Shower Head

The shower head in the guest bathroom broke last week. It was a cheap plastic one. A seal split open while Lesa's sister Heidi was taking a shower. She didn't realize it at the time so water shot everywhere up and over the curtain soaking the entire bathroom. I was just glad she didn't get an electric shock (having had my past experiences with Indian wiring).

I searched for over a week to find a new shower head. Our driver helped me find one in a local market for about $1. This didn't fit. I found another - a plastic chrome head- in an Indian Department store for about $10, but I couldn't see spending that much on what is essentially my landlady's shower head. Finally last night our cook brought one that her husband found (odd that he is conveniently a plumber): $2. Feeling satisfied, I screwed it into place and turned on the valve to test it. The plastic end of the head promptly blew off with a blast of water - smacking the opposite wall of the shower stall.

One of our toilets also broke last week. Water stopped filling up in the tank. There was pressure, it just wasn't getting from the wall to the toilet. Toilets (western style) are similar to the ones you find in the US, but the valve mechanisms are different. I was afraid I might break it if I tried to take it apart so I called the ATS plumber, Jaymaal, to fix it. He showed up in about 30 minutes.

After making an incredible mess and still with a broken toilet he told me (in Hinglish) that the mechanism was clogged. Jaymaal gave me the price of a new part and disappeared. That was four days ago. I called the maintenance office again this morning. Two plumbers showed up. Jaymaal and his supervisor.

First I had them "fix" my exploded shower head. They used plumbers tape on the front of the head and screwed it back on. It worked. They told me to just turn the valve on slowly so the water pressure wouldn't blow it off again... Then they moved on to the toilet, dissecting it and spreading all of the slimy parts onto the floor and sink. That was when the 3rd plumber showed up. They all managed to crowd into that little humid bathroom, clean and unclog the slim from the parts and then reassembled the commode. With a little fanfare, the toilet was flushed and it began to refill.

I thanked them, gave them a little tip and off the trio went. Since my bathroom was still a mess I went to the guest-shower to rinse two hours of sweat and frustration away. I undressed, stepped into the shower stall, turned the valve... and was promptly pelted in the forehead by a blast of water and the plastic end of my newly-repaired shower head.