|
24 Aug 09 - 05:09 PM (#2707595) Subject: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Well, I did have a plan for today which involved finishing up the sheetrocking on the second floor of the new garage at Robinhood Farm but instead I spent the day shoveling shit and TP out of a locker in the basement where the drain managed to find a weak point when it backed up. My horoscope this morning had only three stars and suggested that I tackle a problem "head-on." Very funny, God! We are resident landlords in a 4-unit apartment building, which was converted in the 1940's from an old captain's mansion. And one of our new tenants has children and this Sunday they had a party with even more children. Our working theory, based on the plumber's observations when he finally arrived this morning, was that it was her apartment which triggered the blockage. Once the blockage happened at a crucial T in the drain system, sewage backed up and found release through a basement pump vent, totally destroying the pump that empties the basement washing machine into the drain system. The pump is located in our locker and when our tenant alerted us to a problem down below, we found two inches of sewage floating around there. Much of the stuff in the locker was safe on shelves but there were several cardboard boxes below filled with "yard sale" items which were soaked through. Once we determined that our apartment and an apartment above ours was not part of the problem, some of us could relieve ourselves at our leisure. But I worked with the plumber helping flush out various parts of the system for much of the morning. And then I spent the better part of the afternoon mopping up sewage, sorting through the cardboard boxes to see what could be salvaged, and then laying down a coating of lemon flavored bleach. Now a space heater and a fan are working full blast to dry everything out. What joy! I'll have to check with my home insurance folks to see if this kind of accident is covered in my policy. The pump alone costs about $800 to replace. I don't think there is a song that may be inspired by this incident. I certainly won't compose one. Therefore this thread shall stay down below. Charley Noble |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:15 PM (#2707608) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: greg stephens Charley: was your final sentence a cryptic reference to "Down Below", Sidney Carter's classic saong of sewage? |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:16 PM (#2707609) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Richard Bridge A dehumidifier is better than a heater and a fan. Rotten luck. Any chance the charming children flushed stuff they should not? |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:20 PM (#2707614) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bill D Oh...my....condolences! Children can sometimes flush stuff that was not meant to be flushed.....but I can attest that humans can 'overload' the system with ...well.... shit. I cannot understand how any human can unload that much at one 'sitting', but I had to un-stop my local plumbing after a party once, and I was.......amazed. |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:20 PM (#2707616) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Peace Like a toothbrush? |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:21 PM (#2707618) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Peace Not amazed like a toothbrush, but flushed stuff they shouldn't have. |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:22 PM (#2707619) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Amos With kids it can be anything from pacifiers to small kittens... Well done on facing the sewage, Charlie!! What an appropriate thread title. A |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:26 PM (#2707623) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Beer Richard is correct if you can get your hands on a dehumidifier. Best of luck. Beer (adrien) |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:32 PM (#2707628) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu Be Noble in the feces of adversity, Charley! |
|
24 Aug 09 - 05:45 PM (#2707640) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Janie UH...I think I'll pass on the next yard sale Charlie has ;^) |
|
24 Aug 09 - 06:33 PM (#2707678) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Little Hawk Hire a squad of 50 to 100 Dachshunds at once! They will rush down there happily, roll around in the shit, and then carry much of it off clinging to their coats. Do this for 3 or 4 days and your shit problems will be solved! (sort of) Well, they'll be lessened anyway.... Dachshunds can be bribed with food. Keep this in mind and you will be able to attract much willing canine help in no time flat. Consider advertising in Canine Weekly, and place handbills near fire hydrants. Oh...if the basement stairs are too steep, you may need to provide a ramp or install a doggie elevator. That about does it. Good luck. |
|
24 Aug 09 - 07:08 PM (#2707698) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Art Thieme Charley, What's your sign? I bet you're a Feces. When you eventually do write the song, call it "The Old Gray Merde" Art ;-) |
|
24 Aug 09 - 07:13 PM (#2707703) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bert Ye gods what sort of pump costs $800? Try Harbor Freight. |
|
24 Aug 09 - 07:23 PM (#2707707) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bill D "Hire a squad of 50 to 100 Dachshunds at once!" "Dachshunds can be bribed with food." ,,,ummm...won't this just change the particular TYPE of shit to be dealt with? |
|
24 Aug 09 - 07:23 PM (#2707708) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Monique "The Old Gray Merde"... there's already the chorus of a song saying "Pompons la merde Et pompons-la gaiement Et envoyons se faire foutre Ceux qui ne sont pas nos frères Pompons la merde Et pompons-la gaiement Et envoyons se faire foutre Ceux qui ne sont pas contents" |
|
24 Aug 09 - 07:27 PM (#2707711) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bobert That ain't nuthin', Charley... Somewhere here in Mudville is a true story about the time I was workin' in maintenance at a high rise building and lost 200 feet of very heavy duty honey dippin' snake in a drain while doin' a little honey dippin' down a stack while up on the roof of the 20 story highrise with two basement levels... Yeah, the high temp that day was about 20 degrees and with the wind it was like zero... Well, the long version is several pages long but suffice to say that the only way to get the snake back was to open a clean out in the lower basement and in doing so recieve not only the snake but 20 stories of, ahhhhhh, honey to go along with it... So, ol' buddy, consider yerself one lucky person... 20 stories of honey is alot of honey... B~ |
|
24 Aug 09 - 09:27 PM (#2707771) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee Poor ol' Charley. Interred this very morning. |
|
24 Aug 09 - 10:20 PM (#2707793) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bill D There was a young fellow named Hyde Who fell through an outhouse and died. His unfortunate brother, Fell through another And now they're interred side by side. (An outhouse would be easy compared to what Charley had to face.) |
|
24 Aug 09 - 10:23 PM (#2707795) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Well, this experience certainly deserves the insightful remarks it has harvested, as well as the egregious puns. Here's another clean-up memory that I had repressed when I was first posting this thread. It has to do with cleaning up the floor of the locker. There was still a half inch of liquid and soggy paper floating around when the plumber left, and my wet-dry shop vac was at my job site 20 miles away. So I shoveled as much as I could, bit by bit into a 5-gallon mud bucket. Then I sopped up the rest with several rolls of paper towels. Then I got some lemon scented clorox and mopped everything clean, carefully draining the mop into the sink around the corner which was draining into the locker where the pump had been. It took me several trips to realize that I was losing ground as the liquid level on the locker floor inexplicably rose. Dah! After several hours of heat and fan the surfaces down below appear drier. Bobert- Like wow! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
24 Aug 09 - 10:26 PM (#2707798) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Bill D That's a lot of work, Charley...I'll bet you're |
|
24 Aug 09 - 10:34 PM (#2707802) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: olddude It all came out in the end |
|
24 Aug 09 - 10:46 PM (#2707807) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Deckman Are the children still small enough for the crockpot ... or do you have to chunk them up? Bob(deckman)Nelson |
|
25 Aug 09 - 07:50 AM (#2708002) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble We may never know what was flushed down the toilet. There was a big party for a half dozen little kids that day. We observed little plastic letters with magnets in the bathtub. There were napkins here and there. There were no missing rodent pets nor reptiles, fortunately. It's getting better now, and I was "tired" at the end of yesterday. Now I need to take a deep breath and call my insurance company and see if they will cover the purchase and installation of a new pump. Thanks for all the support! I only wish that some of you could have shared the work as well! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:15 AM (#2708020) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: SINSULL Down below; down below Oh it's dark but it's home to me you know... Charlie, I want a certificate from the Board of Health before you set foot in my house again. And you WILL get the sniff test. What a revolting development this is. (Trivia Alert: Who said that frequently?) |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:26 AM (#2708029) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: GUEST,Mr Red Call the Song (I have my coat on and running already)............. Peggy Sewarage |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:29 AM (#2708031) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Roger the Skiffler My friends often remark I can't tell Shit from Shinola so this thread made me look up what exactly Shinola is. Apparently, while nowadays it is a euphemism for Shit it was originally a shoe polish. (Sounds of the Darts singing "You got shit on your shoes" in the background!) No wonder my shoes smell! RtS "They say that your father's a muckman...." |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:49 AM (#2708048) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee "Ya load sixteen tons and wadda ya git? Another day older an' deeper in shit. St. Peter don't ya call me, 'cause I can't come: I'm shovelin' up paper from somebody's bum. I was working one mornin' where the sun didn't shine Shoveling up shit and none of it mine...." Goodness gracious me, ah'm all a-flutter over the songs this incident brings to mind! |
|
25 Aug 09 - 09:25 AM (#2708079) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee Oh, what a song challenge this is! I was laying in my hammock The sea was soft as silk With gentle billows rocking me Enjoying a glass of milk When the first mate cried "All hands on deck! We've got problems -- outa bed! For something's gotten screwed up bad And blowed up the Captain's head!" Well the deck was awash with lots of...stuff And we'd just holystoned that bit For Sloshing around at gunnel height Was gallons and gallons of shit. "Send for Charley!" cried the foretopman "For he's been this way before And they're ain't no body can shovel shit Like Charley -- or so says the lore." (I gotta go to work, so someone else can finish it.) |
|
25 Aug 09 - 10:16 AM (#2708111) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: SINSULL No longer a slave of ambition, I laugh at the world. It's absurd. And I think of my happy condition, Surrounded by Acres of turds. Surrounded by Acres of turds, Surrounded by Acres of turds, And I think of my happy condition, Surrounded by Acres of turds, |
|
25 Aug 09 - 02:43 PM (#2708324) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: weerover You could always organise a craps game...I'll get my coat. |
|
25 Aug 09 - 03:33 PM (#2708357) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu When I worked on survey crew as a young engineering student, we did a lot of sewer "pck up". especially when there were backups into buildings. The methane buildup in clooged manholes and lines can be dangerous shit. We had no oxygen masks or any safety equipment. Only common sense. We would always have one man whose only job was to watch anyone who entered a manhole. Always had a rope tied on the guy in the hole. One day, the sun was at an angle so the boss had to get on his knees and stick his head into the manhole to assess the situation... yup, passed out and fell in. Pretty messy. And, the rope policy was altered. |
|
25 Aug 09 - 06:05 PM (#2708495) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: ranger1 Charley, you have my sympathy. I have had to dig up more than one clogged line due to some idiot flushing a diaper down a park toilet. In the Maine State Park system, we have lovely anonymous people who visit parks and poop on the floor of the freshly cleaned outhouses (The Phantom Shitter), people who make lovely little poo sculptures (The Shit Sculptor and Fecalangelo) and the person who stuffs the hand dryer vents full of poo (that person doesn't have a state-wide nickname). |
|
25 Aug 09 - 06:06 PM (#2708498) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Peace I guess the "hand dryer vent stuffer" is a little difficult to manage, huh? |
|
25 Aug 09 - 06:54 PM (#2708537) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: ranger1 Bruce, if you can come up with a good nickname for said activity, we'll probably adopt it. |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:21 PM (#2708597) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Oh dear, dear! I knew that someone here would be "inspired" to compose some crude ditty. Of course I couldn't help singing one myself as I was mucking out the locker, a parody of "The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre." Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
25 Aug 09 - 08:22 PM (#2708598) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Peace Reminded me of the old "What, and leave show business?" joke. |
|
25 Aug 09 - 09:28 PM (#2708639) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee You know, I think I'll restrain myself from rewriting Paxton's "Sully's Bucket". |
|
26 Aug 09 - 07:56 AM (#2708849) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble It's probably appropriate that my music group is called "Roll & Go." We've often thought we could make real money from some porta-potty company with a promotional shot of our gang lining up in front of one of their products at a festival. We actually have been approached by such firms to see if we were willing to "sell" them our good name. Not to happen! All is quiet below this morning. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
26 Aug 09 - 01:14 PM (#2709093) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Hurrah! The new pump has been installed down below. Let's hope it holds up better than the last one. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
26 Aug 09 - 02:43 PM (#2709169) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee "We were neck deep in the Big...." |
|
26 Aug 09 - 02:47 PM (#2709172) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie Yeah, let's hope, Charley. Now to compose the new lyrics to: "Who Threw The Leggo Blocks In Mr. Ipcar's Toilet?" |
|
26 Aug 09 - 02:59 PM (#2709188) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Alan Day Interesting,I have had four parties at my house and all have resulted in me having to unblock the drains with drain rods whilst the party is going on. Is it the freedom of having free toilet paper that people go crazy with it. Reminds me of a Caravan site I once visited which had the toilet roll chained to the wall and a notice saying "PLEASE USE THE TOILET PAPER ONE LEAF AT A TIME" Al (Unblocking Drain Specialist) |
|
26 Aug 09 - 08:19 PM (#2709461) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: kendall Sinsull, that was William Bendix as Riley in the radio program The Life of Riley. "What a revolting development" |
|
26 Aug 09 - 10:17 PM (#2709512) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Maybe I'll install bidets and remove all need for toilet paper. Using toilet paper to wipe one's nether parts is a filthy primitive habit anyways. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
26 Aug 09 - 10:41 PM (#2709528) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee Not shit, but water. I came down to find the basement carpet quite wet at the bottom of the stairs. Seems like the humidifier on the furnace had overflowed.... |
|
26 Aug 09 - 10:59 PM (#2709539) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Amos Sinsull: In addition to Wm Bendix, the line was borrowed by Bugs Bunny. A |
|
27 Aug 09 - 02:46 PM (#2710014) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Little Hawk You're quite right, Charlie, using toilet paper (alone) is a filthy, primitive habit. The only thing that genuinely works and gets you thoroughly clean down there is water...but preferably soap and water. Muslims and Asians know that, by the way. Europeans? Well....they got civilized a little later in history, didn't they? Still a bit of learning to do there, I guess. |
|
27 Aug 09 - 03:51 PM (#2710072) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie Sorry, Charlie. I couldn't help myself. ; ) Who Threw The Fuzzy Balls In Charlie's Tenants' Potty? Genie |
|
27 Aug 09 - 03:56 PM (#2710080) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee Toilet paper is wasteful and inefficient. Corn cobs, on the other hand.... |
|
27 Aug 09 - 04:11 PM (#2710089) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie ... will REALLY clog the loo! |
|
27 Aug 09 - 04:15 PM (#2710095) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu Genie! Excellent! |
|
27 Aug 09 - 05:44 PM (#2710174) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee You just break off the bit you used. |
|
27 Aug 09 - 05:51 PM (#2710178) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Little Hawk Spoken like a true Idahoan, Rapaire. If I had kids, I'd have sent them to you to get trained in the social arts. ;-) |
|
27 Aug 09 - 07:26 PM (#2710237) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu What's wrong with the Sears cataLOG? |
|
27 Aug 09 - 07:28 PM (#2710239) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Little Hawk They don't offer Kent guitars anymore, that's what! |
|
27 Aug 09 - 07:33 PM (#2710242) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu Don't shit on my old Kent! I learned to play on that. |
|
27 Aug 09 - 07:40 PM (#2710249) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Little Hawk I congratulate you on your determination in the face of adversity. ;-D |
|
27 Aug 09 - 11:29 PM (#2710358) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble What a productive and illuminating thread! Nice ditty, Genie. As I said in your thread "You should feel flushed with success!" Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
28 Aug 09 - 12:13 AM (#2710385) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie Well, I did feel a bit drained after expending all that creative energy, Charley. Glad you approve of my literary droppings. |
|
28 Aug 09 - 01:46 AM (#2710410) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Barry Finn Just had my cellar vac, pumped out & sprayed, sanitized, aired-out & treated. No neighbors to blame it on though just a leaky joint that had to be cut out & replaced. No shit! Barry |
|
28 Aug 09 - 08:34 AM (#2710542) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Barry- Always happy to share the stage! And before anyone else cracks a joke, they best check their own basement. Mine is now smelling lemon-scented lovely. Anyone want to party down below? Even Kendall would find it a welcome respite from his "cellar." Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
28 Aug 09 - 08:55 AM (#2710551) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Rapparee Went down to my workshop a couple years back and found...water...running down the wall from the toilet above. Seems like the installer used the wrong type of gasket when he put the toilet in. Messy cleanup, but doable. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 06:11 AM (#2711409) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Allan C. Yes, kids as well as grown folks do flush some strange "shit" down the toilets. As a water/wastewater plant operator I have seen a lot of surprises come through the system. Notwithstanding the normal flow of sanitary napkins and those damned plastic tubes that formerly contained tampons, I have seen one whole pair of jeans, (I can't begin to figure out how that ever made it into the system!) a number of shirts, disposable diapers, the occasional "insulin" syringe, many, many candy wrappers, (which conjures up quite an image,) wallets, (no way I can tell you whether they contained any money 'cause I am not about to attempt a rescue!) and most recently, six tennis balls which all appeared at the same time. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 06:17 AM (#2711414) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu BTW... I have in stock a full set of toilet guts, a supply hose, valve and two wax gaskets. Monthly, I operate the existing valve, check the bowl/floor connection by applying medium force to each side, and check the floor with a moisture meter. A moisture metter (non-invasive) is a great tool that pay for itself in one leak... toilet, ceiling, wall, basement floor. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 10:28 AM (#2711500) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Gnu- I'm impressed. Some of us prefer not to think of such things and have to deal with unpleasant "surprises." My insurance company considers this incident "normal wear and tear" and thus not something they are responsible for reimbursing. Well, I don't think it was an act of God! Surely, God has better things to deal with than abusing my sewage drains. I may convince them that replacing the pump was something that should be reimbursed, about half of the $1000 bill. Charley Noble |
|
29 Aug 09 - 11:36 AM (#2711534) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu I think yer shit outta luck, lad. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 11:54 AM (#2711543) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu Charley... ahhh... I dunno why, but I thought you said sommat was wrong with a fitting or coupling or sommat? But, I read back and can't find it??? So, if not, how could a blockage be considered normal wear and tear? Re the other... fact is, I have a lot of stuff like that. I keep a close eye on all sales and when I see sommat like that on sale, I buy it because it's nice to have when the shops are closed, you don't have to go to several shops looking for what you need, you don't have to overpay. Even the moisture meter... a good one will run $2-300, but it can easily save thousands. And, it comes in handy when you have a bad back and need your lawn mowed by the neighbour you helped out by pinpointing his foundation leak so he didn't have to tear out any more of the wall than necessary. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 12:22 PM (#2711554) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu Insurance... I had a problem once. The trap in the sump drain clogged with soil because the sump had no concrete bottom. This arrangement was okay while the drain tiles worked but they became plugged due to improper installation and backfilling. I referred to the arrangenet as underslab drainage, a joke if you know what I am talking about. One early spring day while the frost was still in the ground and there was wet snow about six feet away from the foundation walls, we had a deluge. The frost was out for a few feet from the walls. So... all that water rushed "underslab and washed up to pea sized gravel into the trap and when I got home from work, sommat caught my eye in the basement (split level). It was my ex's "Ducky" shoe, and it was going across the basement doorway on it's own, floating in water about 6" deep. I called my insurance gut immediately from a neighbour's... the water had shorted out the phone jacks in the basement. I heard typing... nope, you are not covered for sewer backup. Why not? You don't have a sewer backup endorsement on your policy. How much does that cost? $25 a year. Are you an insurance adjuster? Yes. So, how much money per hour would it cost me to hire you to come here and determine the amount of damage? I don't understand. Well, I am going to need that professional appraisal for the lawsuit. (Silence on his end.) The way I see it, when I tell a judge that I pay my insurance company $4000 per year for home, life, vehicle and business insurance but my professional insurance agent did not explain to me that I could pay another $25 to be protected against sewer backup, I am going to need a professional appraisal to go along with my costs and my legal fees. So, I'd like to know how much you charge per hour and if you might be available. A few seconds of silence and then... I will be there in 20 minutes. Paid in full. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 12:43 PM (#2711563) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Gnu- Love a story with a happy ending! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
29 Aug 09 - 01:46 PM (#2711591) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie Charley, If it was schnauzer that caused the clog by dropping a chew toy into the loo, would the insurance company dismiss that as an "act of dog?" |
|
29 Aug 09 - 01:48 PM (#2711593) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Genie Oh, and, good on you, gnu! : D |
|
29 Aug 09 - 03:08 PM (#2711632) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: gnu After he arrived and we did "business" I asked him what other "endorsements" were available... got the $15 glass endorsement. Got a new front room window in late summer. I lived across from a green space and, even tho golf practice was stupid, buddy nailed my window. |
|
29 Aug 09 - 04:48 PM (#2711686) Subject: RE: BS: SHIT! From: Charley Noble Genie- "An Act of Dog?" Very nicely put! Cheerily, Charley Noble |