Shower saga

On November 13 I wrote an email to Dave the Builder. The temperature in the shower would not progress beyond tepid. To say it was pathetic was, itself pathetic.

The strange thing was that the water tap in the basin on the other side of the bathroom was as hot as hot could be. It was all a bit strange but I figured that because Dave had organised the bathroom install (albeit two years ago) that his plumbers would be more likely to know what the problem was.

Dave forwarded my email to Matt the Plumber. And I heard nothing for a few days. Eventually I emailed Dave again who told me he was very sorry and thought the plumbers had sorted it out and that he was presently in Sri Lanka on holiday. I then had a text from Jem the Other Plumber saying they’d ordered the part they needed from the bathroom shop and that it was still under warranty.

I then heard nothing for ages. Frustrated (and sick of having to go to the gym for a decent temperature shower) I decided to contact another plumber, willing to start the whole process again. I now knew that it was a part in the shower water flow handle which controlled the heat and cold. I could at least tell another plumber what the problem was. I went as far as emailing one I found on Check-a-Trade. I then heard from Dave again.

Matt thought that Jem had contacted me and vice versa but they had now ordered the part and were waiting for delivery. They had hassled the bathroom shop who, in turn, had hassled the supplier of the part. Meanwhile I had heard from the ‘new’ plumber. He was on holiday and apologised for not getting back to me.

Then, today, I was just returning from the park, dogs walking obediently next to me, when a van pulled up at the end of our road. I called the dogs to stop and wait for the danger to pass. It was then that I realised that the passenger in the van was waving at me. I waved back because I’m that sort of guy before I realised it was Jem.

After they parked up he told me he was concerned that I was just leaving for a walk rather than just finishing. He then proceeded to tell me about a friend of his who has just become U2’s sound engineer. He told me that because his friend used to live in our road.

Three of them then piled into the house, turned the water off and headed upstairs. It took them about 15 minutes. The thermostat in the tap control thingy had broken. Jem took all the credit for installing it though it appeared to me he just told the other two what to do. Matt seemed to think this was pretty accurate.

As they were leaving Matt warned me that the water was now very, very hot and I should be careful not to scald myself. He was right. The temperature was fantastic when I later had a shower.

What a rigmarole. That will be the last time I do that!