Saturday night did not unfold as usual. The routine is to feed the cats their last meal of the day (‘snack-time’), clean up, have a bath and watch a movie. It’s hardly exciting, but I look forward to it all week. Last night departed from the pattern, unfortunately.
I had fed the beasts and took some items to the furnace room/laundry, in the basement. That’s when I noticed that water was soaking half the floor. I thought initially that the washing machine had burst a pipe. When I saw that water was gushing out of a major pipe behind the water-heater, I changed my opinion.
I immediately called my landlady, and she immediately called a plumber. It was about an hour before the plumber arrived, but, on a Saturday night of a long weekend, that was pretty good. I had noticed in that time that the sump pump appeared to be doing its job, as the water on the floor was not increasing. I tried to find the general shut-off for the house’s water-supply but could not find it.
After the plumber came and worked on the problem, it turned out that it was centred on the pump: it was trying to rid the house of some water that had accumulated during the rainy day, and had encountered roots in the pipes outside the house. Consequently, the water was returning to the basement, only to be ejected again by the pump. That was why I had seen the gushing of the water increase when the pump started up again, over and over. The plumber cleared the roots from the pipes, and told me that the shut-off for the water was somewhere beneath the street, a not uncommon location for old houses.
The problem is now solved, at least until roots intrude into the municipal plumbing again. The sump pump was, after all, simply trying to do its job: if conscious, it probably would have been puzzled as to why water kept returning after it was thrown out. The damage was minimal, dampness that needed sopping up, and dirt that needed cleaning. The water didn’t cover more than half the furnace room, and didn’t come close to the library, across the staircase landing. The stairs needed vacuuming again (I had done it earlier that day) because of outside debris brought in. The business did ruin my Saturday night but it could have been much worse. My landlady was on the problem right away, and came over to make sure the plumber did what was necessary.
And I had almost been ready to congratulate myself on having no new cat or a sick resident to tend to. My love/hate relationship with long weekends nonetheless continues…
glad you were able to get the situation fixed....pron toe....been there with the sudden appearance of water and it's not an enjoyable time...also glad the library was...saved....the shut off valve at my house is underground as well, and while the "cap" is in the front yard, it would take some doing to locate it ~~~~~ may the week a head bring calm to the cabin ~~~~ ☺☺♥♥
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the 'cap', I think that's pretty much the situation here, as described by the plumber.
DeleteHave you EVER had an uneventful long weekend? 😲
ReplyDeleteI can't recall one. This was different only in that it didn't directly involve the cats.
DeleteGlad the kitties were all ok through this. Kudos to your landlady and the plumber, and I speak from experience there !
ReplyDeleteIt seems all emergencies happen on weekends and holidays. You obviously have a great landlady - she took care of the problem immediately. I'm sorry that your Saturday night was spoiled, but I'm happy the problem did not involve the cats. Plumbing can be fixed, fixing a cat can be more difficult.
ReplyDeleteI say then! That was really super how fast the landlady and the plumber worked to get the fault cleared up. That was awful. I would have been madder than a hornet as it would of course, all fall on me and while I would be silently madder than a hornet, I would still be wasting time being mad! SO glad you weekend is at least progressing normally now after all that. And that was a pip of a problem. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteUgh...this sounds SO familiar! I've had the same thing happen here more than once because of tree roots, the only difference is water backs up into the washing machine!
ReplyDeleteI’ve often thought that long weekends were designed for disasters to happen…at least you were able to have this one taken care of relatively quickly. And no vet visits!
ReplyDeleteBetter than a sick kitty.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
DeleteYikes! Wonder what could have happened if you hadn't gone downstairs on a household errand?!
ReplyDeleteWe have a so called Michigan Basement, in our 1907 house, it's more of a dungeon, at least someone before us poured concrete on the floor. Once there was standing water there, and it was pouring out of the water softener tank...UGH! needed a whole new set up.
Glad your problem was quickly dealt with, and hopefully the kittens and cats will not cause any more issues this long weekend.
At least you don't have to pay for this.
ReplyDeletePlumbing problems are awful, I'm glad this one was solved quickly and well, and didn't cause damage. Grandma and Grandpa had a mouse eat through a dishwasher line and the water in the kitchen was impressive, the whole kitchen had to be rebuilt.
ReplyDeleteWe must look for the better in these things, and the fact that you were there and available to save the day, along with a plumber, is surely better than coming home to a new pond in the basement. Here we have a mains stopcock in the street, and a large service valve under the sink where water enters the place. Maybe builders/plumbers should fit these retrospectively to older homes everywhere?
ReplyDeleteMay your next weekend be one filled with fun rather than watery chaos.
ERin & Mrs H
Well there was an unwantedness and a worry. But yes at least it was not one of the kitties. Wonderful that somebody would come so quickly on a weekend like
ReplyDeleteOh, for crying out loud!
ReplyDeleteAt least it was a minor problem, even if it messed up your pre-programed evening.