ok, so that was p-trap problem #3. i got out of the shower, took a nap and woke up to it smelling pretty rank.

so, we did the same routine, and it seems to have cleared up relatively quickly - i guess i got it early. i'm sure we're looking at a few days to clear out, at least. and, i was just finishing my last batch of laundry, too. ugh.

but, i've got enough data now to understand what's going on  i fixed this in mid-august, mid-september and then mid-october. so, roughly once a month, give or take. that's too frequently to be acceptable - we need to find a way to fix this.

i have now sent three emails to the landlord about this, and received no response.

so...

what happens if he doesn't fix it?

1) i need to run hot water to keep the drains wet, and otherwise clear the air out.
2) i need to shower more frequently.
3) i need to run the fans.
4) i need to do extra laundry.

this is all expensive and frustrating for him, and he's mentioned it. the rational thing to do is fix the sewer issue, so we can fix these other issues. but he doesn't appear to be a rational agent - he seems to neither recognize his responsibility to fix the issue, nor does he seem to think i have much of a right to complain about it. the messaging i'm getting is that he basically doesn't think it's his problem...

i can't prove he's smoking, so i can't do anything about it. and, it took forever for me to figure out the issue with the gas, too. but, now that i understand what's happening, i have enough information to force him to do something.

the easiest thing for him to do would be to transform into a rational agent and fix the sewer line, whatever that means. step one would clearly be to call a plumber. that would be ideal.

the hardest thing for him to do would be to ignore me. but, that's what i'm actually expecting, because that seems to be what he's like. he'll claim it's stressful, or he's too busy or something - clearly bullshit excuses, and maybe his ex-wife accepts them, but they're not excuses a court will accept.

so, what's next?

1) i'll wait three days for an email response
2) if i get no email response, i'll leave a letter in his box and give him until november 1st to respond. this letter will clearly lay out reality and he'll have the choice of how to deal with it.
3) if i still get no response, i'll get the landlord and tenant board to order him to pay for a plumber. that's how this works - you take him to the board, and the board makes him do it.

i'm not a plumber. i don't know what to do next, besides call one.

but, this is an uninhabitable scenario. again. and i have to react appropriately, if he won't respond.

there is some chance that the plumber may decide he can't fix it, and we'll have to go from there if he does.

the liberals are supposed to do better than this.