Oh poop

Literally.

So the basement had flooding on Sunday - this is sewage water we are talking about. Then the toilets would not flush and any attempt to take a shower or use a decent amount of water resulted in bubbling up of the water downstairs. So we already had the carpet cleaner here to help dry out the basement. Yesterday the plumbers came as well to help diagnose the water issue. We were kind of hoping it was a city problem, not ours, so that we would not have to foot the bill. Or we were hoping it was a small easy fix. Neither is the case, unless you are Donald Trump or Bill Gates and $16,000+ is pocket change.

Yesterday they dug a big hole. Today they pumped some sewage water out of a "vault" (basically a concrete hole in our yard that sort of resembles an abandoned well) so they could get a camera in & get a good look at things. There are two issues, and one is an easy fix but both have to be dealt with. The easy fix is that the backflow valve was broken: basically if the city sewer pipes were overwhelmed, things would flow back towards our house instead of being stopped by the backfkow flap. The bigger problem is this: the pipe between our house & the backflow valve that is supposed to be angling down & away from our house so sewage flows towards the street & the city pipes, is instead angled towards our house so the poop water is sitting & getting stuck. This is most likely a result of settling over time in this wonderful peat bog known as Greenwood. (Anyone who has visited our house has probably noticed a slight tilt, especially if a child drops a ball, that is due to settling.) Well, pipes settle as well as houses unfortunately.

Matt & I had been talking about a large purchase, possibly this Christmas season. But trust me when I say that new poop pipes were not what we were discussing.

Stay tuned. I am sure there will be updates.

oh, also: just as we were realizing the extent of the problem and the possible cost, the power went out. A circuit had flipped the other day due to all the equipment running both in and outside to dry out & dig up. Today it was more than a circuit, it was the entire house. Nearby street lights were not working so it was obviously not just our problem. So I was not looking forward to a day in a house where I am afraid to flush the toilet plus I have no electricity for things like lights, cooking food, etc. But part of me was thinking of the possible upside: maybe I would need to eat the peppermint ice cream before it all melted & maybe we would need to go out to a restaurant for dinner tonight. The good (and bad) news is that the lights are now back on.