Nasty plumbing disasters.

Sure. Come on over. AmericaWest flight 69 departs Logan at about a quarter after eight; gets into Seattle at 2:22 am, after a stop in Phoenix. You'll have to cab it from the airport. Need my address?

Thanks, I'll let you know.

Absolutely. Don't bother with the towels, I'll warm up the seafoam coloured ones for you - i'll even get out the magic bathrobe, that makes all things better.


errrrrrrr, where were your landlords when all this was happening? Have they made alternate arrangements for you?

Sump pump? Is it really a sump pump or is it a sewage pump? If it's a regular sump pump I'd run that outside and let it drain off in the yard instead of sending it out through the sewer system.

But ummm.. Yeah, if ya really need to! lol

Ack! Not fun! Yes, what's up with the landlord(s)?

seems like a lot of trouble and expense to fly all this way for a shower, but sure anytime.

Yes

When I lived on LI our sewer would back up from time to time.We had an exhaust pipe near our washing machine in the basement. The goop would back up there, and we had more than a few floods over the years.

My husband always blamed it on me, saying that I was dropping things down the sink. (He once found a stray green pea). Usually, we were able to fix it ourselves with chemicals or a little snaking.

Anyhow, one day the clog was too bad for us to fix. We called in a plumber. Seems that the fine roots of a big tree in front of the house, had gotten into the sewer pipe, and had clogged evrything up. There was a big fight in our house that night!

littlek- I have the soap and the towels. Come on down!

Tell me in the USA there is a difference between sewers and other drains!?

K - of COURSE you can come, 'k?

However - I need to tell you that the water supply to the loo is turned off cos there is a leak from the loo cistern.... and I can't afford to get it fixed!

Shower is fine, though...

Do you live near the WMCA?

They have showers.

dlowan- In parts of the US that are far from cities, homes have individual septic tanks or cesspools. When I first moved to Long Island, we had a cesspool for the first few years, until the county put a sewer line in!

Link to septic tanks

Ah - where the grass grows greener! But does wee k not live in a major city?

dlowan- She probably has a sewer, but the pipes may be may be old and rotted.

Here's a link to sump pumps:Link to Sump Pumps

The big problems are those damn tree roots. The little hairy ones can get into a pipe and block everything off. (You would not believe what it looks like. I saw what the plumber pulled out of a pipe, and I was amazed.)Then someone flushes down some toilet paper, and..............................

ewwww - roots I seen - but, thankfully, not in the SEWER!!!!! ewwwwwww2wwwwwwwwwwww..

You must have some really nonagressive trees, Deb. It isn't pretty and does require professional help.

dlowan- I saw those tiny roots, searching for water, wiggle in at a point where pipes were joined, and got in that way. That is why, if you plant a tree near a sewer system, it should only be a variety that is shallow rooted. (I'm so smart, after the fact! )

heehee - roots in DRAINS I seen - but not, thank goodness, in the SEWER. They are much deeper in Oz than the ordinary drain.

how did we get onto drains?

did littlek ever find a shower, or is she at an airport somewhere, trying to decide where to fly to?

Sigh
no shower. I'll be going to the penis show stinky and greasy. Oh well.

The way I understand it is this: the grey water washes down the drain into the city system as does the sewage. So, when the back up occurs at a point after those pipes meet (near the street) the mixed nasty liquid backs up water pipe is available to it. The most available place for it to back up is into the laundry machine (cringe).

The plumbers were going to come back today at some point to see what they could do. Meanwhile, no draining of any sort is allowed. I've been finding out some interesting points about the people in the house. Like, who flushes what..... TMI. And let me say that it is prudent to not flush ify items into an ify system (some people!).