Murphy's Law of Plumbing Problems

Murphy's Law Strikes Again!

Drains in your home will clog just before a major holiday or other celebration.  If it is  a holiday in which you do lots of cooking then the kitchen drain is sure to clog.  If it is a celebration for a child's birthday when you have 20 toddlers that need to use the potty then it will one or all of the bathrooms.

We can testify to this truth.  We were completing our babysitting assignment for the evening -- four year old Sam was downstairs passing the Nerf football to me as I was watching the Cats maul their opponent.  Kathy had bathed baby Harper who was toddling around in her pajamas.  "Um, Paul -- do we have any Drano?"  (Not the words I wanted to hear).   Both sides of the kitchen sink were full of murky water.  I thought that the problem was in the trap, but after unscrewing that section of pipe and flooding the kitchen floor, I determined that the problem must be further down the pipes.  
    Of course this kind of   "emergency" is just what Sam, our four year old fireman wannabe lives for.  He began chattering about the problem, "I am very good at fixing things.  The problem is a leak"  (how intuitive -- as water was gushing onto the floor.)  Sam looked through the kitchen drawers and came up with a cookie press.  "This is just what we need to solve the problem."  But I decided to dash to Lowes and purchase a "snake".  I left just as Kathy was putting Harper into her crib and Sam was saying, "I am very good at catching snakes.  I can help you."  
    Thirty minutes later I  returned from Lowes with armed with a long snake and a chemical drain cleaner.  The snake got the water flowing again and I am treating the kitchen sink with a heavy duty drain cleaner.  Crisis averted.  Ready for Thanksgiving.