WalkGood
10-30-2008, 12:36 AM
Last blowout of the day was a doozy. 8-zoner fairly new install, 2 VB's. I've never been there before. I cannot find the back VB nor blowout port. Lady of the house says it's under the deck - I take a second look.... there's more room under a Toyota Corolla with saggy suspension. Sorry no camera for pics. They just had the deck installed at end of Summer.
She says the water shutoff is in the basement by the controller. Homeowner shows me the clock and the valve next to it. Meet the family dog and cat, dog wants to play. Shutoff the water.
No hatch in the deck for access. I belly crawl under there, on elbows like I'm escaping from Stalag 13. Squeezing between the deck post and the central air unit. I just barely fit - I'm 6 foot and 210 not fat. BTW, it rained BIG time yesterday and again hard for 30 minutes just prior to my arrival. Go to hook up the hose and I need the 3/4" fitting not the 1/2" thread. Crawl out again. Re-configure and crawl back. Then out again to turn on the compressor.
Now I figure, I'm not crawling under there again except to disconnect, so I'm gonna use the controller to open each valve. Just at that point, homeowner says she has to leave and pick up her kid at school. "BYE"!
I don't like when the customer is not home and I have to go inside, but she leaves me no choice.
OK, I turn on compressor and go into the house. As soon as I close the screen door and walk to the hallway, Fido comes along. This time he doesn't wanna play. He is pissed and growling. Every time I try to (slowly)move either to get to the basement door or to get out the way I came in, he advances and growls. Tried to squat down to his level, talk nice.... he growls. I'm stuck. Trapped for almost 20 minutes. Customer has not returned.
If I stand still, Fido stops growling and puts away the fangs. Now I'm thinking maybe I could give him a steel-toe boot to chomp on while I run out. Not a great big dog, but I don't wanna hurt him on purpose by kicking my way past him.
I see some kids sneakers on the floor of the hall, grab them trying to entice the dog to play fetch. Toss one at a time into a bedroom with a door.... he just looks at it but won't get in the room enough for me to close the door.
Then the cat comes over to me. Not sure if Fido is protective of the cat, but I pet the cat. Then Fido comes over and lets me pet him. Either Fido was jealous and wanted in on the free scratch behind the ears, or the cat told him I was OK. We're buds now, Fido lets me pass.
So I run through all the zones off the controller and I am about to close the locked door. The tenant comes over and says she has no water in her apartment. I go back in the basement, and turn on the valve I shut off earlier. That valve , right next to the sprinkler controller is for the apartment! So now I'm confused. I look around some more and find another valve hidden under the basement laundry room sink (sink is just next to where the controller is hung). It was off, customers hubby musta shut it off already since the wifey told me the other valve 6-feet off the floor was the irrigation feed valve.
Never did see the wifey - she did NOT get "right back".
Unless they cut an access hatch in the deck, they are being dropped. Not a good way to end the day.
:dizzy:
She says the water shutoff is in the basement by the controller. Homeowner shows me the clock and the valve next to it. Meet the family dog and cat, dog wants to play. Shutoff the water.
No hatch in the deck for access. I belly crawl under there, on elbows like I'm escaping from Stalag 13. Squeezing between the deck post and the central air unit. I just barely fit - I'm 6 foot and 210 not fat. BTW, it rained BIG time yesterday and again hard for 30 minutes just prior to my arrival. Go to hook up the hose and I need the 3/4" fitting not the 1/2" thread. Crawl out again. Re-configure and crawl back. Then out again to turn on the compressor.
Now I figure, I'm not crawling under there again except to disconnect, so I'm gonna use the controller to open each valve. Just at that point, homeowner says she has to leave and pick up her kid at school. "BYE"!
I don't like when the customer is not home and I have to go inside, but she leaves me no choice.
OK, I turn on compressor and go into the house. As soon as I close the screen door and walk to the hallway, Fido comes along. This time he doesn't wanna play. He is pissed and growling. Every time I try to (slowly)move either to get to the basement door or to get out the way I came in, he advances and growls. Tried to squat down to his level, talk nice.... he growls. I'm stuck. Trapped for almost 20 minutes. Customer has not returned.
If I stand still, Fido stops growling and puts away the fangs. Now I'm thinking maybe I could give him a steel-toe boot to chomp on while I run out. Not a great big dog, but I don't wanna hurt him on purpose by kicking my way past him.
I see some kids sneakers on the floor of the hall, grab them trying to entice the dog to play fetch. Toss one at a time into a bedroom with a door.... he just looks at it but won't get in the room enough for me to close the door.
Then the cat comes over to me. Not sure if Fido is protective of the cat, but I pet the cat. Then Fido comes over and lets me pet him. Either Fido was jealous and wanted in on the free scratch behind the ears, or the cat told him I was OK. We're buds now, Fido lets me pass.
So I run through all the zones off the controller and I am about to close the locked door. The tenant comes over and says she has no water in her apartment. I go back in the basement, and turn on the valve I shut off earlier. That valve , right next to the sprinkler controller is for the apartment! So now I'm confused. I look around some more and find another valve hidden under the basement laundry room sink (sink is just next to where the controller is hung). It was off, customers hubby musta shut it off already since the wifey told me the other valve 6-feet off the floor was the irrigation feed valve.
Never did see the wifey - she did NOT get "right back".
Unless they cut an access hatch in the deck, they are being dropped. Not a good way to end the day.
:dizzy: