Korean Job Discussion Forums

Lorilou · Joined: 01 Sep 2009 Location: Osan

So I woke up this morning to no running water in my apartment. I am assuming that the pipes are frozen. My principal's reaction was literally "wait to see if they thaw out". I waited all day, and obviously they stayed frozen. Despite my insistence that she call a plumber this morning, she waited until the evening and couldn't get one out here on such short notice. The earliest they can get out here is tomorrow afternoon. I went to a jinjilbang tonight to shower, use the facilities, etc.

She also said that she talked to the other tenants in the apartment and apparently the entire building's pipes are frozen (which makes me wonder if there is much a plumber will be able to do to fix it). So my question is, if the water isn't up and running by tomorrow evening, what is my recourse here? Demand that she pay for a hotel for me? And if this continues to happen all winter, can I demand that she find other living arrangements for me?

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

You might be SOL if it's just of a few days. You might be able to get jimgibang money, though.

Olivencia · Joined: 08 Mar 2009

Refuse to teach if it continues any longer. An apartment without water is an unrentable apartment.

djsmnc · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Dave's ESL Cafe

Sleepy in Seoul · Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:23 am Post subject:

Do what a couple of Canadians did at my first job here in 2003. Their boiler broke down over Christmas and they had no hot water, so they refused to wash or shave until the boiler was fixed. They kept turning up to work more and more dishevelled and stinkier by the day until the boiler was fixed.

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Lorilou · Joined: 01 Sep 2009 Location: Osan

thegadfly · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

A lot of Korean places do not fully insulate the pipes -- the older the place, the less likely there will be insulation. In Seoul, my place actually had pipes on the outside of the building, not wrapped with anything. When it gets cold, it might be necessary to let the taps run continuously (but as slowly as you can get them to run) -- that can make it harder for the pipes to freeze up....

When it has happened to me in the past, I did the jimjibang thing (actually, I had a gym membership, and just did my workout in the morning instead of in the evening).

How do you have only dirty clothes after one or two days without water?

Refusing to teach because Winter took away your water seems way too harsh to me...a problem with your apartment that is within control of the school is one thing, but severe weather is not really your school's fault.

Again, it would be a different thing if it continued for a week and the school did nothing about it or did not offer a way to deal with it, but I really don't see how this is specifically because of your school... like I said, a lot of places do not have insulation on the pipes (in fact, none of the places I have ever stayed in have had insulated pipes, and the place I am in right now has pipes running up the outside of the building). When I was in Texas, most of the places I rented did not have furnaces -- just a space-heater. The winter did not get all that cold usually, but if it did (and it did once while I was down there), things got pretty uncomfortable with just a dinky heater to keep one warm... inclement weather is inclement, and beyond the power of a school or apartment owner to control.

Michelle · Joined: 18 May 2003

vassalage · Joined: 12 Jun 2006

same thing at our house....
But we found our own apartment so we are responsible for calling the landlord who sent his father who is now standing over our pipes in the laundry area with a blow dryer.....and saying ahhhh ah HA over and over again Razz

Our issue is also with the certification on the boiler...looks like it should be certified every year and it hasn't been since March 2008...it also looks like it is being held together with clay or some other such thing Razz

Anyone know if it is required to get certified every year...our apt is only supposed to be a few years old n most stuff looked good when we decided on the place but we never inspected the boiler Razz

Now i'm worried we are going to be carbon monoxied or blown up by a faulty boiler !

oskinny1 · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Location: Right behind you!

Recourse? It's not like she forgot to pay the bills or is refusing you water, the ENTIRE building doesn't have water! Sometimes you just have to deal with things. Time to grow up and not expect a reward or compensation for every little thing.

Your clothes are dirty (after not having water for just one day!?)? Ask her to wash them for you or find a place that will wash them for a fee (this is Korea, there are laundromats everywhere). You already figured out how to shower, so what's the big deal?

Triban · Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Location: Suwon Station

Turn your spigot on and all the way to the hot setting...eventually it will thaw out and water will flow. In the future, leave a faucet dripping.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

vassalage · Joined: 12 Jun 2006

Update:
the grandpa is now directing a blow torch at the boiler in hopes of thawing it out.....lovely.

There is a laundry mat in Gangnam near yeoksam station.
www.speedcleaning.net

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

I had frozen pipes just last week. I simply put a space heater about six inches from the pipes and turned it on full. In about 45 minutes it thawed out...and now I have running water again.