Sometimes things are not what they seem. A problem or issue can be caused by something unrelated or overlooked, causing frustration and unnecessary expense. It can be a difficult process to resolve some of these issues, especially when others have already attempted to do so. On occasion it turns out to be something simple and is resolved quickly. This makes for a very happy customer.
This was one of those times...
*****
The woman on the phone was a little difficult to understand. Her accent, possibly Russian or Ukrainian, made it hard to understand some of her comments as we discussed the issue with a recurring water leak. We agreed it was best if I visited her house and could see what she was referring to. We arranged a meeting on Saturday morning.
I arrived at the house, a beautiful two-story with a walk-out basement situated on a man-made lake, and parked in front of the three-car garage. I waited a few minutes after ringing the doorbell and was finally greeted by a short, petite brunette with a serious expression.
"Hi, I'm J. We spoke on the phone about a water leak?"
"Oh, hello," she replied with a smile. "I am Anya. Please, come inside."
I stepped into a grand entry leading to a very large open concept interior, immaculately clean and very well decorated.
"This is a beautiful house you have," I commented.
"Yes, thank you," she smiled. "You come, I show you."
I removed my shoes and followed her down the stairs to the lower level, admiring the pool visible outside as well as the pool table, bar and theatre-style television area as we passed by to the laundry room. She gestured to the washing machine and frowned.
"Always water on floor, right here," she said as she bent down and pointed at the bottom of the machine.
"When you do laundry?" I asked.
"No, other times, too," she sighed. "My husband, he try to fix, then service man came and changed hoses, and other parts, then came back and changed... pump?"
"Okay," I nodded in understanding.
"Still water. Always a little water I clean," she said in frustration. "I cannot clean all the time, too much already!"
Her hands flailed around as she began to tell me about keeping the house clean and neat while her husband went to work and then golfing. She uttered a few phrases I didn’t understand as she became increasingly agitated.
"He go golf now!" she complained loudly. "He know you come today, he go golf! Tell me to look after it."
I smiled and nodded, waiting until she stopped venting, caught her breath and calmed down.
"Can I take a quick look?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, I just get upset," she said as she put her hand on my arm. "Please, take a look."
Her eyes softened as the apologetic smile crossed her face. Her hand lingered on my arm for a moment until I moved towards the machine and poked my head around the back. Everything looked new, clean and dry. I moved the dryer aside to access the back of the unit and noticed a small damp stain at the base of the wall behind the dryer. The wall was not damp, just a small patch of floor at the baseboard.
"Can I look around down here?" I asked.
"Yes, you look where you want," she nodded.
She followed me as I left the laundry room and went around to the other side of the wall. I kneeled down and touched the carpet against the wall and found another damp patch where the dryer would be. Again the wall itself was dry to the touch and had no signs of water staining. I looked up.
"What's above us?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" she questioned as she looked up as well.
"Upstairs, over the laundry room?" I pointed.
"Oh! The kitchen," she said as she tapped herself on the forehead. "Over here is kitchen."
"Let's go see your kitchen," I suggested as I stood up.
Her head was almost level with my chin as I stood beside her and she looked up at me.
"You are tall!" she laughed. "I did not see before."
"Yes, taller than you," I replied with a grin.
She giggled and gestured for me to follow her, leading me back to the stairs and up to the kitchen. She was indeed short, and also slender and shapely. I enjoyed the view as I followed her to the kitchen.
"Here is kitchen," she said as she gestured around the room and smiled. "Is pretty, no?"
Rows of cabinets and granite countertops gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the large windows. The appliances were very high-end and likely cost more than my truck.
"Yes, it is pretty," I agreed. "Almost as pretty as you."
"Thank you," she blushed, brushing her hair back as she gave me a big smile.
I looked around and found where I thought the dryer would be located under us and pointed to the dishwasher.
"Do you use this every day?"
"No, just sometimes," she shrugged.
"Can I look at it?" I asked.
She nodded and watched as I kneeled down and removed the lower access panel under the door. I lay on the floor and looked underneath, seeing no wet spots under the pump area. I rolled onto my side and looked up at her from the floor.
"Can I move this?" I asked. "I want to look behind."
"Yes, yes," she agreed. "You can look."
I stood up and winked. "I will be right back."
She smiled and waited while I went to my truck and grabbed a flashlight and my tool pouch. When I returned she was leaning with her back against the counter and her hands behind her on the edge of the countertop. Her small breasts were thrust forward and straining against the white t-shirt, two perky little mounds in the right proportion for her slender hips. I admired her for a moment, smiled and regained my train of thought as she smiled coyly at me.
"I will watch, okay?" she asked innocently.
"Sure," I said with a nod.
I undid the bracket that secures the dishwasher to the counter and gently slid it forward, making sure not to mark the floor as I moved it ahead. I reached under, undid the water line connection and pulled the unit out. A quick inspection of the drain hose revealed the issue - a small crack in the flexible hose was allowing water to run down the hole in the floor where the water supply line came up.
