The Complaining and Bitching Thread

Bad news - I walk into the laundry room and hear a weird noise emanating from the basement late last night. I investigate and find water shooting up out of the sump pump all over the floor. There is a sizable and expanding (maybe covering a couple hundred square feet already) puddle. I immediately unplug the sump pump and try to figure out what is going on. The water level in the hole isn't to the floor level yet, so something had to be wrong. After some examination I realize that the discharge pipe for the back-up sump pump is disconnected. But since it was the primary pump that was running, I still don't know why it was shooting water everywhere.

Good news - My basement is unfinished, and any important storage is done at the far end from the pump, so there was no damage other than some water on bare concrete. Also, importantly, one of my closest friends owns a well drilling and water service company (same guy who loaned me the roto-rooter for anyone keeping score at home). By nature of the main focus of their business, they do a lot of plumbing. I call him to ask for suggestions. Since it was currently raining (meaning I shouldn't go all night with no functioning sump pump) he offers to drive over and work on it. It was already 10pm or so, so I told him I didn't want him to do that, but he suggests I Facetime him and show him what is going on via my cell phone. I show him the disconnected back-up pump. He tells me there should've been a check-valve in between the back-up pump and the discharge pipe. That check-valve is what keeps the water from flowing backwards down the discharge pipe. Since I didn't know that, I hadn't been looking for it. So I stick my arm down in the sump hole and root around. Sure enough, there is a 6-8" section of pipe laying at the bottom with a check valve on it. He tells me if I can re-attach that in between the pump and the discharge, I should be fine, that somehow it came loose. Sure enough, the band clamp rusted apart. But I have none, and it is too late for any hardware store to be open. Again, he offers to drive over with supplies and fix it. I tell him to give me some time to figure something out, that I don't want to have him out until midnight/1am on a work night. I thank him for his help and tell him that I'll call him back.

I try to think of anything I have that might secure the pump at least temporarily, but I have nothing. Then it occurs to me that I might be able to JUST attach the check-valve, and since it is a one-way valve it may stop the back-flow of water even without the back-up pump hooked up. So I take the band clamps off of the back-up sump pump, put them on the section of pipe that will attach the check-valve, and tighten it all down. I plug in the primary pump and it starts chugging away. The check-valve stops the back-flow and the water gets pumped out. I cycle the pump a few times to make sure the valve holds, then Facetime my buddy and show him my temporary solution. Basically, I'm without a back-up pump for the night if power were to fail, but otherwise I seem to be okay. He likes my idea and rigged up solution, and I again thank him for his offer and his shared expertise.

Wake up this morning, and the check-valve is still in place. The primary pump is still working fine. The water is basically dried up. Now, this SHOULD just require me to replace a few band clamps (might as well replace the other old ones while I'm at it) and maybe getting a few busted knuckles in the process since I'm only mildly handy. But it sure beats having to replace a pump, or having a basement full of water.

 

I took a look at my updated chart this morning online, as I need to make a doctor's appointment for a new Epipen and rescue inhaler. Man, I wish I hadn't. Seeing the actual diagnoses for my blown-up ear made me really depressed. The swelling is called lymphangitis, and it, like the pressure from the ear infection, won't go away entirely for several weeks. My glands and everything are still so, so tender.

This is not how I wanted to spend my summer.

 

Well, I was going to have omurice for lunch, but then my husband took all the day old rice except for two tablespoons. WTF am I supposed to do with two tablespoons of rice?

 

I spoke too soon. The primary pump is shot.

My guess is that it wouldn't turn on when it was supposed to last night, so the back-up kicked in. Since there hadn't been pressure in the fittings of the back-up pump for months or years, that little extra surge of pressure blew the already rusty band clamp and I had the issue I had last night. Though the pump cycled a few times last night just fine, I walked down there this morning after replacing all the band clamps and found that it wouldn't cycle on and off correctly every time. Usually it would, but on occasion it wouldn't kick on, or worse (for the pump) wouldn't kick off when it was supposed. Running a water pump without water is obviously a no-go, and it probably did it enough times for long enough to start to burn it up.

So I got to pull everything this afternoon/evening, go buy a new sump pump, and install it. Fun fun.

And Shadow, though this is all a bit of a hassle and an expense, I personally think having a full basement is a net win. I get to use all of my main level for living space, as the furnace, hot water heater, electrical panel, etc. is all in the basement. I also get to use my garage to fit two full sized vehicles, my Harley, a fridge, a stand-up freezer, lawn mower, snow blower, etc. because I have 1800' of storage underneath my house. It's a huge benefit in that regard. And some day, if I ever get the money, time, and enough desire, I'll finish at least half of it. It's already set up for another full bathroom, has egress windows if I wanted to put bedrooms down there, and is actually dug an extra 18" deeper than standard basements so that I could have a full height finished ceiling if I wanted to. Here's hoping that some day I at least get a home theater and awesome rec room out of it...

 

One of the potential disadvantages of dating a 25 yo (even with a rockin' bod) is that you may have to teach or wait for them to catch up to your level (or they can be selfish too)

However to be fair, this can be said for any age, but there is something to be said for experience. (or learning to be with each other...)
Then again, everyone & every couple has a bad night (or a 'meh' or not so hot time)
Can't have everything always. I'm not a selfish lover at all, but there does have to be a balance too.

We'll see. One step at a time....

 

Let me know if you need someone to break you out of jail...

 

Feeling like I've been punched in the face is getting old.