Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rms2279]

. . .

[Scamps]

Well, I'm not a plumber but in the US we don't have a switch for hot water so it's always "on". Maybe that's why most of us never ran into this experience before. I was just trying to do my part for the environment and not to have an enormous gas bill but I guess in Korea that cannot be done

[nathanrutledge]

rms, your students probably don't know much about plumbing.

Scamps, your thermostat is probably like most others - when you leave, you turn it down to the lowest temp/away setting. All that does is maintain the heat. Water is an excellent heat sink, but it takes a while to heat up, so if you turn it off, it can take a while to build up that heat again. When I came back from a vacation a few winters ago, it took the whole day for my apartment to warm up again, but when I come home from work every day, it takes about 20 minutes.

Heaters in the US do have on/off switches, but we don't have ondols, so we don't use them and most people don't know anything about them.

There are about a dozen threads on this topic. I bet 100 bucks, the majority of peoples problems are A) the main line coming to the building broke because the ground heaved, B) they live in an old building with out outdoor meter that burst (although, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, "more than 200 Seoulites reported burst meters...", so considering the size of the Seoul, that's a drop in the bucket), or C) it's an area-wide outage while they repair something related to the cold.

Remember, this is the country that believes you die when you sleep with a fan in the room. Take everything they say about water pipes with that in mind. Pipes in a building won't freeze unless they are exposed outside, above grade to the air. Saying "my pipes are frozen" is like saying "my watchamacallit is broken."

[nathanrutledge]

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2931118

This article mentions the spate of burst mains.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2931126

A nice photo of a burst pipe from OUTSIDE the building.

[Scamps]

Thanks, smarty!

[rms2279]

. . .

[lifeinkorea]

[schwa]

[lifeinkorea]

[caribmon]

Instead of buying bottled water, just get one of those white containers from hardware store and find a park with free water, well water or even regular tap water. There's always good quality well water somewhere close by. I always go to the mountain to get drinking water. Just getting bath water would be an extra trip.

[Troglodyte]

[tealeeds1]

Im in the same boat as the OP, no running water for 5 days...

I've only just moved to Korea, living down near Busan. I moved in on Friday, and I had running water, but by Saturday morning it wasn't working.

My co-teacher came round that day and I showed her and she rang the landlord, who said the pipes were frozen and someone would be round on Monday. No one came round on Monday.

On Sunday, I had gone to the supermarket and lugged home 24 litres of water as my toilet stank (flushing the toilet took 12 litres alone!) and I really wanted to wash and brush my teeth before my first day of work. I heated water in the kettle and washed in the sink, as well as doing my washing up.

On Tuesday the landlord informed me of a tap behind the building, so I've been able to at least refill my bottles for free. I have access to clean cold water, so I can flush my toilet regularly, brush my teeth, wash my hands, cook and do my washing up. I also boil some water and leave it to cool so I can drink it.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to the public baths before work, as I havent washed properly since I moved in. An quick wash in the sink is fine for a quick fix, but its not a long term solution. Also, its hard to properly wash your hair. I dont like that my colleagues' and kids' first impressions of me are me stinking lol

I dont want to be making ransom demands in my first week really - I did request that the school put me up in a motel until the water is fixed, but nothings come of it... I only asked my department head though, as I dont feel I know the principal well enough to ask myself.. Equally, I feel the landlord might be taking advantage of the fact Im new here and am still jsut settling in. I think how I react now could set a precedent for the year... I dont want to be on bad terms with her, but I need this sorting asap!

[cyui]

This is a really gross thread, BTW.

[Gamecock]

I'm always astounded at how kind people are when being screwed over. If you are working at a hogwan and they are providing an apartment for you and that is in the contract, not providing basic services (water, electricity, etc.) is a breach of contract. THEY are responsible for this. It is part of your salary package. Your boss would certainly NOT go wash at a public sauna for 3 or 4 or more days! If it was his apartment, you can be sure it would be fixed.

I agree with the earlier posters...if they are making no move to correct the problem after several days, simply sitting in the office at work and not teaching will remedy things VERY QUICKLY. Tell them you are happy to comply with the conditions of the contract when they are ready to do the same!

As an aside, Koreans are so incredibly proud of Korea and its rise in the world, blah, blah...mentioning that you are surprised that a modern country like Korea cannot fix these problems that are easily corrected in a place like China (which is so far below them, duh!)... Such a situation is a little embarrassing for Korea, etc... I told my family how great Korea is compared to other places in Asia, but now...

I also find these kinds of comments will also promote action.

[lifeinkorea]

Remember, we will stand by our hagwon owner through thick and thin. We will walk a mile in their footsteps before doubting them. We will reap the benefit from their wisdom.