H2O 2: Etseri, Svaneti
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No, not H2O2, because that would be hydrogen peroxide: useful for other things with that extra oxygen atom, but not as a replacement for good old water, comprising most of the bodies of every living thing on earth and something we all just like to drink and can’t live without for more than a few days. Just part 2 of last week’s dive into water renovation at Hanmer Guest House.
The two workers, actually come to stay for a few days, were greeted with 12 other guests and my wife and me as well, so, almost a full house. This, like nothing else, showed them the importance of what they were to do: we were all using one bathroom, with an outhouse for overflow as required. True, five of the guests left the next morning after breakfast; but still, they could see how having several more bathrooms would be vital if the whole summer saw as many people coming through, which bookings indicate it might do.
Having established our policy of “Buy expensive, buy seldom”, and come back with a carload of new supplies and materials, it was time to assemble some new systems to replace old. What plastic pipe-welders can do with a set of pipes and joints always amazes me. Sometimes the setup is complicated enough to boggle my mind, but once they explain its parts and functions to me the logic snaps into place. You turn on these two taps to get water via the motor-pump; or with them off, use that one to bypass it completely. This is the filter. Here we’re digging nice and deep, below the frostline. And so on.
Several times the first day, water was shut off as parts were installed. Once a mouse-sized mole made himself evident, coming out to investigate why in the world his tunnel-home was being flooded: just temporary, Mr Mole, sorry and it’ll soon be over!
The old 1000-liter water tank will move to the barn once we’ve drained, cleaned and plugged it, and if a neighbor wants to buy it, they can, as it’s still in good working order.
Inside the house, too, more flexibility, with off-taps for each bathroom separate. That way, if one of them has a problem, we can isolate it to work on it easily.
Most importantly perhaps, we also now have the ability to open a pipe leading outside into the garden for winter, to keep a bit of water running and thus help the whole system not to freeze. This is really the first time that this setup has been made so easy; in winters gone by it has always been something which I jury-rigged, which either didn’t work, resulting in frozen pipes and much frustration, or (uniquely last winter) did save us but was far from ideal.
Finally, silicone sealing and a bit of re-tiling in the upstairs bathrooms, followed by a period of some teasing to make sure we’re leak free. Replacing the dug-out earth outside to cover the newly laid pipes. Restoring order and function. The great thing about these particular workers is that they’re doing a big job, and small hotel, in Mestia for a couple more years. So, if tweaking is needed, as well as other larger jobs like floor replacement elsewhere, which we plan, they’re available for these things too. Meanwhile, we remain open and ready for guests, complete with five bathrooms!
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:
www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
By Tony Hanmer