Is there any "logical" explanation that might be offered if a sink lever rose on its own and turned the water on? yes, there are hints of the paranormal going on in my story, but I'm looking for other explanations.
Sink Lever appearing to have risen on its own
- Thread starter JennieRose8
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This is what I know so far: in older homes, pressure can build up in the lines and cause the water to start leaking or gushing out. But would that cause the lever to rise? I can't find an answer on that.
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I'm confused by the term "sink lever." Do you mean the stopper which allows a sink to fill rather than drain? The faucet handle, knob, or control which turns the water on or off?
I suspect any plumber can tell you multiple ways the water at a sink might flow without human intervention.
Maryn, whose dripping tub faucet makes her crazy
I suspect any plumber can tell you multiple ways the water at a sink might flow without human intervention.
Maryn, whose dripping tub faucet makes her crazy
lol. Yeah, I mean the lever you lift to turn it on. The only thing I've found so far is water pressure building up to cause it to leak or gush, but that lever lifting on its own? Dunno. I'm sure there's something that can cause it. At least a little.
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But the explanation doesn't have to be rational. It might add to the story if the reader doesn't buy the explanation but the character seems to maybe because he/she wants to gloss over something troubling and inexplicable--s6
shannon who used to live in a spooooky old house.
shannon who used to live in a spooooky old house.
Good point. The owner of the house knows what can cause sinks to run on their own but can't explain the lever rising. Maybe I'll leave that unexplained.
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Yes, excess pressure can cause the sink handle to lift if it's an old faucet set with bushings that are dying. I have an old faucet set on my shower that I have to repeatedly turn off because it doesn't stay shut. But unexplained works too.
A crappy example with "talking heads" (no action)
#1 "Did you turn on the water?"
#2 "No. That sink always drips"
#1 "But it was running water, not just dripping."
#2 "Probably just a pressure surge. The plumbing in this neighborhood is ancient."
#1 "But the lever was lifted."
#2 "I don't think so. It's always been a little loose."
#1 "I swear. It was up a little."
#2 "It always feels like that. You need to relax."
#1 gives some physical action to dismiss #2.
And leave it at that. The reader will now be aware of the possibility that the lever may have been raised, but whether it really was or not isn't important at this time. The seed has been planted for the rest of the story.
If you want to shy away from the paranormal (eventually), you can have character #1 "experience" other controversial events that have alternate explanations (without nailing down those explanations), and depending on how the story is written, the reader will begin to doubt the accuracy of #1's observations, or start to believe there is something unusual happening.
#1 "Did you turn on the water?"
#2 "No. That sink always drips"
#1 "But it was running water, not just dripping."
#2 "Probably just a pressure surge. The plumbing in this neighborhood is ancient."
#1 "But the lever was lifted."
#2 "I don't think so. It's always been a little loose."
#1 "I swear. It was up a little."
#2 "It always feels like that. You need to relax."
#1 gives some physical action to dismiss #2.
And leave it at that. The reader will now be aware of the possibility that the lever may have been raised, but whether it really was or not isn't important at this time. The seed has been planted for the rest of the story.
If you want to shy away from the paranormal (eventually), you can have character #1 "experience" other controversial events that have alternate explanations (without nailing down those explanations), and depending on how the story is written, the reader will begin to doubt the accuracy of #1's observations, or start to believe there is something unusual happening.
Thanks! Your example wasn't so crappy. But basically, some other things HAVE been happening. Some of it is explainable, some of it isn't. I'm not going to try and nail down and absolute cause of everything because that's dictating to the reader what they should believe-which I'm trying to shy away from. At least in that respect.
Yes, excess pressure can cause the sink handle to lift if it's an old faucet set with bushings that are dying. I have an old faucet set on my shower that I have to repeatedly turn off because it doesn't stay shut. But unexplained works too.
Thanks for the input. What's "Dance with the Devil" about? The cover is interesting.
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Book 6 of my co-authored urban fantasy series. The protagonist is formerly human who is now part vampire and part siren. The cover blurb says it best:
Under the right conditions, a strong vibration can make things move. For instance, a door that swung by itself turned out to move only when a train passed on a nearby track. Maybe some construction has started nearby, and there are dump trucks full of dirt going by the house. Other side effects of the construction could explain strange happenings, e.g. flickering lights, odd noises, shaking windows, plumbing issues....
How about a cat who likes to drink out of the faucet? They can learn to push up a lever. The people may or may not know. Depends on what you want...
I think I saw on Ghost Hunters were an underground river or lake caused the water pressure inside the house to change and the older faucet would turn on by itself.
I also like the cat idea.
I also like the cat idea.
Hmm, sounds interesting. For once, it's a vampire heroine instead of a hero ( I mean like "Angel," which I've never watched, so perhaps there was some vamp heroines in that series).
I've thought of writing vampire stories, only the person doesn't become "undead," just relies on blood for life. Animal blood suits them, but human blood is best. Of course, the cure I have in mind for the disease is...supernatural
And depends upon the blood of a certain lamb. What you just described reminded me of a Final Destination film. LOL You know, how one thing will start into motion, kicking off something else, and before you know it- there's catastrophe.