Backyard Question

Updated on June 13, 2011
C.M. asks from Harpers Ferry, WV
13 answers

Hi! So, we are renting a townhome and it has a pretty nice, but smaller yard out back that is fenced in. Last week I had a friend of mine who's family owns a landscaping business come over and help me out with weeds and stuff. We ended up having a ton of poison ivy. Thank goodness for her because she knew how to get it all out and I really wouldn't even know it was poison ivy. But, now that everything is gone and cleaned up I have planted some rose bushes and other flowers to make it look pretty. I went and bought a hose and then went to water everything I planted and spray down the bricks on the ground and just wanted to give it a good cleaning because we are having my sons 4th birthday party at the end of the month. I also bought a slip n slide and was going to hook that up for the party too. But, when I hooked up the hose, the water was barely a trickle! There is no water pressure coming out of the hose. I have more water pressure in my kitchen sink. I had it turned on all the way too. I don't understand why that would happen. My husband is going to take a look at it tomorrow when he has time since he is working right now. But, just to even water my flowers, I have to run back and forth 20 times to the kitchen with a large bowl so I can water them. What is wrong with my hose hookup? Why is there no water pressure? Is it a plumbing problem or just some other odd thing? It's been around 100 degrees here so I would love to be able to set up the slip n slide for my sons party and be able to water my flowers so they don't die. Oh and my landlord said that the backyard is mine to do whatever I want with. But, he doesn't know about the water pressure outside yet. I was going to have my husband try to fix it first and then if he can't, then we will tell the landlord. What do you think it could be?

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Seems to me that having the property in working order is your landlord's responsibility. It is fine if your husband doesn't mind doing the work and knows what he is doing, but what if there is a bigger problem and your landlord (down the road) says your husband somehow caused the problem by whatever he does to "look at it"?

Why not just call the landlord FIRST, and let him see about getting a plumber out to repair it? Re-read your lease agreement, but I'm sure that something like that would fall under landlord maintenance issues.

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

Call the landlord first. Have them come out and look at it before your husband touches it, just to protect yourself legally so they can't blame anything on you.

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S.!.

answers from Los Angeles on

I don't have a suggestion for the hose or water pressure.. but just wanted to remind you to not leave the slip in slide too long on the grass with that kind of heat. You will end up with a long streak of dead grass.

Have fun at the party!!

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A.S.

answers from Norfolk on

I would suggest that you ask the landlord to look into it & maybe have someone come out to look at it. Definitely sounds like something a plumber should be able to address & it would be to the landlords benefit to make sure there isn't something that can be done now to avoid a bigger & more costly issue for him later. Until that's done, is your hose long enough to connect to the kitchen sink? If so that may help with the flowers. Good luck!

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L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Have you checked the inside faucet for the outside hose bibs? In your basement, there is a faucet that will turn off the outdoor hose bibs. Most people turn it off during the winter so they don't have froizen pipes bursting. It may be that it just was not turned back on yet...

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B.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

It could be something as simple as as washer in the faucet. BUT, You should let the landlord know about it and get their input as to what they want to do about it.

If something breaks, you want them to point the finger at themselves and not at you.

Good luck to you and yours.

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E.P.

answers from Cumberland on

ask the landlord if the is a turn off valve for that spigot. It may have been turned off for the winter to avoid freezing. If there is and you open the valve you will, voila! have water

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S.H.

answers from Richmond on

When I lived in a townhouse there was a separate water main for our outside water. If that's not turned on or is barely on, you won't have much or any water. My roommate wanted to wash her car and found out we had no outside water. We couldn't figure it out so she called the landlord and they told her where the main was located.

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A.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Sometimes the water gets turned off over winter to ensure that something won't burst during the cold weather. Get that checked before you get in too much of a panic.

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Check to see if the bib is turned on, but you might also try tightening the screw on the spigot. That was the trouble with ours.

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A.P.

answers from Norfolk on

Most likely it is the shut-off valve inside the house that turns off outside faucets. The valve for the backyard faucet is underneath the kitchen sink, while the valve for the frontyard faucet is in the hall closet for my house because we don't have a basement. Call your landlord or ask a neighbor where the shut-off valves are in your townhouse. You should also know where the main shut-off and the water main is in case there is some water emergency in your home. It's really not something you need to call the plumber for, unless the landlord is mystified, too.
Knowledge is power,

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H.H.

answers from Washington DC on

We had a townhome and you had to turn on the hose bib from inside the house. The "switch" was in a room of the basement where the water heater was. Not sure if that's the problem?

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K.H.

answers from Richmond on

if you have pressure at the kitchen sink, but not outside, then it has to be something wrong on that end, maybe the pipe leading to the outside spigot.
first try it without the hose attached. if its still just a trickle, then it could be the valve inside the spigot.its either damaged so it wont open all the way, or the washer has worn out and pieces of it are stuck , blocking the flow. another possibility, if your pipes have been worked on, or there has been any utility work done on the main line, there could be debris inside the pipes themselves that has lodged on the backside of the valve.these are the most likely potential problems, if the spigot flows fine without the hose, then the hose is the problem
K. h.

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