Our homes often seem like they have a life and a mind of their own sometimes. Whether it’s some sort of fluky incident or a series of issues that are too coincidental to seem random, it often seems as though our most important investment may have taken on a life of its own. However, sometimes these issues go to insane lengths and become just downright crazy. This is particularly true when it comes to plumbing, a system which is both intricate and prone to a number of different problems.
There’s no shortage of crazy stories when it comes to plumbing problems, and as a plumbing company that has served our community for the last 40 years, we’ve seen plenty of problems of our own. However, this blog will talk about some of the craziest and most difficult-to-believe plumbing stories ever recorded, all of which are 100% true.
Even if your story isn’t as wild as some of the following, you can call EnviroSafe whenever you have a plumbing situation of your own. We’re available for 24/7 emergency service, so don’t hesitate to call us for help whenever you need it!
Florida is a gold mine for strange news: a simple search of the term “Florida Man” will prove that. However, this strange story certainly falls up there with the best of them. A couple in Fort Myers found themselves facing an insane plumbing problem when a lightning bolt struck the septic tank on their property. The couple claims this lightning strike actually caused their toilet to explode.
The plumber who inspected the property determined that the lightning strike ignited the methane gasses in the pipes, creating a sudden burst of energy that literally caused the family’s toilet to explode. The odds of something like this happening have to be lower than actually being struck by lightning, making it one of the craziest fluke accidents possibly ever.
Nobody was hurt in the incident, and fortunately, nobody was on the toilet when the lightning bolt struck, but the incident did an estimated $50,000 in damage to their home. The sudden burst of energy completely destroyed the home’s drain system, shattered a window, and sent debris flying as far away as the yard of the home across the street.
You have to be careful with kids sometimes—their curiosity about the world around them may be one of their greatest assets, but it’s also one of their most obnoxious and frustrating habits as a parent. This is particularly true when it comes to toilets, and their desire to flush just about anything down them to see if that object in question actually disappears.
A casino in Arizona found out the hard way that this is all too possible when literally every single drain in the facility began backing up. Fortunately, some swift action by a local plumber found the source of the emergency: four Thomas the Tank Engine toys had become lodged in the main line. While the flushing culprit was never caught, the plumber managed to avert what would have more than likely been a nightmare crisis of public health for the casino. The system was on the verge of overflowing and spewing raw sewage into the facility itself. A cleanup for a job like that would have likely kept the casino closed for weeks and cost an immense sum of money.
We’re going back to Florida for this third story. The winter of 2017-18 was a particularly cold one in Florida, as temperatures reached uncharacteristic lows for days at a time. Wildlife which has been accustomed to moderately warm temperatures for years suddenly began to scramble to seek shelter somewhere warmer. For the Sunshine State’s native iguana population, that meant finding their way into homes, however possible. And for many, that meant through plumbing vents popping out of roofs.
There were at least five different reported instances of homeowners in Florida finding an iguana in their commode somewhere in Florida during that winter. According to a veteran iguana trapper in the area, the creatures often climb trees and get into homes through these vent pipes. Their ability to swim well and hold their breath for long periods of time makes them pretty adept at moving through plumbing lines, and your 3” drainpipe coming from your toilet is a strong choice.
This isn’t something you have to worry about happening here in New Jersey—not only is Florida one of the only states that has an iguana population, but a quick search of records finds that so far this is the only state where any instance of this happening has been recorded.
Got a strange plumbing problem of your own? Leave it to our professionals at EnviroSafe Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, Water Treatment! Our expert Vineland plumbers are standing by, ready to take your call. Give us a call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
I highly recommend !! Andrew was very professional, respectful, and knowledgeable. He explained what needed to be done and even took pictures to show me and then provided me with the cost. He took his time and made sure everything was done properly. Andrew is a fantastic… Read more
I used envirosafe two years ago when I bought my house, they have been excellent from the moment I called them. Gage and Micheal were the technicians that came to my house to service my water softener system and these guys were awesome. They answered every question and… Read more
Andrew was absolutely professional and worked diligently to find a balance with the boiler system. It is very difficult system because one boiler heats four apartments. Andrew and his helper put new air pressure gauges on the radiators and made sure that all the radiators were… Read more
Andrew and Shawn were friendly, knowledgeable, informative and very genuine. Air was in the lines they needed bleeding and maintenance so that my heat could be properly working for the winter season. It was a pleasure having these gentlemen service my boiler so that me and my… Read more
I had a great experience with them today! Yesterday I realized our water heater wasn’t working. The trouble shooting was beyond my experience. I called them and the dispatch was helpful and had two technicians arrive within a couple of hours. The technician(s) were very… Read more
EnviorSafe came out to my home to repair a busted water pipe due to the cold weather within 3 hours of me calling them. Andrew, the technician who came to my home was very professional, knowledgeable and friendly and did a great job at a very reasonable cost. I highly… Read more
We have a well and our resin tank is over 16 years old. We thought the resin tank was failing. Fred and Sean showed up on time and were great. after inspecting the resin tank in only need maintenance, they did an amazing job. They were honest, very personable and the price was… Read more
I was referred to this company by my sister who had service done at her home for the first time. I called to get a repair/replacement (plumbing:overflow panel) tub wouldn’t drain out.One thing I love about the company, they were initially more concerned to fix the less cost… Read more
Jake and Marquan are excellent, and if you get either of them to provide service to your home, they’re both very professional, as well as great to converse with. The work done was handled properly, and I now have an all electric water heater with a tank, that is going to save… Read more
Avery was the technician that came out to service my softener system. super polite, very informative, and very quick. super friendly and made my first experience well worth it. will definitely be repeating business!
This is my second time using this company. I found them by luck (googling for someone that works with water softeners). Both times Gage our technician came to the house and repaired our water softener, replaced the pipe going from our well to the bladder and also fixed a leaky… Read more
I had Mike and Avery install a water softener and an RO system on my water system. From the very first visit I’ve been impressed with their knowledge, experience, professionalism and disposition. It’s been a long time since I’ve been impressed with any home service people. But… Read more
We used Envirosafe for several different projects from HVAC and a new boiler/hot water heater to replacing almost all of our plumbing lines. We did a few projects at a time over several months and the whole time Envirosafe was great to deal with. They made the process so easy,… Read more
Jake was very thorough, communicated and explained everything throughout the service process and was very professional. Even offered to clean around ac unit outside of service, all of this in the rain! Would definitely recommend Envirosafe to a friend.. ask for Jake! He’s great!
Avery stopped out to conduct our yearly maintenance on our water treatment system. He is a phenomenal employee. Not only was he training a newer employee, but he took the time to show me some things about our system that I did not know. His customer service and both guys over… Read more
We have always had a good experience with EnviroSafe. Bryan provided excellent service with our air conditioning repair. He was extremely knowledgeable and responsive to our needs.
Our relationship with EnviroSafe began in July, from installing a brand new unit, to a challenge with our dishwasher and more recently a hot water tank issue. Each and every representative we have dealt with has been professional, knowledgeable, timely and accommodating… Read more
I have used Envirosafe on several different occasions. Most recently I used them to tune up my boiler prior to the winter season. He discovered some leaks in a few other pipes related to my heating system and was able to fix it the same day. Would recommend for anyone who is… Read more
Envirosafe meets all our water and plumbing needs. They respond promptly and arrive prepared. Fred Perry is one their friendly hard working knowledgeable technicians who gets the job done with a smile and thoroughly explains the service. Envirosafe is our go to company for… Read more
From the original phone call where we were provided same day service, to Jeff and CJ arriving when they said they would. The whole experience was excellent. Jeff and CJ diagnosed and repaired the problem quickly and efficiently. We would use Enviro Safe again.
First, Emma was the greatest assistance in guiding me regarding service, scheduling and follow-up regarding addressing my problem with my heater. Next, Nate came the same day and diagnosed and repaired the problem quickly and efficient. Lastly, both individuals were so… Read more
Fred and Calvin showed up on time, were great communicators regarding our plumbing issue, possible options, the state of our repair during the job, and how much it would cost. They were friendly, conversive, and efficient in completing the job. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
Pleasant experience. Everything went as planned. All employees were courteous and professional especially Chris, Jake, Devin and the first technician whose name I can’t recall. Job well done
My technician was Jeff H. from Envirosafe. He was terrific. He fixed my problem and also spent time checking everything out. He was knowledgeable, kind and helpful. He asked if I had questions or needed anything else addressed. I only wish every service tech was this helpful… Read more
