well the shtf | Page 2 | The Compost Bin | Forums

so around 1:00 Pm yesterday I was getting ready to go work on the yard when my wife came and said the toilet was gurgling. I went in and tried flushing the toilet and nothing. So I grabbed the plunger and started plunging.

45 minutes later and nothing. What the hell.

I had my wife run the kitchen sink for 10 minutes to see if it was draining and it was.

We had installed all the plumbing in a straight line

the kitchen sink is after the red toilet flange so I assumed the blockage was between that and the toilet. We had installed a clean out in the washer drain

so I grabbed my 25 foot snake and ran it down the drain and hit nothing.

I had my wife go and grab a wax ring for the toilet, I figured it was between the toilet and the main line, so I ripped that off and snaked it down. Nothing, what the hell!?

So I went into the utility room and pulled the cap on the clean out to the line to the street, as soon as I started unscrewing it I could hear pressure being released. That's not good. So I ran my snake down the line, went and tried flushing the toilet. Nothing.

So I got on the phone with the guy who had done the rough in and told him what was going on, he said he would grab his 75 foot snakes and be right over.

About 15 minutes later he showed up and we started uncoiling the snake down the clean out and wasn't hitting anything. He looked and said you better call the sewer department, there has to be a clog in the main line. Just as he said that the most vile sludge came bubbling up into the utility room. He quietly commented this aint good.

I asked what do we do now, we have a 75 foot snake down the line and raw sewage filling my utility room and overflowing into my bedroom. He said you got a wet vac, uh no.

So we started ripping the snake out of the drain as fast as we could.

This is the style of snake we were using

if you have ever used one, you know how much tension are on them and you normally wind it back on the reel as you haul in the line.

We finally got the tape out of the drain and quickly put the cap back on. I called the sewer company and got a answering machine. It was 4:01, they closed at 4:00 and of course there was no emergency number.

I hollered for my wife to grab some towels, she came rushing into the room and said the shower stall was filling with sewage now to. Really? This keeps getting better.

I told her to run and grab a wet dry vac, while I called the town office.

"Town Office, how may I help you?"

" Do you have a emergency number for the sewer dept?"

"what is this in regards to sir?"

"There's a block in the main line and my house is filling up with raw sewage!"

A few seconds later she gave me a number and said this is the only number I have besides their main number.

So I called that number which was a private number for one of the workers, told him what was happening and he said he would be right there.

My wife showed up with the wet dry vac and we started sucking up the mess, when my phone rang, it was starting to back up in the restaurant. Really? This just keeps getting better by the minute.

So I ran up to the restaurant and it was just trickling out of the floor drain, so I had my guys just work on mopping it up and I closed the restaurant till further notice.

I went back outside and the sewer guy was here and a pump truck. They popped the lid on the manhole and the box was full to the brim.

They started sucking it out which stopped the back ups in the shower and the restaurant, so i went back to the house to see how my wife was doing. She was sitting on the steps crying, I gave her a hug and told her it would be alright, we will fix what ever is damaged.

The plumber was finishing up sucking up the shower and there was nothing more he could do so we wrapped up his stuff and sent him on his way. Before he left I made the comment, see why I wanted to put a emergency shut off in now?

I walked back up to the street and they had finished pumping out the manhole and they found the problem, a tree root. The guy from the sewer was very apologetic and said he would fix whatever issues there are and wanted to know if we wanted to stay in a hotel for the night.

No I said, I have a feeling we will be cleaning all night.

So the wife and I spent the next 8 hours hauling out all the sewage soaked stuff and starting scrubbing and bleaching everything.

I had called my friends who had helped framing and such with the house and they rearranged their schedule today and showed up at 7:00 am. They are currently ripping up the baseboard and trim in the utility room, closet and our bedroom. We are going to cut the first couple of inches of drywall, spray bleach behind it and rehang some dry wall and new trim. I don't know what else to do besides that. We were lucky to have contained it in those three rooms. The Shower pan never overflowed I think because that drain sits up higher and once it got level with the sewage in the manhole it was done.

I need to figure out a way to stop this from happening again.