# My upstairs neighbor lets her sink overflow and does nothing. Flood ensues. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041 "2003-03-13T05:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![irishajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@irishajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishajo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/1 "2003-03-13T05:06:14Z")
So, I wake up out of a sound sleep to hear water running. It sounds like a steady stream of water would in the shower. My groggy mind wanders through a list of possible causes; I forgot to turn the shower off this morning - no, I have been home all evening, that can’t be it; a burglar broke in and decided a shower would be just the thing; no, too absurd; aha - I bet I know. I must once again I have a water leak because of my upstairs neighbors. Bingo. Sure enough, there is water leaking - not from the bathroom ceiling, which has happened before, but from the kitchen ceiling vent. During the summer I get a drip or too of water from this vent due to the AC, but the current leak puts me in mind of a racehorse’s piss stream. About the same color, too, although infused with soap bubbles. I think maybe they are draining the tub (I know that doesn’t make much sense considering the water is leaking from the kitchen ceiling, but consider my sleepy state). I figure it’ll stop when they are done with the tub and I will call maintenance in the morning. But it doesn’t stop. A few minutes pass, I awake fully, and I begin to realize the stream is not diminishing. I run upstairs and pound on the door a few times. There is no answer. I run back downstairs and leave a message with the emergency maintenance service. By now the water is dripping from the ceiling in the dining and living rooms. This looks serious. Once again I run up and pound on their door; once again there is no answer. Ten minutes and several full bowls of soapy piss-water later, the maintenance guy gets here. He takes one look at the damage so far and runs upstairs. I hear some noises and notice the water stream diminishing. He comes back down and I let him in. He has a pretty disgusted look on his face. A few seconds of disgruntled sighs then the explanation. “There was a baby bottle stuck in the disposal, while she was running the dishwasher. The sink was overflowing, and she knew it. She was just laying there. Butt naked!” Despite the unexpected sight of a naked female he seemed quite annoyed. “I told her to cover herself, then ran in to fix the sink. She knew it was overflowing, and she didn’t do anything! I told her she’ll have to pay for the damages.” Huh. I’m thinking, WTF? Was she high? To lie there and ignore frantic knocking while her sink overflowed? There’s a flood in my kitchen just from the water leaking through the vent and ceiling. I can’t imagine what her kitchen looks like. So the maintenance guy apologizes, calls me sweetie. I like him for being so nice. I tell him it’s not his fault. He says he’ll be back in the morning to look over the damage. Bottom line, I’m out several hours sleep, the ceiling plaster/drywall in my dining room is starting to peel off, and I’m just damn cranky about the whole thing. At times like this I can only meditate using my favorite mantra: Stupid people shouldn’t breathe. On preview, I realized I need to learn to write more succinctly. ---
**Author:** ![SLASH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SLASH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLASH)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/2 "2003-03-13T05:24:08Z")
Sounds like she probably was high. Can you file a complaing against her, or would this not warrant it? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/3 "2003-03-13T06:20:16Z")
> [@](#): > > "There was a baby bottle stuck in the disposal My god, they’re breeding. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/4 "2003-03-13T07:14:21Z")
Yeah, that sucks. I had a somewhat less worrisome situation some time back. Water started pouring in through the ceiling in my hallway, so i put a pan underneath to catch it and ran upstairs to see WTF had happened. Turns out that my upstairs neighbour accidentally kicked over a bucket of water while mopping his kitchen, and the water ran through the floorboards of his place and then came through the crappy ceiling in my place. At least it was a small quantity, and the only damage it did was to the ceiling tile in the place where the water came through. That upstairs neighbour of yours sounds like a bit of a worry to me. Hope it all turns out OK. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/5 "2003-03-13T08:32:15Z")
Yeesh. Make sure you have a smoke detector! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/6 "2003-03-13T13:59:38Z")
Three years ago I was lying in bed at midnight, reading. I heard something that sounded like water drippint – I sleep with earplugs, so I wasn’t sure – and rather reluctantly looked up over my book. Water was coming out of the CEILING FAN in my bedroom! And when I got up to check, it was coming out of the ceiling by my water heater, going right through the fuse box. And through the kitchen light fixture, and dripping through in a bunch of other places. Turns out the upstairs neighbor’s water heater had just fallen to pieces. Somehow I managed to not lose anything much, but I did end up having to move; the place was going to be uninhabitable for a couple of weeks until they got everything dried up. It was so surreal; I remember thinking, “God, I HOPE this is a dream…” But at least they hadn’t done anything so fucking stupid. The management had, by only replacing heaters when they FELL TO DAMN PIECES…grrr… ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/7 "2003-03-13T14:12:34Z")
And renter’s insurance. If the water had been leaking on your sofa you might be stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![irishajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@irishajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishajo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/8 "2003-03-13T16:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Harmonix \* > \*\*My god, they’re breeding. \*\* That is a whole 'nother story. I hear that kid screaming at them, them screaming at the kid, and them screaming at each other all the time. I really don’t know what to do about it. I don’t think the water did damage to any of my stuff, although I’ll have to put up with the repairs. No bid deal, really. What I’m worried about is that kid. With a whacked-out mother like that, god knows what he/she’s going through. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/9 "2003-03-13T17:18:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishajo \* > “There was a baby bottle stuck in the disposal, while she was running the dishwasher. The sink was overflowing, and she knew it. She was just laying there. Butt naked!” Despite the unexpected sight of a naked female he seemed quite annoyed. Okay - a bottle stuck in the disposal? Why did the woman not notice this - not even before starting the dishwasher, just in general? A bottle would be big enough to be noticable in a disposal. Just plain weird. Susan ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/10 "2003-03-13T17:37:34Z")
Pardon me for being the first to say THIS IS HOW A PORN FILM STARTS! This was a way to get her naked ass some attention. Seriously what other explanation could there be that she wanted someone to walk in on her? Remember kids [The Plumbing Business Is Not As Glamorous As The Porn Industry Depicts](http://www.theonion.com/onion3601/plumbing_industry.html). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/11 "2003-03-13T22:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishajo \* > \*\*That is a whole 'nother story. I hear that kid screaming at them, them screaming at the kid, and them screaming at each other all the time. I really don’t know what to do about it. > > \*\* Call Dept of Family Services or whoever handles child abuse cases up there. I’m sure the maintenance guy can back you up on the report of the woman ignoring a backed up kitchen sink… ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/12 "2003-03-14T00:52:00Z")
I’m with Ivylass on this. Particularly since you hear a lot of screaming. Although you might want to file a complaint with the police first. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/13 "2003-03-14T02:00:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > \*\*Three years ago I was lying in bed at midnight, reading. I heard something that sounded like water drippint – I sleep with earplugs, so I wasn’t sure – and rather reluctantly looked up over my book. > > Water was coming out of the CEILING FAN in my bedroom! > \*\* I can top that. When I was living in Orlando, I looked up at the ceiling fan, & saw that the light fixture’s glode way _quickly_ filling with something _black_! I took the globe off… ANTS!! Carpenter ants! Thousands of them! In the light, on the table, in my hair, on my face, in my eyes, pouring down my shoulders like water! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I shouted, & my brother & his fiends came to help me kill them all. BLEAGH! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Wabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/14 "2003-03-14T02:07:07Z")
I know that’s probably a mis-print, but the idea of your brother and his _fiends_\* arising from the depths to put the smack down on a bunch of carpenter ants is cracking me up over here. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/15 "2003-03-14T02:15:52Z")
I am indeed a poor typist. ☹ _ **But great at killing ants!!!** _ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/16 "2003-03-14T02:44:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > \*\*Turns out the upstairs neighbor’s water heater had just fallen to pieces. > \*\* This happened to me 12 days after I moved into my current apartment, only I was the upstairs neighbor. It was the first day of classes, and I came home to find that my carpet was damp. I tried to find where there was a leak, and couldn’t so I called the maintenance guy. I learned that my water heater had been replaced that afternoon between the time I left around 4:30 and the time I got home around 7 - the water heater basically fell apart and if my downstairs neighbor hadn’t noticed the water coming in, it would have damaged/ruined a lot of my stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/17 "2003-03-14T06:08:35Z")
**irishajo** , if I were you, I would move. This neighbour sounds like a hazard to life and limb of everyone in the building. Is she just gonna lie there naked while her cigarette starts the carpet on fire, or her dinner in the stove starts burning? Or just leave the stove on while she’s out? I’m getting warning bells from this story. Maybe you could call the fire department or health department or somebody and mention that you think she is a health hazard to other people in the building with her careless attitude. But still move. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/18 "2003-03-14T06:14:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wabbit \* > \*_I know that’s probably a mis-print, but the idea of your brother and his fiends_ arising from the depths to put the smack down on a bunch of carpenter ants is cracking me up over here. \*\* Ouch!! Ya made me look, and then _I_ cracked up!! Good catch! And as for the woman in the upstairs apartment? All I can say is “OH…MY…GOD”. I’m flabbergasted that someone could act that way. ---
**Author:** ![irishajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@irishajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishajo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-upstairs-neighbor-lets-her-sink-overflow-and-does-nothing-flood-ensues/161041/19 "2003-03-14T14:56:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by featherlou \* > \*\ ***irishajo** , if I were you, I would move. \*\* Oh, I plan on it. My lease is up in July, and I’ll be looking at other places soon. Luckily there’s lots of affordable apartments in Indy. The bad thing is I HATE to move. And I am going to notify Child Protective Services about her.