12 May 2014

Monday Musings...
Well, not much to "muse" about TODAY, as last night's heavy rains in the area caused us yet ANOTHER basement flood.
(here we go again...this is becoming tiresome)
So, we've called Korte to come out (again) and snake OUR drain (again) and  wonder why it's the CITY'S FAULT when THEIR sewer/runoff lines overflow (again). Bitching to the city will only allow me to hear (from them) "It's not our fault"...you guessed it...AGAIN.
*** Now, I could tangent off to how Allen County has homicides number 5 and 6...or I could go on about the "housing crisis" on the (where else?) SOUTHEAST side as chronicled in yesterday's Journal Gazette, but I won't...at least not right now.
I will say we didn't have this problem for the first 12 or so years that we lived here, and we surely had some severe rain from 1997- 2009...it's ONLY been over the last several years that WE, here at the Fortress of Reason have had a recurring "indoor water feature" not of our OWN volition.
Coincidentally, the city added some new runoff lines during THAT time, so something has to be amiss somewhere OTHER than here at OUR place, right?
(one would think, anyway)
As I stated during our last "event", we are the only (2  block area) that has NOT gotten separate runoff lines...we're still on a COMBINED sewer system, and I have to think that somewhere in all that underground mess, we're getting screwed off.
Here we effin' go again...
Anyway, Wifey took the day off (she can't shower, wash her hair or thee toilet (emergency mode activated there).
What I want to know is WHY this keeps happening when OUR drain is snaked clear out to where we meet the CITY sewer, and never encounter any blockage until AFTER the city drain is contacted?
So, in the best manner possible, we will attempt to carry on, and I will keep everyone apprised of the situation as it unfolds.
This worrying every time it rains IS getting extremely tedious...THAT you can believe.
*** ((UPDATE - 1015 HR))
Wifey was busy calling around and we are basically "on hold"...seems everyone ELSE decided to have flooding as well...I guess it's nice to know we're "not alone"..?
Korte can't get to us until TOMORROW, so we've gone with another person with a SNAKE to clear the city end of OUR drain.
Several hours later...it has slowed down a lot.
In the meantime, the water has spread out a bit more, but it doesn't appear as bad as it was a MONTH ago.
And it's that "month ago" thing that makes me believe without a doubt that the problem is NOT in OUR system...
WE WERE SNAKED OUT TO THE CITY SEWER ACCESS!
Fun stuff, huh?
More to follow (obviously)
*** ((UPDATE - 1115 HRS))
Someone is supposed to show up here between 2-4 PM...I'll try to ask the water to stop coming in until then.
*** ((UPDATE - 1515 HRS))
Well this time Korte could NOT "do it all"...ROTO-ROOTER came out and John (the tech) snaked us out around 70 ft and the drain CLEARED (again), but he also had with him a (snake-like video camera to see INSIDE the pipe and find out what the (real) story was...
(uh-oh, time..hang onto the checkbook)
...And away goes trouble...down the drain!
We apparently have a ROOT BALL out around 62 ft, and that needs to be taken OUT, otherwise, we'll only clog again.
Does it absolve the city?
Not really, because if they checked THEIR end with a camera, THEY could have told us about the damn root ball.
Still, we will need a proper CLEANOUT, and that means (according to John's boss, who came on site, and also named John) tearing up a chunk of the back yard (between the garage and house - see below) and that's so Roto-Rooter can bring in a BOBCAT (yeah, gotta take a piece of the back fence down too), dig down to the pipe and then add an access, so they can send in the "big guns" and use a larger auger with a super high-powered WATER JET to tear away the root ball.
That will happen possibly sometime next week.
And it ain't gonna be "cheap", more like a Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye White Christmas "...WOW!..." (...somewhere between "ouch" and "boi-ing"...)
We got a little white flag...but I'm NOT surrendering yet!
Then I get to plant new grass seed and Lord knows what else.
Gardening "job-security"?
Hell, more like LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE!
But for now, we're "flushable" once again...time to dry out all those carpets (again), and we've already got the floor drying, and then spritz some bleach-water mix around to prevent mold (again)...
What I want to know is when is the tornado going to hit and send everything all over the county?
"Plan tor the worst, 'cause it's coming" is fast becoming my transplanted Hooseirland "motto"...heh)
Anyway, that's it for the time being...thanks for stopping by to read the goings-on at our Fortress of Reason...such as it is...as we dry out...you guessed it...AGAIN!

6 comments:

ms nk rey said...

How frustrating for you guys. Hope you get a resolution soon.

Bob G. said...

MsN:
I could see if we lived on a flood plain...or near one of the rivers...but we DO NOT.

And we were just snaked out a little over a month ago...so we're clear on OUR end out to the city's pipes.
This is intolerable.
Thanks for the encouraging words...Lord knows we need them, dear.

Stay safe down thre.

John DuMond said...

Ouch! Sorry to hear you're having such troubles, Bob.

Bob G. said...

John D.:
Yeah, we gotta get down and (very) dirty on THIS one.

The gloves are off (and not because they got wet...lol)

Getting tired of drying out the damn basement...when the problem is outside.
Damn shame the tree in question isn't an ASH tree..it would die on IT'S OWN, thanks to the emerald ash borer.

Thanks for stopping by today
Stay safe (and DRY) out there

CWMartin said...

One of the joys of my childhood home was having a full grown maple tree just four feet from the septic tank line. I am so happy to be in an apartment now. Hope all the yard work doesn't run your furry friends off.

Bob G. said...

Chris:
We're pretty much locked into this 1200 sq. ft. "money pit"...but a similar apartment is looking better...LOL.
COuld ALWAYS be worse...
--the COMICS could have been floating.
--We could be on a SLAB and have the LIVING area flooded.
--We could have GEYSERS shooting out of the toliets!

Getting kinda old to be getting a mortgage (for another place away from this part of town),though.
Hey.
And maybe Publisher's Clearing House will award us $3 MILLION for our DREAM HOME...tomorrow!
((BWAHAHAHAHAA...))

I got a BETTER chance of having the POPE stop by for a brewski...HA!

Thanks for stopping by to comment.

Stay safe up there, brother.