Wednesday 8 August 2018

Drainage Problems Again

 Don't read this while you're having your breakfast!

Right, you're a woman on your own in a house with septic tank drainage and you find the drains are blocked. So what do you do? Call a man?

No, you put on gloves, lift the two manhole covers at each end of the blockage, fetch the draining rods and do what you've watched someone else doing many times over the last 25 years. Screw them together, the plunger one first, as you push them through the drain, making sure they are tightly screwed and making sure never to twist the wrong way. Keep adding rods and shoving, until a whole load of you know what gets itself unblocked. Bring out the draining rods and unscrew them until they are all out. Then you chuck bucket after bucket down the manhole and go and look at the other end until the water running through is more or less clear.

Wash down the draining rods. Leave everything out in the sun to dry

Took me an hour, sweat dripping.

Really glad of a long shower afterwards.

Good Achievement, but this is about the 4th time in 18 months and it's going to happen again and again because we think when a fence was put up one of the posts went down too far and projects down into the top of the drain pipe causing a problem spot.

This house really needs a new sewer system.

Another expense............sometime.

Many Thanks for comments yesterday, didn't get round to replying due to the above!!

Back Soon
Sue


42 comments:

  1. Well done that girl!
    Yes - I am sure that was a real effort Sue, but he would have been proud of you - just hold on to that thought.

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  2. As I've said before, Sue, you're an inspiration. Bet that shower felt wonderful! We have a septic tank too, in fact the tank in our garden serves not only us but the neighbouring 3 houses too, so not just our waste to deal with. But at least we can call our landlord to sort it out, although husband keeps a watchful eye on it and has dealt with minor blockages himself in the past. None of us know what we'll be capable of doing until we're put in the position of having to, do we? Well done Sue.

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  3. Col must be so proud of you!!.You must have felt shattered after doing all that and in this heat as well.All I was doing yesterday was moaning about the bloody flies that keep coming in,and you have inspired me to get my backside in gear and get on with the jobs I hate doing!Best wishes,xx

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  4. Not the most pleasant job to deal with, but good for you in getting it sorted. X

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  5. Well done that Woman :) :)
    It's empowering to feel confident enough to have a go at these sorts of vital tasks.

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  6. Eeeewww but really well done to you for tackling it AND winning! As said above, empowering for you.
    xx

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  7. Ask around and find out who does this type of work locally. There will no doubt be somebody, there usually is in areas where everyone has a septic tank. A man and mini-digger can dig up near where you think the problem is, re-lay new pipes and bob's your uncle. Not more than a one day job. Didn't the man who empty's septic tanks tell you to make sure you flush plenty of water down your toilet last time he emptied your tank too? Peter emptied tanks for 40 years, I think he has stopped now due to his health issues, but he saw this sort of thing on a regular basis. I also had the same problem at my last house and my brothers relaid new pipes for me. You can't live without drainage rods and satisfying to see the water come out the other end!

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    1. I think the soakaways have bunged up too because we had problems in the torrential rain earlier in the year and there is a pump attached to the pit, which is slightly unusual

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    2. If the soakaways have bunged up your tank will start filling up quicker than you expect. If this is not happening then your soakaways are ok. People with soakaway problems sometimes have to have their tanks emptied every few weeks.

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  8. Well done Sue, give yourself a pat on the back.

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  9. I have done this twice. First time DB was away and a couple of neighbours watched! Thought an anaconda was coming out! Most satisfying if smelly dirty job.

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  10. A very satisfying job done, well done you!

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  11. Well done - I always try and tackle jobs like this myself and it's very satisfying, and empowering as said above. And it probably saved you £100 or so if you'd had to get someone in.

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  12. I have a friend who, when in tied accommodation, had to do this regularly because she didn't dare approach the Landlord (Lord of the Manor) in case she lost her job. (I don't think she would have done, but then . . .)

    Well done, and I hope you can get the cause sorted out soon.

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  13. Well seserved hot showere, Sue. I used to empty the caravan toilet if my daughter and I were away without DH and that was enough for me! We had problems earlier in the year at home but we paid about £100 to have the meain sewer flushed through. We employ the pee, poo, paper rule but our new neighbours have two boys in nappies and as we share the outlet, it may be that other things are going ino the sewer. Hope today is less eventful than yesterday.

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  14. Well done Sue. Amazing what we can do when we have to. X

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  15. Well done, that girl!!! Thank goodness you'd seen chaps doing this job so knew exactly what to do. A messy, stinky job, but necessary. But I'll bet you felt great when you'd finished and what you'd done 'worked'! Yes, Col would've been so proud of you!
    Margaret P

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  16. Sending lots and lots of clean, refreshing vibes. Also, well done and take the credit for not folding in the face of adversity. LM x

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  17. Gosh, full of admiration! I'm all for getting a man in.

    In fairness to myself, I've just sweated for an hour doing a tough job in the garden.

    callmemadam

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  18. I am in awe of your determination, well done you.

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  19. Go girl! Been there a few times. Nothing to do with drains...I have lost your Marrow and Ginger jam recipe, can't find it in your recipe thingy either. would you mind telling me where to find it pls. ?
    Gillx

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    1. It is on the recipe page but a long way down, under the sweetcorn relish and green tomato chutney.
      Hope it goes well

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  20. Made me think of the old saying, "needs must when the devil drives". Bravo.

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  21. Stinky horrible job, especially in the heat - but brilliant that you just got on and did it!

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    1. It was sweltering, I nearly stripped off to underwear!

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  22. Well done, gosh I bet you were glad to get into that shower :-)

    Up to now (touches wood) we have had no problems with our tank and soak-away system at this house, although Alan does keep an eye on things.

    I've owned my set of drain rods for years after watching a emergency plumber that I called out unblock a toilet in minutes at the house I bought after leaving my first husband. He charged me £60 for 5 minutes work, so I went straight across the road to B&Q and bought myself a set of rods for £25 ... and had to use them again a week later (stupidly long pipes going round corners in the bathroom).

    Handily they also have a chimney sweeping brush attachment that has been used many times. Money very well spent ... but unlike you I have a habit of screwing them the 'wrong' way and detaching rods :-(

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    1. We had a chimney sweeping brush at one time but this house has a very tall awkward chimney so needs a man - which I must organise ASAP

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  23. Well done! Its amazing what we can do when we have to.

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  24. As they say if you want a job doing well, do it yourself, well done, not a pleasant activity but you must have saved a lot of money by not calling a man out xcx

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  25. Good for you for tackling that gross job, and good for you for paying attention when Col was doing it for all those years!! I often say to my DH 'show me how to do it' before he takes over and does it himself. Now that he has spinal stenosis and terrible arthritis there are a lot of things I have to do that I didn't used to do.

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    1. It's good to know how to do stuff although I've needed showing some car things again as I'd forgotten what Col showed me a year ago

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  26. Thank you to everyone above - I'm getting better at coping with all sorts of problems without panic!

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  27. Great job! You are an inspiration! I understand how you feel about jobs like that. I get a little stubborn about doing things around the house as I like to be able to do it myself when possible. Despite wearing yourself out doing it I bet the self satisfation was worth it.

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  28. Well done you, probably would have cost a fortune if you called someone in.

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  29. You might have been sweaty and stinky but you remembered what to do and you tackled the job head on. GOOD JOB!

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  30. I am glad I read this after having dinner tonight.
    Well done!

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  31. Well done , We used to do that in our old house , The drains and pipes were old so in the years that we lived there we saved ourselves a fortune with a £20
    set of drainage rods xxx

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  32. Never in my younger years did I think I would be an expert 'rodder'. My dad taught me how to do it when we had our first house. I can't think of many more things as satisfying as hearing the whoose and feeling the blockage dislodge. There is a real technique to it. Well done fellow rodder, I salute you!! Lol xx

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  33. As a song says "I am woman, hear me roar." Great job.

    God bless.

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  34. Jolly, in the heat that would not have been a pleasant job! You are an inspiration Sue. I'm fortunate to live in a modern house with good plumbing, but previous houses have needed plumbing/drainlaying work and it has been expensive. Those rods have certainly paid for themselves many times over.

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  35. Well done...have had to do that in the snow! x

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