The Inundation

On Saturday, Hick's typical shortcut ways flooded my kitchen floor. Okay. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. Hick, left to his own devices to add a dill pickle spear to his BBQ pork chop supper, forwent the fork that I recommended.

"I think I can get a pickle out of a jar, Val."

"I don't want your dirty fingers in the juice! Get a fork."

"I'm fine. There's one right here. See?"

Yes, I DID see. I saw Hick tilting that pickle jar, and the liquid running all to one side. There were only three pickles left. Of course they were down in the juice, though Hick declared there was one NOT in the juice, which he grabbed with his fingers.

The next morning, my CROC stuck to the floor. Right in front of FRIG II! There was a triangular stain, kind of grayish green. That's what happens when I think Hick is capable of getting his own pickle out of a jar. 

The next morning, around 10:30, my attention was drawn to that area. Just because I wanted to see if I had cleaned the floor sufficiently. Or if it was collecting dirt off Hick's boots, and needed further scrubbing.

WHAT'S THIS???

There was a puddle of water in front of FRIG II! It had not been there around 5:00 a.m. when I added ice to my metal water bottle. But the icemaker had been making a clicky noise, and I knocked loose a stuck cube from the slots. It ricocheted and shot out onto the floor. But I had picked it up. Maybe there was more that one. But surely not enough to make that puddle. I mopped it up with a towel and kept an eye on the area.

I mentioned it to Hick that evening. Asked if he might have spilled something there around 6:00 when gathering his lunch. No. He had not gotten any water or ice, and had just put his frozen sandwich and chips in his bag.

The next day, the water puddle was back! Same time I noticed, around 10:30, when I was getting some oatmeal and a banana. Again, I mopped it up with a towel. It was only about half as much as before. That evening, I asked Hick if maybe it was something to do with the icemaker. The water hose that feeds it.

"It COULD. Maybe. If the ice maker was clogged up and not working."

"Well. That was only the one day. I can't figure out why it doesn't leak all day. Only around mid-morning."

The THIRD day, I was on the lookout for that water leak. The floor was dry when I got ice. Dry when I took my medicine. I did the dishes about 9:30. WAIT! My CROC was squeaking as I turned to dry my hands when I finished. I looked down. 

THERE WAS A THIN STREAM OF WATER RUNNING FROM THE CABINET UNDER THE SINK TOWARDS FRIG II!

Aha! It was the SINK that was leaking. I looked underneath, but didn't see any drips. Felt the pipes. Not wet. Was this a problem with water coming in? Or water going out? Was it just the hot water? I run water in the sink all through the day. But it didn't leak except in the morning, when I used hot water for the dishes.

When Hick got home, I explained my discovery. I had left the towel down, rather than washing it this time, in case Hick needed to research that leak. He got down on the floor, and stuck his head under the sink. HE thought it was the lever thingy that turns on the water. Nope. I ran hot water. I ran cold water. Nothing. Then I said maybe I should fill the sink, and then pull the plug. THAT'S what made the pipes leak!

I stuck the plug back in, and Hick grunted under the sink. He said it was the collar thingy on the drain. That there's a flat side and a threaded side, and the collar squeezes it tight. That it had somehow become loose. None of that made sense to me. I know better than to try and get a better explanation from Hick. Don't even get me started on the hanging of the sign for his SUS2.5!

Anyhoo... Hick said to let the rest of the water out. The sink no longer leaked.

I'd like to take credit for discovering what was leaking. But I'm just the middlewoman. Hick brought it to my attention with his unrelated pickle juice spill, and fixed the final problem.