The storm moved east after dark. It usually does. The pump stopped sulking. I sketched the roof and drew where the water really went, not where I thought it went. That’s the work here. Fewer surprises next time the rain lashes down again. Rain hit hard and straight. It hammered down. No warning, just a grey splurge and a noise like gravel being thrown on tin. The north gutter rolled and threw a sheet of water off the corner Quite impressive tbh. The cat vanished under the stove. Pussy. I jabbed the downpipe with a stick and a felted plug of leaves slid out with a brown gloop.
The tank went tea coloured in not a good way in a minute. I cracked the first flush, filled two barrels, and let the rest settle. The pump tried, coughed, choked and then just gave up. Vicent turned up at the gate, dry hat, even dryer jokes. “Gutters remember last year.” He watched me swear at my scrap-mesh guard and nodded like that proved his point. Funny guy.
When the most of it passed, I looked at the state of the gutters. Three sags. One lying elbow. Screws rusted just enough to flex. Really annoying. The fall is wrong on the long side, which i knew about. I marked each problem with a wax pencil. List for tomorrow: stainless screws, proper leaf guards, second downpipe, real ladder. Maybe borrow one but i really should invest. Raise the tank tap so that brown sludge stays below the draw. Not ideal but workable.
We use Jávea as a reference point because it’s where we actually buy parts and help friends with their places. Different rain there, different problems. Montgó, the local mountain, throws the wind one way, the Port gets salt blown in from Ibiza, the Old Town traps water on narrow balconies and its tiny allies. Last month I helped Ana mop her terrace after a really violent squall, then sat with a builder marking where a simple drip edge would have saved the door frame. The fourth one in 5 years. When I’m stuck on our gutter angles, I look at how finished homes cope: villas for sale with covered terraces, townhouses near the Port with discreet downpipes, sea view penthouses that don’t pour into the stairwell, and for a clean compare across blocks I check apartments for sale in Javea. It shows the small fixes that work in real buildings, not just ideas. Top tip there for anyone reading.
Back at the tank I pulled out a jar, let the grit fall, checked clarity. Drew two lines on the plastic. No pump if the sky is grey. Safe pump at midday if the level is above the second mark. That should keep the inverter under manners until I fix the fall and fit a real first flush.
Inside smelled like wet cardboard with a hint of labrador. You know the smell. Clothes by the stove, door tiles mopped, poor solitary beetle out of the strainer. The cat reappeared with a leaf on his face and was a bit attitudey. Vicent shouted that he’ll bring a ladder in the morning. He better had.
Small upgrades for the week:
• Replace the elbow on the northwest corner
• Add a second downpipe on the long run
• Fit proper leaf guards, not the mesh bodge
• Raise the tank tap for a permanent sludge pocket
• Paint the tank cap to slow UV chalking
The storm moved east after dark. The pump stopped sulking. I sketched the roof and drew where the water really went, not where I thought it went. That’s the work here. Fewer surprises next time the weather tests the house. Well, actually, me!
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