At 6:15 a.m. in 4B, my plumber stopped a pinhole leak and, to ‘save the floors’, routed the wet vac into the lobby planter — so yes, leak gone and the ficus got a spa day. It’s exactly why I stick with vendors who know the building and think about long-term damage (cheaper than replacing subfloor), but does anyone else have a story where the method was ridiculous and the asset’s value still came out ahead?
6:15 vibes — our guy ran the wet vac into the laundry sink; avoids clogged planters and muddy lobby “spa day”.
Had the same thing once — our super piped the vac to a ficus, so we now keep a 25’ discharge hose with quick-connects to reach a mop sink; if it’s planter or bust, we zip-tie a mesh strainer on the hose so the ‘spa day’ doesn’t become mud. Small caveat: jot the gallons for landscaping, or hello fungus gnats, @mark_rod45.
Quick tip: I keep a small condensate pump in the wet‑vac kit — drop the intake in the drum and run a garden hose to a tub or toilet, so you still ‘save the floors’ without turning the ficus into a sump. If it has to be a planter, make sure there’s a liner and a catch tray or you’ll etch the stone. The float switch means you don’t have to babysit it.