Roe's Washing Machine with Brown Residue on Clothes

Roe’s Washing Machine with Brown Residue on Clothes

By Kaitlin Forestieri (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Roe resident Brooke Thompson was doing her laundry Oct. 17 when the water stopped working.

“I had no clue that the water turned off,” she said. “I put my laundry in and when I came back 27 minutes later, the machine still said 25 minutes.”

The water began working again shortly after. But the water that came out was brown.

Thompson said she noticed all of her clothing had turned brown in the washer machine.

“I was so angry,” she said.

Thompson called the washing machine company, Caldwell & Gregory, which assured her they would return her call. More than an hour later the company still had not called back.

After the water was turned back on, the washing machine carried on as usual. After it finished washing the clothes, brown residue remained.

Roe's Washing Machine Turned Students' Clothing Brown

Roe’s Washing Machine Turned Students’ Clothing Brown

Thompson rewashed her clothing twice, costing her $6. After the third wash, the residue finally came off. Thompson called Caldwell & Gregory a second time to complain, and they issued her a refund of $10.

Maurice (Moe) Copeland, Roe Hall’s Resident Director, was present the time the water shut off. Copeland said the issue was not Wesley’s but Dover’s.

The City of Dover had been doing maintenance, when something went wrong and shut the water off for Roe and houses beyond Governor’s Avenue, he said.

“The pipes are old,” Copeland said. “So if students find that the water is discolored, just let it run.”

Copeland called maintenance, which responded quickly. Maintenance contacted the Dover to resolve it, and Roe had usable water again an hour and a half later.

Rick Richardson, head of maintenance, responded to Copeland’s call.

“Brown water in Dover is an ongoing issue related to older water mains,” Richardson said.

Richardson said Dover supplies water to all Wesley campus buildings. Due to a leak in the water main on Governors Avenue, the city was forced to shut off the water to all customers served by the damaged main.

The repair was completed around 11 p.m., and service was restored to all customers.