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Hortmage
Registered User
Joined: 28 Oct 2001
Posts: 243
Location: Midwest
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 Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 11:31 am Post subject: Home Ownership woes |
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Our Beloved Author made the following lament on his home page:
| Quote: | ... my septic system .... well, the other day I noticed an air bubble gurgling from my toilet. And my drains started slowing. Today, my wife emailed me to tell me they pretty much stopped completely.
I began to think about this while I was at work. Yes, the septic tank undoubtedly needs pumped out. But that's about $150 that I don't have, and am not likely to have for a while. Not to mention the stink in the basement which leads me to believe there's a leak somewhere.
What I thought about was the cap on the pipe coming up from the septic tank. It's white plastic, the top is molded to look like a big nut, where you can grip it with a pipe wrench and unscrew it. The previous resident had hit it with a lawn mower and broken the nut off, so there's been a hold in the cap for as long as we've been here. Longer.
It's been around 5°F lately, what if it's frozen over?
I checked it tonight. Yep, it's frozen over ... and it's slushy ice. And it has this really interesting dark-yellowish tinge to it ...
So I plowed a screwdriver into it and worked it around to widen the hole.
Remember the opening to the old TV series The Beverly Hillbillies when Jed Clampett shot the ground and struck oil?
Yup.
I struck urine!
So here's this little yellow geyser ... which became this little brown geyser ...
No, I am not making this up!
It finally froze over, so I did it again, and it did it again, reaching an estimated height of 3-5 feet in the air before freezing over again. This time I let it be.
The standing water in the kitchen sink was gone! 
Well, I need to have the tank pumped, that's a given. And for that, I need $150.
But I can flush my toilet now!
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Oh. My. G-d.
On the one paw, that is the funniest tale of woe I've heard in a long time!!!! 
On the other paw, as a homeowner myself, I feel for you.  I've been there, dude. There's nothing you can do except bite the bullet and get the repairs done (can you say "Roto-Rooter"? I knew that you could!). You may have to sell one of the kids, but not only do these problems not get better on their own, they tend to get worse and more expensive as time goes on.
(The only other option is to slip the good china into your car's back seat and strike a match in the living room...)
The only contribution I can make at this time is to offer you some information from Purdue University on The Operation and Maintenance of Septic Fields.
(Urine geysers... )
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Hortmage, the Magic Gardener
Making environmental education fun and MAGICAL! |
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Nite
Administrator
Joined: 29 Jun 2003
Posts: 1085
Location: Purgatory
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| Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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You poor thing Chris @.@
A few years ago we needed to dig up our entire back yard to replace the system because the tank kept overflowing, wasn't a fun expirience at all x.x
Best of luck to the repairs, hope you don't have any more geyser problems! |
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Jbird
Forum Hatchetman
Joined: 12 Aug 2002
Posts: 554
Location: Reloading.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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May need a bigger tank. I had the same problem a couple of years ago at my place. Turns out the old septic tank was from the early '50's, and was a whopping 60 gallons. That's sixty. Had that ripped out and two five-hundred gallon tanks installed. Cost around $500. I know that's a pretty penny-- maybe they'll give you a discount if you take a picture of the 'crapsicle' you grew!
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Ash
Evil Henchman
Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 267
Location: England
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| Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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Makes me glad i'm plumbed into a proper sewage network. Certainly beats the Geyser of crap 
anyway, sceptic tanks are old skool  |
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mwalimu
Registered User
Joined: 08 Nov 2002
Posts: 782
Location: Normal, IL
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| Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Arctic Fox wrote: | Makes me glad i'm plumbed into a proper sewage network. Certainly beats the Geyser of crap
anyway, sceptic tanks are old skool |
What do you mean, old skool(sic)? They're a perfectly good method of sewage disposal, albeit one that requires more maintenance on the part of the homeowner than a public sewer system. Public sewage networks are preferable when you've got enough homes and businesses in close proximity and the means to provide sewage treatment facilities, but for small towns. isolated neighborhoods and rural homes, such things are not practical or cost effective. In those situations, septic systems are usually the best choice. It sure beats dumping the sewage into a waterway untreated, or hauling it out in tank trucks. Anything beats what people did with their wastewater (including their bodily waste) before running water and sewer systems existed.
One might ask, what kind of sewer system will Chris and Sabrina have when they buy a home together?
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mwalimu
My webpage -*-*- My LiveJournal
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taspacecampjh
Moderator
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 529
Location: Abilene, Texas
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| Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Well this topic went down the crapper.
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ChrisFoxx
Site Owner
Joined: 19 Mar 2001
Posts: 1056
Location: Eau Claire, PA USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:26 am Post subject: |
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| taspacecampjh wrote: | | Well this topic went down the crapper. |
:PPpppPPppPPPppp
Well, first of all, a "new-school" septic system, I saw a really cool one on Just Ask Jon Eakes (he's basically a Canadian Bob Vila, except he actually does stuff ). URL:
http://www.joneakes.com/us/hs/cgi-bin/getdetailsushs.cgi?id=1415
Now, for closure, the septic system was pumped out successfully late last winter and everything works again. It's a 1,000 gallon tank, and roughly 1/2 of it was pump-out-able liquid. For the rest it required finding a manhole in the backyard, and that was fun locating in about 4-6 inches of snow. We did find it, and weather prevented us from digging it completely before the septic people (husband and wife, now there's a mom-n-pop operation for ya!) 2 days later. The husband finished the digging (I was at work) and didn't charge us an extra dime! Sounds as if it took a heluva lot of chipping and breaking-up an'nat, but everything was cleaned out and the total was $135.
These people get my recommendation anytime they want it!
House still needs work, a lot of it I can handle myself (provided I have the money on hand) such as a lot of the rewiring, etc (finally got a ceiling fan and light in the kitchen and light in the bathroom!). Slow but sure ...
Now I know why I went into computers
Chris |
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Leonato
Moderator
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 319
Location: Nashville TN, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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Chris, I wish I lived closer to ya man. I'm an electrician, and I would gladly do that electrical work for ya at-cost. If you do wind up with any electrical questions, feel free to ask, I'd gladly give any advice that I am capable of. Keep on keepin on man, sounds like things be lookin up for ya again!!
PF's resident Lynx/Domestic reader,
Leonato
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ChrisFoxx
Site Owner
Joined: 19 Mar 2001
Posts: 1056
Location: Eau Claire, PA USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Leonato wrote: | | Chris, I wish I lived closer to ya man. I'm an electrician, and I would gladly do that electrical work for ya at-cost. If you do wind up with any electrical questions, feel free to ask, I'd gladly give any advice that I am capable of. Keep on keepin on man, sounds like things be lookin up for ya again!! |
Dude, with that kind of offer, please enlarge your email Inbox 
Thanks for the offer, I know I'll be taking you up on it!
CR |
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racky raccoon
Registered User
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 619
Location: MASH H.Q. (Essex) England
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Its times like this im reminded of what my father (the other RR.. Ronald Raccoon... Hes a Telecoms engineer for BT, so on these matters i took notice) said to me on my first day at college....
Racky he said, If you ever have an electrical fault at any time do NOT by any means touch the mains with wet paws....
something i will never forget, those words have armd me with the drive to get on with life (and not become an electrision )
Chris i know pass these words to you. I hope they help 
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Leonato
Moderator
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 319
Location: Nashville TN, USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 8:53 am Post subject: |
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| ChrisFoxx wrote: |
Dude, with that kind of offer, please enlarge your email Inbox
Thanks for the offer, I know I'll be taking you up on it!
CR |
No prob, its a Yahoo mailbox, 100MB max... WHOHO! But yea, dont hesitate to ask, and I'll do my darndest to answer, even draw out some simple scematics for ya if ya need em, to picture how stuff goes where, and what all it does. Hehehe, its pretty easy, sorta like plumbing with copper wires and what your plumbing in can kill ya And yes Racky, never become an Electrican, we all be screwed up in the head for even likeing it Anyways, I better get over to my fathers house (to do... you guessed it, more electrical, just this time for free). Catch ya'll later!
PF's resident Lynx/Domestic reader,
Leonato
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My Fury Code:
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ChrisFoxx
Site Owner
Joined: 19 Mar 2001
Posts: 1056
Location: Eau Claire, PA USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| racky raccoon wrote: | Its times like this im reminded of what my father (the other RR.. Ronald Raccoon... Hes a Telecoms engineer for BT, so on these matters i took notice) said to me on my first day at college....
Racky he said, If you ever have an electrical fault at any time do NOT by any means touch the mains with wet paws....
something i will never forget, those words have armd me with the drive to get on with life (and not become an electrision )
Chris i know pass these words to you. I hope they help |
Even though they came from a British Telecoms engineer
But good words, cheers!
Although, I also remember the words of a fellow fax technician I used to work with, when working on electronic equipment: "Close your eyes and don't touch nuthin' metal"
CR |
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ChrisFoxx
Site Owner
Joined: 19 Mar 2001
Posts: 1056
Location: Eau Claire, PA USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Leonato"] | ChrisFoxx wrote: |
Dude, with that kind of offer, please enlarge your email Inbox
Thanks for the offer, I know I'll be taking you up on it! |
No prob, its a Yahoo mailbox, 100MB max... WHOHO!
Me, I think they're just trying to get rid of the "Yahell" nickname everyfur's given 'em
| Quote: | | But yea, dont hesitate to ask, and I'll do my darndest to answer, even draw out some simple scematics for ya if ya need em, to picture how stuff goes where, and what all it does. |
That's be great, thanks!
And BTW, I love the plumbing analogy, very apt
| Quote: | | Hehehe, its pretty easy, sorta like plumbing with copper wires and what your plumbing in can kill ya And yes Racky, never become an Electrican, we all be screwed up in the head for even likeing it |
Freebies for the family, almost like being a doctor ... or a computer technician 
Chris |
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ChrisFoxx
Site Owner
Joined: 19 Mar 2001
Posts: 1056
Location: Eau Claire, PA USA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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Well, now, actually, if you know anything about refrigerators, I can use all the help I can get!
Freezer on top is freezing stuff okay, fridge ain't. And I can't afford to replace it. Help!
Well, never mind! All fixed! Ice build up on the evaporator coils in the back of the freezer, big time. Cleaned it out and unblocked the fan, being cleaned as we speak, time will tell!
So, never mind
CR |
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Henry_Hound
Registered User
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 792
Location: Somewhereville, MO
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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I'm dreadfully sorry to hear about your current problems Chris and I wish there was something I clould do to help. 
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