My mom wanted to come visit the new house. Just what I needed. I went nuts and wore myself out dragging junk to the basement and finally tearing out the carpeting in the 2nd bedroom.
Remember when they weather service issued a flood warning?
As I went into the basement level last night I heard a loud gurgling from the furnace floor registers. They are in the poured concrete floor and the home inspector and my buddy said they were full of gunk from previous flooding.
The floor wasn't flooded. Talking to a buddy I figured it wasn't good for the furnace to be trying to blow through water.
I had thoughts of getting an all purpose pump and pumping out the ducts.
During this time I see my new neighbor who is builder and told him I'd appreciate his advice. He mentioned he had a new sump pump that he replaced that he didn't need. He had to run an errand but would help me later.
I checked the circuit breaker for the sump pump. It was OK.
Now I had to take a look. The sump is outside at the lower level entrance. I thought the entry door was bolted shut. I couldn't open it from the inside. I had no intentions to try get to the lower level entrance until we had a thaw. II had to trod through snow in the front yard up to my shins, try to find the stairs...I fell on my behind.
The sump pit was full of water to the brim - about 3-4 feet above the pump.
My neighbor gives me his new unneeded sump pump. He also looked at my old one while we tried to figure out if it was getting power. We thought the circuit was dead so I scrounged up an extension cord and put it out a window. Still no joy.
I told him I'd wait until I had light to see. We planned to drop the new pump alongside the old one and run a hose out as a temporary fix.
This morning as soon as I could get moving I visited Ace Hardware with the new pump and with their help picked up a PVC pipe and fittings, a check valve, two sump hoses, etc. When I couldn't make it work otherwise, I got PVC cement, abrasive, and $2 hacksaw.
When I made the trek through the snow to the sump box again, I got brave and pulled up the old pump. I saw that the connection to the drain line was separated and it wasn't so convoluted that I couldn't replace it with the new one. Like all things plumbing and electrical in the old house it obviously hadn't been touched since the 1980s.
I checked the door on both sides and figured out that it was only a bad door latch holding it closed. The previous owners were so lame they had dug out the door frame to allow pushing in the latch. I removed the door knobs, opened the latch and THE DOOR! Ahhhh... I can work on the workbench in the basement.
I assembled what I could with what I had. The hacksaw was a disaster. The blade twisted so it was impossible to make a straight cut.
I hadda make one more trip to Ace for different fittings. The helpful hardware man even cut my leftover pipe straight so I could use it as a nipple.
Back at home I put design #2 together. Working carefully and maintaining a grip due my fear I'd drop a tool or my glasses down the sump, I dropped in the pump, plugged it in.... and heard the water surging out to the back yard.
The sump was drained in about 15 minutes. The auto shutoff works. The outside outlet works. I know where my drain tiles come in because I watched the water drain into the sump endlessly as the pump dealt with it.
The total cost, once I return the hoses I didn't need, will be less than $50. BTW, I spotted that new sump at Ace. It was $140!
The previous handyman or plumber had put insulation and a heating tape on the drain hose. The Ace guy told me the heating tape only for metal pipe. I gotta believe it's easy for the hose or pipes to freeze outside. I plugged in the heater. I got some pipe insulation which I'll install when the weather gets warmer to allow me to work. I might have to check with a pro for a solution for that.
I replaced the door lock with the twin of the front door. The latch binds slightly no matter how I tried to adjust it but it works pretty well.
Life is good. I have a feeling of accomplishment, although I can barely walk.
Oh. I fired up the downstairs furnace. No gurgling.
Mom says she'll come out another weekend.
I owe the new neighbor more than just an airplane ride.
There are two home shows in town this weekend. I wonder if either is worth me dragging my sore bod to.
Remember when they weather service issued a flood warning?
As I went into the basement level last night I heard a loud gurgling from the furnace floor registers. They are in the poured concrete floor and the home inspector and my buddy said they were full of gunk from previous flooding.
The floor wasn't flooded. Talking to a buddy I figured it wasn't good for the furnace to be trying to blow through water.
I had thoughts of getting an all purpose pump and pumping out the ducts.
During this time I see my new neighbor who is builder and told him I'd appreciate his advice. He mentioned he had a new sump pump that he replaced that he didn't need. He had to run an errand but would help me later.
I checked the circuit breaker for the sump pump. It was OK.
Now I had to take a look. The sump is outside at the lower level entrance. I thought the entry door was bolted shut. I couldn't open it from the inside. I had no intentions to try get to the lower level entrance until we had a thaw. II had to trod through snow in the front yard up to my shins, try to find the stairs...I fell on my behind.
The sump pit was full of water to the brim - about 3-4 feet above the pump.
My neighbor gives me his new unneeded sump pump. He also looked at my old one while we tried to figure out if it was getting power. We thought the circuit was dead so I scrounged up an extension cord and put it out a window. Still no joy.
I told him I'd wait until I had light to see. We planned to drop the new pump alongside the old one and run a hose out as a temporary fix.
This morning as soon as I could get moving I visited Ace Hardware with the new pump and with their help picked up a PVC pipe and fittings, a check valve, two sump hoses, etc. When I couldn't make it work otherwise, I got PVC cement, abrasive, and $2 hacksaw.
When I made the trek through the snow to the sump box again, I got brave and pulled up the old pump. I saw that the connection to the drain line was separated and it wasn't so convoluted that I couldn't replace it with the new one. Like all things plumbing and electrical in the old house it obviously hadn't been touched since the 1980s.
I checked the door on both sides and figured out that it was only a bad door latch holding it closed. The previous owners were so lame they had dug out the door frame to allow pushing in the latch. I removed the door knobs, opened the latch and THE DOOR! Ahhhh... I can work on the workbench in the basement.
I assembled what I could with what I had. The hacksaw was a disaster. The blade twisted so it was impossible to make a straight cut.
I hadda make one more trip to Ace for different fittings. The helpful hardware man even cut my leftover pipe straight so I could use it as a nipple.
Back at home I put design #2 together. Working carefully and maintaining a grip due my fear I'd drop a tool or my glasses down the sump, I dropped in the pump, plugged it in.... and heard the water surging out to the back yard.
The sump was drained in about 15 minutes. The auto shutoff works. The outside outlet works. I know where my drain tiles come in because I watched the water drain into the sump endlessly as the pump dealt with it.
The total cost, once I return the hoses I didn't need, will be less than $50. BTW, I spotted that new sump at Ace. It was $140!
The previous handyman or plumber had put insulation and a heating tape on the drain hose. The Ace guy told me the heating tape only for metal pipe. I gotta believe it's easy for the hose or pipes to freeze outside. I plugged in the heater. I got some pipe insulation which I'll install when the weather gets warmer to allow me to work. I might have to check with a pro for a solution for that.
I replaced the door lock with the twin of the front door. The latch binds slightly no matter how I tried to adjust it but it works pretty well.
Life is good. I have a feeling of accomplishment, although I can barely walk.
Oh. I fired up the downstairs furnace. No gurgling.
Mom says she'll come out another weekend.
I owe the new neighbor more than just an airplane ride.
There are two home shows in town this weekend. I wonder if either is worth me dragging my sore bod to.
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