that the lower part near the hub of the wheel having lost a nut jutted into the spokes of the wheel – why anyone will find pleasure in doing that escapes me.

A quick work of it

Precarious as it was, I was able to do a temporary fix to ride the bicycle to the repair shop. The man recognised that I bought the bicycle from years before and I later reminded him that the second-hand bike I had before that once belonged to his mother who was quite a careful owner.

For years, I had used second-hand bikes that seemed to be what most people have though more are now getting new bicycles.

I was able to persuade them to do the job today and I was told to return in 30 minutes as I tacked on a few more adjustments like a new front lamp, air in the types, removing the annoying dynamo and just a basic service if time allows it.

Within 25 minutes they called to say it was ready, they had done everything and even sorted out the faulty switch on the rear lighting, the bicycle felt as good as mended as we had a light banter about other things.

Penny-farthing, plenty to point out

The repairman then said there was one bicycle he would really like to see me ride since I looked dressed for it – hat and all, except for the fact that I should have worn a bow-tie and not a day cravat.

As he showed me the bicycle, I realised I had only ever seen a penny-farthing in books and never in real life – that was really funny, if only I had the presence of mind to take a picture of it then.

Besides, I had to sure I could take my bicycle on the trains – apparently, we are not allowed to carry big bicycles on board during the rush hour and on my way into Amsterdam, I found that the trains had spaces allocated for bicycles with priority sticks to boot – so I made allowances for other to walk round my bicycle to use the fold-up seats but I did not have to be inconvenienced as to why my bicycle was on that coach.

I always have many times had the unique opportunity to point to signs on the train in terms of priority, noise, seating and much else – when I lost my way, my phone came to the rescue, I keyed in my destination and got vocal directions to help me get home.

Lift me down

Another email needing some airing

We get all sorts of emails in the office and many just make you want to throw your system out of the window in rage or disgust when you get copied in on stupid power-plays which do everything to increase your stress levels and force you to take sick leave.

Now, the text below came in an email we received from our Facilities Management Department this morning, something to do with our lifts.

The Notice - Elevators

As you all have noticed, the elevators in the main office are regularly 'under repair'.

Partly this is due to intensified heavy-duty use because of the Great Place renovation project: heavy loads are transported via the elevators which has its impact on the machinery.

Another reason of frequent defects is the irregular handling of the elevator doors in order to keep them open. Elevator doors close and open automatically. The doors can also be kept open manually by pushing the <<>> button inside the elevator, or by breaking the infrared door-beam. An automatic door should never be kept open by manual force: doors should not be forcedly kept open, they should not be touched at all.

Finally the increased frequency of the repair of the elevators in the Atrium is related to excessive use (they are even used for one floor up or down), old age and wear & tear. These elevators are operational since 1987 when the building was opened, and without drastic measures we can no longer guarantee a smooth and flawless running for a long period.

For all these reasons it has been decided to completely replace the elevator engines. We are about to start the tender process to select new engines which we hope to have installed in the second half of this year.

Sorry for the inconvenience - although not using the elevators has various environmental, physical and economical benefits.

So this means

The lifts would be out of order for a while whilst they arrange for someone to try and fix it, meanwhile, we can reduce our carbon footprint but using the spiral staircase that has those going up using the thinner part of the steps.

We should however feel good because this means we are becoming green-conscious, and for those of us who use canes, we have just been whipped for trying to make our lives easier.

Meanwhile, here I am pushing the hail button and it looks like I am standing for England.