Plumbing

When Mac started to build our home at Belmont the children’s section came first.  Once that was completed, he planned on finishing the kitchen and dining areas before tackling the master bedroom and the living room.  This way we would be able to move in while the rest of the house was being built, not something I was looking forward to!  The thought of living in the middle of a construction site was not appealing, but Mac was anxious to move into the house as soon as possible.

I couldn’t help being worried about the plumbing for the house.  In the children’s quarters, which would be separated from the main house, there would be one toilet, a bidet, two sinks and a shower.  The master bedroom would have the same arrangement with the addition of a hot tub, which for some reason Mac thought would be nice on those chilly evenings Bequia has so often!  In the dining section of the house there would be another toilet, shower and sink as well as a double sink in the kitchen.  This all called for some pretty extensive plumbing!

Mac told me to relax, he knew what he was doing and the plumbing would not be a problem.  I was anxious, because I could see that the PVC pipes for the plumbing would be under the clay tiles he planned to use in the courtyard, and he would be using an awful lot of PVC piping.  I wanted him to be SURE there were no leaks or awkward bends when the pipe was laid, I certainly didn’t want a repeat of Marie Kingston’s plumbing mishap!  Bequia didn’t have plumbers back then, you had to deal with your own problems when they cropped up, and the results were not always satisfactory!

Marie Kingston worked at the Frangipani Hotel and lived in a house at Lower Bay. Her home, set on a steep hill overlooking the sea, was a lovely mix of wood and stone, with a large central living, dining and kitchen area.  The two bedrooms were located on either side of the kitchen, each with its own toilet, sink and shower. Marie always seemed to have plumbing problems, and she told me it was because the PVC had been laid with sharp bends. Her PVC pipes were forever getting clogged, which anyone knows is not pleasant. Getting the pipes cleared when they are buried is difficult, and if Drano doesn’t work more drastic measures are needed.

One day Marie’s pipes were badly clogged, and her drains smelled dreadful as a result of the backed-up water.  Drano wasn’t having any effect, neither was boiling hot water; it was time to call in the “Shit Brigade”!  Marie asked two men to see if they could clear the pipes, and they came up with a brilliant idea.  They arrived with a dive tank and said they were going to send compressed air through the pipes, if that didn’t clear them nothing would.  The idea seemed logical to Marie, a good blast from the tank should do the trick.  The men went into the first bathroom, directed the tank’s nozzle down the toilet and let ‘er rip.  Whoosh! The force of the compressed air sent all the compacted poo through the PVC pipe all right, and it flew straight in the air through the other bathroom’s toilet!  The poo was plastered EVERYWHERE – roof, walls, sink, shower – and it stank to high heaven.  For several days afterwards, the two “plumbers” regaled the Island with the dive tank story, exclaiming to anyone listening, “ef yo see shit fly mon,  ef yo see it fly!”

I did NOT want to see shit fly, and watched anxiously while Mac and his workers laid the PVC in front of what would one day be the master bedroom. Over the years we have had our share of plumbing issues; we have dug up clay tiles, fixed leaking toilets and dealt with blocked drains, but I am pleased to say I have never seen shit fly!