#garfield Logs

Nov 05 2021

12:20 AM rue_mohr: zippo:/files/programming/src/minipro/minipro# units 2rpm degrees/sec
12:28 AM rue_mohr: * 12
04:12 AM Tom_L: morning
08:51 AM rue_mohr: morning
10:15 AM aandrew: morning
10:15 AM aandrew: I had a literal shit storm in my basement yesterday
10:16 AM aandrew: yesterday afternoon I went to hte bathroom, but the toilet didn't flush. not like it was plugged, it just didn't flush. Shut the water off, got the plunger
10:16 AM aandrew: it was not working as it usually does, but I persisted, cursing whichever kid plugged it and didn't tell me
10:16 AM aandrew: I was getting frustrated, and got it seated real nice and gave a hard shove and something moved and the bowl drained. Job done!
10:16 AM aandrew: now to clean up the mess on the floor which also NEVER happens when I have to unclog a toilet
10:17 AM aandrew: go down in the basement where it's leaking (from running into the hole between the vent and floor) and it's REALLY smelling bad, which is odd, because it's not THAT much water leaking
10:17 AM aandrew: open the furnace room door and holy fuckballs
10:17 AM aandrew: I wasn't sure how that was how it was, and had one of the kids flush a toilet to see where it was coming from
10:18 AM aandrew: the main cleanout was just overflowing like crazy. there was a blockage somewhere in the 4" pipe from the house to the septic tank
10:18 AM aandrew: unreal
10:18 AM aandrew: so I call septic people because I think maybe the tank is full (6yo new house, should NOT be but maybe) and they ask me to pull the covers and see
10:19 AM aandrew: of course every tank looks full becuase that's how they operate, but they say maybe it's just the secondary tank filter and if I clean that maybe it'll buy me some time to avoid an emergency pump, so I do that
10:19 AM aandrew: no change
10:19 AM aandrew: meanwhile I am in the furnace room trying to figure out wtf is going on
10:19 AM aandrew: I notice the 4" PVC cleanout plug is on the floor... still screwed in to the receptacle it screws in to
10:20 AM aandrew: the fucking plumber who built the house never glued that on to the Y leaving the house!
10:20 AM aandrew: so when I gave the plunger that shove like I was Thor, I managed to pop it off, which allowed the toilet to drain
10:21 AM aandrew: anyway -- I put that back on (not glued yet) and flushed another toilet to see if I could see anything going into the septic primary tank... nope. so it's a blockage, not a bad tank
10:21 AM aandrew: emergency plumber snaked ~40' and cleared it. he pulled back a single tampon
10:22 AM aandrew: he was saying he's frankly shocked that with a run that long (about 45' from house to tank) I didn't have any issues before, I guess that long a run gives whatever you're flushing time to stop moving before it hits the tank and it can dry and build up
10:22 AM aandrew: anyway
10:23 AM aandrew: he finsihed up, glued the cleanout (which is useless, it's up high and pointing "up" so he can't fit a snake in there, he had to pull a toilet and charged me for that too), I set out cleaning up the furnace room
10:23 AM aandrew: that took me most of the night, noticed my sump pump was failed now too (was working a couple days ago)
10:23 AM aandrew: got a guy coming in tomorrow with a fogger and some disinfectant/deodoriziing shit to get the smell out of the room/hosue
10:24 AM aandrew: all-in, emergency plumber charged $500 which really isn't bad, another $200 for a new sump and $200 for the dude to fog the room
10:25 AM aandrew: thinking I should at some point have a guy come in to fix the cleanout so it points to the side not "up" but that's a fairly big undertaking and it's not in a real nice location either (above the water heater)
10:26 AM aandrew: thankfully the shit storm didn't hit the ceiling, and the sump pit was big enough to drain most of the shit that ended up on the floor. A few boxes ruined but no loss there, and most importantly, NONE of my computer equipment was damaged
10:26 AM aandrew: that would have been bad
10:26 AM aandrew: this might force me to frame a mini wall to the side and install the vent I wanted to install
10:27 AM aandrew: wife/kids in hotel last night/today so I can clean this out without them freaking out, wife is a germophobe
10:27 AM aandrew: had the furnace off since I discsoverd it, the ducts are all taped/sealed and the system is zoned anyway but I'd rather not distribute the shit all over the house. disinfectant guy will spray the cold air intake and cycle that through the house as a precaution
01:34 PM WormFood: aandrew, sounds like a shitty situation (pun intended)
03:12 PM aandrew: yeah it was no bueno
03:12 PM aandrew: got hte sump changed out, I don't like the new one, it has way too short a travel in the float, it drains the pit in about 3-5 seconds, but I guess that's not a BAD thing
03:13 PM aandrew: it's not adjustable either. Same HP as the old (1/3HP) but the old one was cast iron, this is just cheapie aluminum
03:13 PM aandrew: if it fails early I'll put a better one in but I think this is ok
03:14 PM aandrew: I really think I should get one of those cheap washing sinks and put it over the sump down there, I have no easy access to a drain, and I'd only be dumping water from washing hands/floors in it, which just pumps out to the front ditch
05:53 PM Tom_L: gray water
05:55 PM Tom_L: zoeller pumps
05:56 PM Tom_L: i swear by them
07:36 PM rue_mohr: oh no
07:36 PM rue_mohr: aandrew,
08:06 PM Tom_L: video to come...
08:20 PM Tom_L: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUAqIt_YRQQ
08:21 PM aandrew: Tom_L: *shrugs* this last one lasted 6y, we'll see what the next one lasts
08:21 PM aandrew: I did manage to get everything cleaned up, floor mopped like 4 times and even installed a laundry basin (standing on the sump pit) with hot and cold water
08:22 PM aandrew: Tom_L: nice, for thread (or other curved feature) cutting?
08:23 PM Tom_L: yes rotary milling
08:28 PM aandrew: wow the chemical the dude is using to sterilze/destink is pretty nasty stuff when it's wet
08:29 PM aandrew: 10% 2-butoxyethanol, 5% tetrasodium pyrophosphate and 2.5% potassium hydroxide
08:29 PM aandrew: 80% water, 2.5% potassium soap
08:30 PM aandrew: he said it's not corrossive, so I'm not shutting off the computers/network gear in that room, but maybe I should if this is at all conductive
08:30 PM aandrew: yeah I think I will
08:30 PM aandrew: it's pretty nasty for life which is why it's used as a sanitizer I guess
08:31 PM aandrew: WARNING - Causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system. This product may be harmful by inhalation and if it is swallowed. Overexposure may result in central nervous system effects including headache, sleepiness, dizziness, slurred speech and blurred vision. Chronic exposure may lead to damage of the liver, kidneys, and the blood and blood-forming organs.
08:31 PM aandrew: Contains a component that may be absorbed through the skin.