How putting in a new toilet led to the fire department being called

[Blue Diadem]

ACK..I hate old houses sometimes. DH and our son were putting in the new toilet..which in very old homes like this one..we knew could be time consuming with problems. Besides having to replace dry rotted flooring underneath, we discovered the old toilet was put in really stupid and there was no flange and the cast iron pipe was cracked. DH & son decided it would go quicker to use a cut off grinder to remove the bad cast iron. They both assured me the sparks would not be a fire hazard..

That is until I heard DH calling me from the basement asking me to get him some water..

By the time I called 911, he was back upstairs in the bathroom cutting the wall out behind where the new toilet will set. A spark had took hold in the open wall space where the vent pipe/soil stack goes up.

As the VFD sirens were blaring, I pulled in the garden hose and handed it to DH.

In the meantime, my daughter took my granddaughter and the dog outside. She hollered for me to get her kitty..he'd never been outside before so as he and I were going outside he grabbed the screen door with all his might and wouldn't let go. I got him peeled off the door just as the first fireman was showing up. The smoldering century old loose pieces of oakum inside the wall was already out.

The firemen used thermal imaging and assured us there were no hot spots..

My 6 yr old granddaughter says.."Grandma I have something to tell you..lets never ever ever get another new toilet."

[no name no slogan]

1. Stories like this make me

remember why I quit owning and went back to renting.

[Blue Diadem]

3. Owning can definitely be a pain

and in older houses it's always something needing fixed or replaced. We've had two century plus houses and they both contained surprises from past owners.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Now THAT'S some kinda Saturday excitement!

Glad all ended quickly and as well as possible! :hi:

[Blue Diadem]

4. I'm glad it ended well too

For a brief instant when I was getting the cat I thought it was smoke filling the bathroom and kitchen..it was the plaster dust from DH sawing through the wall! WHEW! Smoke and odor was very short lived..thank goodness. Now I'll be cleaning plaster dust for while..and I still have to dry up the basement corner which really was the best place for the water to have gone.

:hi:

[BikeWriter]

5. Between contracting and firefighting I've seen this hundreds of times.

You all did very well, except maybe the cat.

[Blue Diadem]

6. I'll have to tell DH and son

what you said about seeing it many times. I think they're both a bit embarassed.

Kitty recovered quickly from his outdoor adventure and was happily playing in his paper bag last night.

:hi:

[Misunderestimator]

7. I'll be sure not to use anything that makes sparks when we replace...

our old toilet. And thanks... you've just convinced me to wait until it doesn't work any longer. I think this one (at least we have two others) is original to the house, which was built in 1939.

[Blue Diadem]

8. We put it off for as long as we could

They probably should have rented a chain type cutter thingy for cutting cast iron(no sparks), but with living out here, they didn't want to lose time going to the rental store.

Ahhh..you're lucky to be bathroom blessed. We have only one..

I think if we ever do this again, we'll have a plumber do it. ;)