Posted by LukeDolman on November 14, 2008 at 13:38:30 user LukeDolman.
In Reply to: British plumbing (relates to earlier 'Tie points' thread ...) posted by Jock on November 14, 2008 at 07:38:26:
I have to admit I rather miss British plumbing, in particular the larger diameter foul water pipe as compared to the much smaller one used in American homes. I never had to plunge and rod with such frequency in our previous life across The Pond, although being of a positive nature I try to see a silver lining, which in this case is that it keeps my Anglo-Saxon vocabulary alive, well and fully exercised.
It didn't take long after moving in for the plumbing deficiencies to become apparent. Ziggy, our now departed cat, was a prolific mouser who celebrated his first foray onto American soil by catching a small example of the local wildlife and bringing it in for us to admire. By the time we reached the poor thing it was long gone so I committed his body to the deep, in time honoured fashion, by way of the toilet bowl. I flushed, the mouse disappeared, but the water kept rising. This had never happened in Northampton, or London - or Cumbria for that matter. Needless to say there followed a lot more rod action, much plunger abuse and some rather inappropriate language, all watched by a very pursed-lipped Mrs Dolman who had indeed warned me against putting the poor thing down the toilet in the first place. Eventually got it cleared but it has never been quite the same since.