The coworking space in Lisbon that flooded my laptop

I was in Lisbon for a month and picked this trendy coworking spot near the waterfront. Halfway through a Tuesday, a pipe burst above my desk and drenched my bag, killing my charger and a backup hard drive. I ended up finding a local repair shop that saved my data for 40 euros, but now I always check the ceiling before I sit down anywhere. Has anyone else had a location disaster ruin part of their setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_wilson21h ago

Yeah, the "pipe burst above my desk" part hit close to home. I had almost the same thing happen in a shared office in Chicago last year, except it was a sprinkler system that went off. Ruined my laptop's keyboard and killed the power brick. I learned to keep a small dry bag in my backpack for my electronics ever since. Also, I always put my bag on the floor now instead of the desk, so if something leaks above, it's not getting soaked directly.

casey34219h ago

idk @shane_wilson i feel like putting your bag on the floor is asking for trouble too. people spill coffee, step on stuff, or the janitor mops and your bag ends up damp anyway. i'd rather have it on my desk where i can see it than risk someone kicking it or water seeping up from the ground.

wells.evan19h ago

Nah, I gotta push back on you @shane_wilson - putting your bag on the floor means it's way more likely to get dirty, kicked, or soaked from a wet mop. Desks are at least above most spills and foot traffic, and you can always just set it in a different spot on your desk if a pipe really is a known risk. I'd rather risk a freak ceiling leak than lose my gear to a coworker's coffee that I never even saw coming.