One of the few drawbacks to rural living

Boondox · Feb 23, 2012

Ugh! I took this afternoon off to replace a failed 50 year old sump pump in the basement before spring thaw floods it. Of course the old pump was two wires no ground, and everything these days is grounded. So I installed a GFCI outlet and ran nomex all the way back to the circuit breaker box. Needed a 15A breaker so went to the hardware store. They didn't have any. WTF? So I went to the other hardware store. They only had the el cheapo slimline breakers - nothing I could use. WTF?!?

Okay, so I'll check the stores in Waterbury at work tomorrow as this is rural VT and everything is closed at 5pm. Except the bars catering to the skiers coming off the mountain. Holy cow what an aggressive bunch of drivers! 55 in a 35 zone, each one riding the bumper of the car in front, no quarter given to anyone trying to make a turn. Jeezum I'll be glad when the snow is gone!

So back home and down in the basement. I remove the old completely rusted out pump and the PVC line up to the main drain. Plug the opening to the main drain so sewer gas doesn't kill us all overnight. Spend the next hour removing debris and the remnants of the rotted wooden box the pump used to be housed in. The dirt sides started collapsing, so I scooped out a larger sump, then lined it with bricks. The bottom was grit which does not play well with pump impellers, so out into the meadow to kick around in the snow looking for that pile of slate I left there last summer. The dogs thought it was great fun digging in the snow with Dad.

Find the pile. Rummage thru it till I find a nicely sized slab. Trudge back to the house and level the slate in the bottom of the sump. Put the pump on top. It fits nicely. Reach for the check valve and find it's the wrong size for the pump. Crap! Hardware stores closed. Something else to pick up tomorrow.

Time for a beer.

Jstpssng · Feb 23, 2012

Boondox said:
Ugh! I took this afternoon off to replace a failed 50 year old sump pump in the basement before spring thaw floods it. Of course the old pump was two wires no ground, and everything these days is grounded. So I installed a GFCI outlet and ran nomex all the way back to the circuit breaker box. Needed a 15A breaker so went to the hardware store. They didn't have any. WTF? So I went to the other hardware store. They only had the el cheapo slimline breakers - nothing I could use. WTF?!?

Okay, so I'll check the stores in Waterbury at work tomorrow as this is rural VT and everything is closed at 5pm. Except the bars catering to the skiers coming off the mountain. Holy cow what an aggressive bunch of drivers! 55 in a 35 zone, each one riding the bumper of the car in front, no quarter given to anyone trying to make a turn. Jeezum I'll be glad when the snow is gone!

So back home and down in the basement. I remove the old completely rusted out pump and the PVC line up to the main drain. Plug the opening to the main drain so sewer gas doesn't kill us all overnight. Spend the next hour removing debris and the remnants of the rotted wooden box the pump used to be housed in. The dirt sides started collapsing, so I scooped out a larger sump, then lined it with bricks. The bottom was grit which does not play well with pump impellers, so out into the meadow to kick around in the snow looking for that pile of slate I left there last summer. The dogs thought it was great fun digging in the snow with Dad.

Find the pile. Rummage thru it till I find a nicely sized slab. Trudge back to the house and level the slate in the bottom of the sump. Put the pump on top. It fits nicely. Reach for the check valve and find it's the wrong size for the pump. Crap! Hardware stores closed. Something else to pick up tomorrow.

Time for a beer.

Sounds like a typical day in paradise.

just think, you could have been sitting in your condo all day channel surfing and wishing you had something to do.
Been there, done that. and I wouldn't go back for all the gold in Fort Knox.

farmfun · Feb 23, 2012

Time for a beer
Which means driving into town at 55 before the bars close?

300UGUY · Feb 23, 2012

What I do is buy extra of everything. Nice about HD or Lowes, is that they don't mind returns. If I need to go to it's a 26 mile round trip to Hd. To the grocery, it's about 13 miles. I think folks in this area have a higher cost of living due to fuel prices. I think it has started to affect the real estate in this area. When my wife and I were still working, our gas bill was sometimes over 1K per month.

Western · Feb 23, 2012

I have often wondered where those "city" folk come from

?? I guess there is life on other planets. Going to town is great therapy for low blood pressure.

RoyJackson · Feb 23, 2012

Yep, rural life does require more planning and stocking up on some items. That, and the fact that you may not be able to get what you want when you want it.
I'm fine with that part of the trade off...

My biggest concern is one may not get emergency medical attention in time...

brokenknee · Feb 23, 2012

But just remember someones on this sites signature line. "I live where people vacation", or something to that effect.

I occasionally have to remind myself of that every now and then.

samhudson3 · Feb 23, 2012

My family farm, where I live now, used to be in the sticks. When I visited as a kid, walking out of the house on a moonless night, it was DARK and scary.

Dirt road has been paved, main highway a mile away has been 4 laned. An old farm 3 miles away was turned into a shopping center, with a grocery store and Ace Hardware. Ain't in the sticks anymore, but it has it's advantages.

We had a brewery open 10 miles away, go past it on my commute to work...

ajmbonaire · Feb 23, 2012

RoyJackson said:
Yep, rural life does require more planning and stocking up on some items. That, and the fact that you may not be able to get what you want when you want it.
I'm fine with that part of the trade off...

My biggest concern is one may not get emergency medical attention in time...[/quote]

Our current residence is about 10 - 15 minutes to whatever we need. Grocery, Pharmacy, Hospital, etc.
Our planned new residence is in the middle of nowhere, nearest town 30-45 minutes away. My wife and i both have health problems and it worries us that medical attention is so far away.

RoyJackson · Feb 23, 2012

ajmbonaire said:
My biggest concern is one may not get emergency medical attention in time...

Our current residence is about 10 - 15 minutes to whatever we need. Grocery, Pharmacy, Hospital, etc.
Our planned new residence is in the middle of nowhere, nearest town 30-45 minutes away. My wife and i both have health problems and it worries us that medical attention is so far away.

Three things:
1) You might want to reconsider that move...
2) If you do move, consider both of you learning first aid, specifically CPR
3) If feasible, consider one of those portable defibrillators (not as expensive as you may think: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HeartStart-Home-Defibrillator-AED/dp/B00064CED6]Amazon.com: Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED): Health & Personal Care[/ame] )