The Money Pit

[JHurt]

Anyone remember the movie The Money Pit? I think the wife and I may be actually living it as a documentary!

Currently our sewer is backed up so bad that they are going to have to start digging it up. My wife and I have been together a few years, and live in the house her and her previous husband (who passed away) bought a few years ago. The original part of the house is around 100 years old and it has been added on to a few times over the years. Shortly after I moved in the summer of 2016 we had a water line bust under our front porch where it goes through the basement wall. No big deal just tear up all the east yard and run a new one. Year after that our basement fell in on the west side of the front yard. Decided to replace three sides of the original basement walls, so dig up the majority of the front yard, west yard, and back yard about twenty feet deep and out. Let it settle a year and finally had a guy come in last year and landscape and level everything out. This summer started having electrical issues and realized that it was where the service comes into the house. Came really close to burning the house down! Dig up the west yard again and replaced the electrical service into the house and the breaker box in the basement. No one knows if we even have a septic tank for sure. The wife just says that they were told it did when they bought the house. One of the landscapers job was to level our backyard, and added a walk out block patio with a fire ring and a couple of retaining walls about 20-25 ft out our basement. Currently, my bet is that the septic tank is under that block patio if we have one! We have made a pact to not talk about what is going to happen next.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Construction has become terribly expensive. Do you pay more and hope to get the job done right? Sadly, that's almost laughable nowadays. The best you can do is educate yourself and watch everything a contractor does.

 

[JHurt]

Construction has become terribly expensive. Do you pay more and hope to get the job done right? Sadly, that's almost laughable nowadays. The best you can do is educate yourself and watch everything a contractor does.

At this point I just want to quit digging up the yard!

 

[Molalla1]

At this point I just want to quit digging up the yard!

JHurt . . . you need to start being more proactive with your situation. My house is 110 years old, keep ahead of what mistakes the many previous owners have made.

 

[oldballs]

Ah Heck.................He's got a brand new workshop to move into.:laughing:

Happy New Year!!!

Mike

 

[drssg]

On a positive note, this sounds like an excellent justification for a backhoe attachment for your tractor!

 

[JHurt]

Ah Heck.................He's got a brand new workshop to move into.:laughing:

Happy New Year!!!

Mike

The shop is the only bathroom being used currently!

 

[JHurt]

On a positive note, this sounds like an excellent justification for a backhoe attachment for your tractor!

Wish I’d spent the extra 12K when I ordered the 7060 this summer!

 

[Jstpssng]

I would be finding out what if anything it has for a septic and take steps to ensure that doesn't become a problem. You should be able to get the direction from the house by looking at where the drain leaves the house, and the tank is often in 10 foot intervals away from that. At the very least you should find out what it has for a tank and access if that needs to be pumped.

 

[Dftodd]

Being that old, the tank was probably steel if it had one. My grandparents place was built in the late 1800's to very early 1900's. Back around 98 the septic tank collapsed in on itself Nothing really showed up above ground except for a dip in the ground and a perpetual wet spot in the dip.

It was an old steel tank. House had been in the family since around 1933, and it was installed before they purchased the house.

They had to have a new septic system installed. New tank went in the old location. A diverter valve was installed tying in the existing leach field as well as the new leach field.

This way if the new leech field ever gave you an issue, you could go out and, turn the valve and divert back to the old leech field.

They were told by the engineer that the existing leech field could be used again after it sat for 10 years. And actually recommended since they had the two leech fields. To just alternate fields every 10 years when they had the tank pumped out.

 

[JHurt]

I would be finding out what if anything it has for a septic and take steps to ensure that doesn't become a problem. You should be able to get the direction from the house by looking at where the drain leaves the house, and the tank is often in 10 foot intervals away from that. At the very least you should find out what it has for a tank and access if that needs to be pumped.

It has three drains leaving the house because of the way it has been added on to. Tried to suction it out with that tank yesterday, and ran a 75ft snake down one of the drains without hitting anything. Where the guy is parked there is a drain out in the pasture, probably 150 ft from the house. Really has the plumber baffled. Wife and I have already told the plumber that we want it fixed! Not just working. If that means all new from the house, and tank needs replaced, or if there isn’t one and we need to add one, then we are prepared for that. Problem is the guy is super busy and I think he just wants to get us going. I want it FIXED so I don’t have to deal with it again!

 

[Jstpssng]

I was looking at house lots this summer, thinking about moving closer to my job and selling when I retire. I looked at several advertised with well and septic systems... talking to the realtor they would say "We don't know what's there but it's an existing system" and refer me to the soil scientist who I already have used. Then I would talk to the code enforcement officer who would say "If it isn't documented the entire system has to be replaced, but if it has a concrete vault that can still be used." I realized that if I do decide to buy something, it's cheaper to start over rather than trust a realtor's word.

 

[Molalla1]

It has three drains leaving the house because of the way it has been added on to. Tried to suction it out with that tank yesterday, and ran a 75ft snake down one of the drains without hitting anything. Where the guy is parked there is a drain out in the pasture, probably 150 ft from the house. Really has the plumber baffled. Wife and I have already told the plumber that we want it fixed! Not just working. If that means all new from the house, and tank needs replaced, or if there isn’t one and we need to add one, then we are prepared for that. Problem is the guy is super busy and I think he just wants to get us going. I want it FIXED so I don’t have to deal with it again!

Go plumber shopping then . . .

 

[JHurt]

[/B]

Go plumber shopping then . . .

Unfortunately, there’s not much to choose from!

 

[Molalla1]

Unfortunately, there’s not much to choose from!

Darn . . . really? might be time to start learning . . . ***** flows downhill . . . :confused3:

 

[JHurt]

Darn . . . really? might be time to start learning . . . ***** flows downhill . . . :confused3:

Yep! Small community and only a couple of plumbers around here in the first place. The problem is the **** won’t flow downhill! Lol

 

[Molalla1]

Yep! Small community and only a couple of plumbers around here in the first place. The problem is the **** won’t flow downhill! Lol

A new poop line and a new drain field sounds in order . . .

 

[JHurt]

A new poop line and a new drain field sounds in order . . .

Yep! Luckily, I grabbed a sump pump from work so we can still do laundry and take quick showers now. And we have the shop for “emergency’s”!

 

[shovelmike]

I had to look up your town, Jhurt, I see your population is just over 300, no wonder people such as plumbers are hard to find there.
I will be hoping you can get those house issues resolved soon.

 

[JHurt]

I had to look up your town, Jhurt, I see your population is just over 300, no wonder people such as plumbers are hard to find there.
I will be hoping you can get those house issues resolved soon.

Ovrszd has a backhoe that I’m sure he would bring over if I asked real nice, but I’d rather just have someone come and fix it. I’ve already had enough fun digging around in my own **** the last week trying to fix it. And like I said I want it FIXED, not just working ok.