Sewer Woes

Butterflies!

I got up a week ago Saturday morning with, as usual, a long list of chores which needed doing (which is what happens when one crams all of the work needed at home into a single day each week). I went to the basement to get my scrub bucket, and stopped, looking with dismay at the basement floor.

There, around the floor drain, was a malodorous puddle.

I knew what it meant; this has happened before - too much stuff goes down the sewer line, and they need to come clear it out.

About a year ago, I subscribed to a sewer line insurance plan. (Since my sewer line is the original one installed with the house, about a hundred years ago, I figured it was prudent.) I called them up, and was impressed when a crew showed up about three hours later.  No problem, I thought. They'll be able to get the line cleared out and I'll be back in business in an hour.

Or, not.

They ran their auger down the line, hit nothing. Tried again with a larger claw, hit nothing. Two hours later, they packed up their toys and went home with the line still clogged. They promised they'd be back, but I have to admit I didn't quite believe them - it was approaching 4PM on a Saturday afternoon.

But sure enough, their truck pulled back in up front around seven, this time accompanied by the master plumber who owns the company. They hooked up a sewer line power washer, dragged their hoses through the kitchen, and started blasting away at the line. This cleared out the goop in the line (goop is a good word, don't you think?) and the puddle on the floor finally drained itself out.

Next, they ran a camera down the line. I stood back behind the crew, wondering what they'd find. Sure enough, about 40' out, there was a clear break in the pipe. **sigh**

I'm still waiting for final resolution. The garbage disposal is NOT to be used, and the house is on a toilet paper diet, but they told me running water and water-soluble items (i.e. poop  ** whew.  that was a relief! **) through the pipes would be OK until they were able to come to an agreement about the scope of work with the insurance company.

I am grateful this waited until spring to happen - it's a lot easier to dig through the front lawn when Mother Nature isn't dumping snow and ice on it every few days.
I am grateful I bought the sewer insurance. My gut tells me this will still cost me a pretty penny, but not as much as it would have.
I am grateful for the quick response of the plumbing company - they treated my problem as if it were at their own homes. They weren't going to leave me unable to use the plumbing if they could do anything about it. If they couldn't have cleared the line, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't still be waiting around for a repair bid.

And, I have a renewed appreciation for the wonder of my sewer pipes. They seamless take away all sorts of effluence without my ever having to give it a thought.

Good Is.