Playing with Pooh..OT

 My wife was washing cloths Sat. and just happened to go into the bathroom when the washer was pumping out. What she found was water overflowing in the toilet and tub. Of course this ment that I got to find and clear a clogged sewer line. That involved a little more than I was expecting. It seems that the plumber had stubed out the clean out about a foot and a half past the house slab. Not a problem if there was not a brick side walk over it. Yep I love to break up sidewalks. After doing all that and digging up the clean out of course the cast iron plug was rusted solid . It looked more like an ancient artifact than a pipe , and required a lot more muscle than I have to break it free. Thats when you get that first knockout sewer smell. Even the neighbors dog took one sniff and hauled tail for home. So whats a few pulled muscles in an elbo and back and a snoot full of stink . Then, of course the clog was almost 40 feet from the clean out. More than I could push a garden hose so here I am, covered in crap, yes literally , no bathroom , and we had to go visit our second home, Home Dumpo,. I dont know why I dont just have my money transfered right to them. That way I would not have to see it slip through my fingers so often. I bought some rolled pipe and fittings to connect the hose and managed to clean it out, but it appears I have a dip or a root almost to the septic tank. Almost never got through there so now I will have to dig that up and repair, replace it.  Two days of crawling around on my hands and knees in sewer water and now I have a sore throat and aching body and  Im not sure how long the fix will last. Guess thats why I'm up at 3AM @#$ing about it all. The irony is , with crohns I am always dealing with crap and aches and pain inside . This week end I was dealing with crap and aches and pain on the outside. Playing with pooh must have been more fun for Christopher Robin. When I was young we had an out house and we bathed in a #3 tub. Neither ever got clogged.

I hope there was not a "rumbly in your tumbly" while you were playing with Pooh!
Seriously, start hiring out some of these things...the cost is worth the aggravation saved. Although I must say I envy your wide range of skills displayed in making repairs yourself.
ps--I think the dog was just jealous he could not compete with the stink!

Habs, I cant hire this out. Problem is I have what is called a Grandfather system. I have a holding tank and field drain. Its been there 34 years and as long as I can keep it working I'm ok. If I hire a plumber and he has to dig up the line he has to get a permit. The inspector will deny me that permit and give me 90 days to have a new modern septic system installed. The only difference between what I have and the new type is the new one has a pump that blows bubbles in the tank. That and a $6000. price tag. Thats a hefty price . Only Michael Jackson would pay that much for Bubbles. Yeah I know thats his monkey, but they want to monkey with my money and its not for peanuts. What sorta burns me up is I have been paying sewer usage tax here for many years and we will probable never have it here. I keep my system up with bacteria and we dont use detergent that will kill them. I think what happened this time was the flood stayed over the tank long enough to push something up in the house drain. As for my wide range of skills, sometimes I wish I was too dumb to change a light bulb. I would be much poorer but my body would not hurt so bad this morning.

Thanks aocc, but people that dont have a license should not run their mouth with their brain in neutral on national TV. But ,,,in his defense , it was a political thing , and when have any of them told the truth. Mostly what they say is the same as what is stopping up my pipes.

Nanners, it is unnerving to have no working plumbing while you work on it, but if I have to go I can, I just have to remember not to flush. Thats hard to do because it a reflex like turning the light switch on when you know the electricity is out. Thanks for posting. I try not to vent too much ...

Fitzy I am sure ever state has some rules or regulations as dumb as this, but we pay sewer usage tax per gallon of water used from the water works. The premise is each gallon goes back into the system. What a joke. If you wash the car, water the flowers or garden you pay a tax on the water, it never goes into the system. I have a pump at the bayou and thats what I water with. They say they cant keep up with who has sewer and who does not so all pay for it. I'm not paying any more than I must so I use bayou water when I can. Also I can keep my sewer system as long as I dont dump into the bayou but people that dont live near the bayou can dump in the ditches that run to,,you guessed it, the bayous. If I sell my house , or have my electricity turned off for any reason , before I can turn it back on , I have to install a new sewage system.

Yep keeper thats a good possibility. I use a product that kills roots and it works well but there is always that chance. If it keeps clogging up I will have to replace that part of the line with PVC. The old cast iron stuff has joints that can break and let the roots in. Funny, the grass is greener , the tree roots grow toward it, the worms love it, seems the only thing that does not like pooh is ,,,,Us...

Hi Sniper I say cut the tree down and get rid of the root thing. Speaking of which Randy's having the same problem but it's all in his head I bet he's wishing it was in a tree. lol gail