Spring Break
LODGING COMPLAINTS: O-House toilet troubles have some feeling flushed
Dorm bathroom problems leave some in deep water
BRITTANY COFER
Issue date: 3/16/09 Section: News
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But with privacy comes few alternatives when things go awry.
Leaking, flooding, clogging and water damage are just a few problems O-House residents have faced with their private toilets, with some citing their bathroom plumbing as an ongoing annoyance.
In a dorm with just two public restrooms, what happens when your toilet continues to flood?
Students have been dealing with this problem at O-House, where toilets commonly malfunction and it can sometimes take a week before they are fixed.
During December 2007 to February 2009, O-House residents submitted 99 toilet-related work orders to the Housing Department.
Problems include toilets that overflow, clog and sometimes just won't work.
"There's a lot of bad things with the [O-House] toilets," said Nate Liao, a sophomore from Alpharetta and eighth-floor O-House resident, in a phone interview before spring break.
"A toilet actually overflowed into people's rooms."
A work order for room 830, reported Nov. 12, 2008, stated a "resident called to report toilet overflowed flooding rooms 830 and 832. Resident states rooms have about 1" of water on the floor."
Bambi Caudell, co-owner of Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain in Athens, said the most common problem with toilets is clogging.
"Other problems would be the toilet running, which now with the water restrictions and everything, that's pretty important. That means something inside mechanically is wrong - the flapper or the hood master," she said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Liao echoed a similar thought, saying his toilet "keeps reusing the toilet water."
"It's got to be pretty inefficient with the water," he said.
Another problem with toilets is water collecting around the base, Caudell said.
She said when this happens that usually means the main sewer line is stopped up.
"But it's hard to know if it is just a toilet leaking or if there is a main sewer line blockage," she said.
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