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Coffee Stirrers + Idiots = Clogged Drain - RF Cafe Forums
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| Kirt Blattenberger
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Post subject: Coffee Stirrers + Idiots = Clogged Drain
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:17 pm
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| Site Admin |
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 878
Location: Erie, PA |
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Greetings:
The sink in our company break room has been clogged pretty good for
about a week. Water slowly trickles down, eventually. The building maintenance guys
have tried unsuccessfully to clear it, but to no avail.
About a year ago, the
same thing happened, only the maintenance guy managed to unclog it with a plunging tool.
Guess what was stopping the flow? Yup - A wad of coffee stirrer straws about an inch
and a half in diameter (the diameter of the P-trap pipe). One has to wonder what kind
of person empties a cup into the drain and allows the stirrer to go down.
Each
of those little stirrers is about 1/8" diameter, and roughly 55 of them will fit into
a 1.5" pipe. No fancy math with optimal fill algorithms was used - I grabbed a fistful
and counted them (in the paper wrappers). So, at the two extremes we have either one
person being an idiot 55 times, or 55 people each being an idiot once. The real scenario
no doubt lies somewhere in-between.
While talking briefly to the plumber that
was called in to fix the problem this time, I told him of the stirrer straw incident.
He said that he gets service calls all the time to restaurants whose sink drains are
clogged by straws. It’s good for his business, so he encourages the behavior.
_________________ - Kirt Blattenberger
 RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster
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| nubbage
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Post subject: Coffee Stirrers + Idiots = Clogged Drain
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:55 am
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| General |
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Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 12:07 pm
Posts: 365
Location: London UK |
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How much did he charge you for the conversation?
In the UK, if you can even find
a plumber, don't ask for his opinion about the weather - an item will appear on the
bill "for providing meteorological data £15". Those aristos are something else. They
make so much wonger here in the UK, I even know a telecom tech who has abandonned telecom
for plumbing.
After intensive research in our coffee room here, I have found
the explanation. Too many people are drinking capuccino. The stirrer gets lost in the
froth and you forget you ever had one in your cup. You throw your dregs down the sink
while rapping with a colleague and not looking. Presto, stirrer down the chute.
Oi veh. Life gets ever more complicated
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| IR |
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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:32 pm
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Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:02 pm
Posts: 436
Location: Germany |
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The best thing would be to put the regular metal tea-spoons like in the good old days.
Those can#t get lost or forgotten in the drain.
_________________
Best regards,
- IR
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Kirt Blattenberger |
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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:19 am
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Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 878
Location: Erie, PA |
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Greetings to nubbage:
Sounds like you need some of our illegal aliens from Mexico
to solve your plumber shortage. We here are told that the illegals do the jobs that
lazy Americans will not do so that justifies them breaking the law. Shall I contact
some people at the Rio Grande to post a sign directing a few your way (even though it's
a long swim to the U.K.)?
...and to IR:
Now there is the kind practical
soultion I expect from an engineer!
_________________ - Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster
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Posted 11/12/2012
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