Saved by the Smell

So...looks like we're saved!

Our neighbor told us that when they had their sewage backup in the house a few months ago, their plumber told them that they had a pipe in the back that came from our yard and then led down their backyard and into the easement and then probably connected to the Louisville Sewer System. This was on the 23rd.

We called Mr. Herre right away and told him this news. He called the plumber again and they came out on the 23rd and looked and sure enough, we are attached across the backyard.

So, on December 26th, they snaked out the line and dug a big hole in the yard and found a root that was clogging the line, plus about 100 baby wipes! Apparently before we knew you couldn't flush those, when Thomas was under 6 months old, we clogged that pipe with Baby Wipes! He said it wouldn't have really been an issue if it wasn't for the root. We told him we had only flushed 2 or 3 a year since we found out 4 years ago, and those had been mostly accidents. He said, "Yep, well there they all are. They don't ever fall apart or go away!"

Those of you who are "Earth Aware" don't use regular baby wipes, they'll be around somewhere 4 years later!

Anyway, it's all cleared up and running fine now, and won't cost us $14,000! They still have to cover the hole and put in a clean-out access top on it, so if something else happens again, they won't have to dig another hole!

Our Big Christmas Present Huh?

As of today, Mr. Herre filled in the grease trap with sand and a pipe has been inserted to allow the house plumbing to go straight into the sewage line, so we won't even have to empty that thing again.

Worse case scenario is that we'll have to re-dig out that tree root every few years.

MJ

ps- thanks for the support, emails, and prayers, one way or another, it worked! Now if we can just pay for the "minor" work they've already done!

The Problem with Plumbing

So the super short version, which I will tell more on later, is that we are not attached to the Louisville Sewer System. We apparently (everyone's best guess) have a septic tank, which no one knew was there and they therefore covered up years ago.

The lovely thing has filled up now and would have backed up, except that they had also built a grease-trap off the kitchen sink. The grease and food is supposed to go down the kitchen sink and settle at the bottom of this little 3 foot well, then the water flows out a pipe into the septic tank.

Well, the tank being full, the water, and "stuff" is all coming back up that pipe and filling the 3 foot well up (right under my back door stairs) and overflowing down my driveway. It's a stinky problem..ahem...

So, the answer, unfortunately, is to spend $12,000-$14,000 and get attached to Louisville Sewers. They want to run a big pipe inside the house around the base of the basement wall and then out the foundation and up through the front of the house, and across the front yard, where it will attach to the sewer system.

They owe us of course for 7 years of sewer bills we have been paying and didn't really owe them, so it might come out a little closer to $8000.

WE'LL SEE....

Stinks for us!

MJ

PS- Sam dared me to title this, "Shi**er's Full", I declined....