First world problems

[derf]

Given 2020 as a whole, I guess this doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

 

A few weeks ago I noticed a wet spot on the basement carpet away from anything that could have spilled.  And the basement started smelling musty.

 

Great.  A water leak.

 

Turns out it's a partial backup of the sewer.  The water was coming up from the floor drain after a shower or running something like the dishwasher or clothes washer.  The water drains away within a couple of hours so by the time I bothered to get down to the basement to look the water was gone except for where it soaked into the carpet padding.

 

I checked after a shower last night and sure enough, there was just a little standing water right by the drain.  Enough to get out under the wall into the carpet in the neighboring room.

 

So yeah, I get to replace the ugly carpet sooner than I wanted.

 

The plumber will be here in a couple of hours and figure out exactly what the blockage is.  Hopefully it's not a tree root.  I'll be pissed if it's that.  But if they don't have to dig or only have to dig up the yard, that would be better than trying to fix a pipe under the basement slab.

 

So since poop water got into the padding the plan is to pull the carpet and throw it in a WM Bagster Bag, then grab some of the adhesive backed carpet tiles from Home Depot that are basically remnants from industrial supply randomly thrown into a box so you get a scatter pattern of different carpet styles.  Hey, it's under $1 per square foot and it's easy.  If they have to dig inside the house, that will change.

 

If this is the worst that happens to me this year, I'll be grateful.  Still, it bugs me I have to deal with this right now.

[Pete M]

no one likes poo water in the basement.   been there, done that on 2 houses. 

 

 

[Torq_Shep]

I have been replacing a lot of my flooring with LVP. Its nearly as cheap, durable as hell, doesn't get cold like tile, and looks pretty decent. 

 

I kind of hear you on that though... 2020 started out with a dead minivan (2007 Odyssey cylinder 3 ring failure), another dead minivan, bought as a cheap interim (1996 Astro Main bearing failure), and a dead motorcycle (2006 FZ6 bad fuel pump). It has only gone downhill from there. 

[derf]

So it's possible the people who put the radon system in hit the sewer pipe.  They're going to bring a camera in to inspect ot tomorrow and verify.

[Pete M]

of all the possibilities rattling around in my head, that was not one of them. 

[Minuit]

I think at this point we'd all take a re-do on 2020.

[derf]

13 minutes ago, Pete M said:

of all the possibilities rattling around in my head, that was not one of them. 

It's weird how the drain pipe snakes around under the basement.  It goes around and comes in exactly the opposite direction you think it should.  And right where they put in the radon system after the inspection...

[derf]

Oh, and I have "limited use" of the facilities until the slow drain issue is resolved.

 

So the first thing I'm going to do is put the rest of my chili in the freezer until this gets fixed.  No one deserves to deal with that...

[75sv1]

14 hours ago, Minuit said:

I think at this point we'd all take a re-do on 2020.

I had more time to work on the Jeeps. Lemonade taste great.

[Ollie]

Seems as if these "mansions" we live in are a maintenance nightmare, always something. I have had septic tank issues this year. Playing in poop is not my idea of a fun time !!

Guess we can't play with our toys all the time.

 

Having Comanche Fun,

Ollie

[Smokeyyank]

First house we bought needed to have the entire line replaced as it had roots growing in it. Luckily we did a scope before buying it and they caught it. We just moved again (don't ask) and new place has a bunch of bentonite in the area so we opted to do another scope and came back clean. Learned it's better the shell out the $100 for the scope then the bill later. 

[derf]

25 minutes ago, Smokeyyank said:

First house we bought needed to have the entire line replaced as it had roots growing in it. Luckily we did a scope before buying it and they caught it. We just moved again (don't ask) and new place has a bunch of bentonite in the area so we opted to do another scope and came back clean. Learned it's better the shell out the $100 for the scope then the bill later. 

That's just it.  I shelled out for the scope.  Then they installed the radon system and may have broken it a few days later.  

[89 MJ]

We just had our sewer back up in our house earlier this year. I guess you could say it was a crappy situation. Or in short, a $#!&uation.

[Smokeyyank]

6 hours ago, derf said:

That's just it.  I shelled out for the scope.  Then they installed the radon system and may have broken it a few days later.  

 

Ohhhh damn, well that sucks. I'm guessing the mitigation systems was part of the contingencies? If so maybe see if you can get them to pick up the tab. 

[derf]

As it turns out, the radon system wasn't the cause.  The PO ran some storm drains into the sewer.  The junction got clogged and caused the backup.

 

Good news is that the plumbers have made the first round of repairs.  So at least I can use the facilities now.  But we have to solve the other drains.

 

I'm going to have to have a conversation with the home inspector and the crew he subcontracted the sewer inspection out to.  And then maybe call an attorney.

[Sir Sam]

49 minutes ago, derf said:

As it turns out, the radon system wasn't the cause.  The PO ran some storm drains into the sewer.  The junction got clogged and caused the backup.

 

Good news is that the plumbers have made the first round of repairs.  So at least I can use the facilities now.  But we have to solve the other drains.

 

I'm going to have to have a conversation with the home inspector and the crew he subcontracted the sewer inspection out to.  And then maybe call an attorney.

 

Good luck, usually they have enough CYA verbage in there that its near getting blood from a stone.