Monday, May 19, 2014

Plumbing Woes . . .

Can I just say that the last four weeks have been crappy - literally!  We had not been home three days from our anniversary trip when we realized very quickly, that something was drastically wrong with our septic system!  The toilets weren't flushing like they should, and I could hear a funny gurgling sound in the basement when my washer was draining.  We called someone to come and pump our septic tank (gross huh?!), and he confirmed that our drain system was not working . . . not what we wanted to hear!  And to make matters even worse, we were babysitting three of our grandchildren for a few days, but can I just say, they were so good at NOT using water.

To make a long story short, our contractor, after talking to the inspector, told us that we had to hook onto a sewer line that runs in front of our house.  Now, we were told when they put the sewer line in three years ago,  that we could not hook onto it, that it only serviced a few other communities, many miles from our house! Well . . . that is not true.  If you live within 300 feet of this sewer line, and your septic system fails,  you MUST hook onto it, and it's not cheap!!  So, four weeks later, we are just now able to use the system!

Four weeks of dealing with dumping dish water, only flushing when needed, taking military showers, and only doing minimal laundry, has made me a cranky woman!  We are finally hooked up, and it feels really good to be able to use the water again.  I could write a book about the cost of hooking up to this system, and the way that government is trying to control us in every way!  I could also write a book about how living with minimal water has made me realize how grateful I am to my ancestors for the sacrifices they made, and how grateful I am for modern conveniences!




I'm not sure my yard will ever be the same, (my poor trees!), but I am grateful for those who do this work, my son being one of them.  We have lots of work to do as far as landscaping, but, I am so glad that I have a working toilet!!



Hugs,

14 comments:

Shug said...

Bless your heart.....I do feel for you!! Sewer problems can only mean big trouble and I promise...I know how expensive it can be!! Like this is what you wanted to hear about when you got home from a sweet vacation. So sorry Barb. Hopefully, it won't take you very long to get the place landscaped and everything put back together....I'm guessing the new look will be gorgeous!! Now, it's time for another SWEET vacation! Come to Texas!!

Anonymous said...

You poor thing. That sounds absolutely awful. I am sorry that it was so costly but I am glad you are able to use your water as much as you'd like now. {{HUGS}}

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Barb, I am so sorry you had to deal with sewer problems, not the least of which is the expense! I do know how expensive things are with the foundation work we just had done. I hold my breath now every time it rains hard and hope it will work and keep our basement dry. So far, so good. Of course, we haven't really been tested with those 5 inch rains yet. I know you are certainly enjoying being able to use as much water as you need to and you can flush that toilet all you want! :)
Thank you so much, my friend, for the sweet words on my post. You were one of my very first blogging friends and I treasure your friendship! I, too, hope we can meet some day. Enjoy your week and your water! Hugs, Cheryl

Kerin said...

Shoot n bagooties. You have had a rough month!!
Glad you were able to figure out the problem, and get it fixed. Yes.... that type of stuff is always so costly! The worst part of it is, you never have anything to show for it....well, except toilets that will flush, that is... *grin**.
I can relate.
In one of the houses we renovated, we had a cesspool, and a widow lady had lived there for 50 plus years. The excavator told my husband, that he had put it in and there were boulders the size of WV bugs in there, and it would handle our household just fine. That's when my husband let him know that there would now be a family of 5 using the system, not just one person. His next comment was..."we better get you hooked up to the city".
Much money later and a hundred and twenty feet of sewer line with a drop that went from 3 feet to 9 feet... we were on the city meter. Oh joy.. we then had the privilege of paying for sewer.

Hoping that this week is the beginning of a good stretch for you!!! I've been thinking about you, and hoping that all is well. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Kerin

LeAnn said...

Oh my gosh this is a horrible story. I can sympathize on this one. In Spokane we had to put in new drain fields in both our homes. However, I have a worse story that would take too long to share; but remind me and I will tell you about it. It does cost a lot; but now you are on sewer it will be so much better.
I can't imagine taking care of three grandchildren through all of this. It made me tired just reading about it all.
Blessings to you both and you do deserve a rest after all of that. Love and hugs!

Just Ramblin' said...

I'm sorry you have to go through all this turmoil and expense especially just after arriving home from a wonderful and relaxing vacation. Not much fun! However, I'm happy to hear that you now have water and are beginning to get things back to normal. Hope things will only continue to improve for you. Nola

RoeH said...

Ugh! Nothing worse that house problems. My thing is, if they put it together one, there should be no reason as to why it would go bad. No matter what 'it' is. Oh well. I can dream.

Valerie said...

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for the troubles and all the expense. Thinking of you. Blessings and Sunshine, Valerie

Kimmie said...

Uggg a real inconvenience and such a mess. Sheer relief it is all over now I bet! xxx

Marsha said...

Oh my! Somehow I missed reading this blog and it doesn't even sound fun. And I thought I had it bad while doing wash yesterday and flooded my room. I only found it because I didn't have shoes on and when I walked across the rug, it was all wet and squishy. Hope mine doesn't turn into what you've had to deal with. Ah yes, the toilet. What would we EVER do without it!

Unknown said...

Plumbing-related problems are really a pain in the neck. Good thing you immediately called for help. You were able to know the real cause and get an immediate solution for it. That was certainly a lot of process. Thankfully it’s all over now, and hopefully this will be the last time you’ll experience that.

Kurt Verdejo @ Total Plumbing

Unknown said...

It's too bad your trees had to be moved in order for the sewage system to be fixed. But at least you have working plumbing now, and you can always start anew with your yard. I just hope that they managed to finish it soon after, so as to not inconvenience you and the other people in the neighborhood for a long time. Take care!

Laverne Knight @ Midland Mechanical, Inc.

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