Plumbing Nightmares (Warning: Nasty Rodent Pictures)
Every old house has a moment where it tests whether you really love it. Ours arrived two days after we moved in, in the form of a slow kitchen drain and a smell I can only describe as "wet basement plus regret."
We promised nasty rodent pictures in the title, and honestly? We decided you're better off without them. Picture a nest of insulation, shredded paper towel and something that used to be a dish sponge, tucked behind the drain trap. Now un-picture it. You're welcome.
How the plumbing nightmare started
The kitchen sink drained, technically, but slowly enough that we'd do dishes in two shifts. We assumed grease. The plunger did nothing. When the Mister pulled the cabinet floor panel to reach the trap, the panel came up in soggy pieces, and that's when we met the nest.
What was actually wrong
- A leaky slip-nut on the P-trap had been dripping for who knows how long, rotting the cabinet floor.
- A gap around the drain pipe where it entered the wall gave mice a highway straight into the warm, damp cabinet.
- Old galvanized pipe inside the wall had narrowed with buildup, which explained the slow drain.
What we did
- Cleaned and disinfected everything with gloves and a mask. Rodent droppings are no joke, so don't sweep them dry.
- Replaced the P-trap and tailpiece with new PVC and fresh washers.
- Had a plumber swap the galvanized section in the wall for PVC. Worth every penny.
- Stuffed steel wool around every pipe penetration and sealed it with expanding foam.
- Cut a new cabinet floor from 1/2" plywood and painted it with two coats of polyurethane.
The good news: the drain now runs like a river and the cabinet smells like nothing at all. The bad news: we've learned that the house has more surprises. Stay tuned.
