Last week Hick discovered a problem at Bargain House. He was mowing the yard, and noticed an issue around the clean-out pipe for the sewer line. Hick says that's a stand-up pipe connected to the sewer line. It looked like sewage was leaking. He and Old Buddy attempted to clear the suspected clog, using a special part and Hick's power washer. It did not work. So Hick contacted professionals to remedy the issue.
The first guy ran an auger down the clean-out pipe for the cost of $80. That didn't work. Hick began to suspect that it might be roots in the main sewer pipe. He asked about digging up the sewer line to check. The auger guy said he would not dig into the ground for less than $3,500. As you might imagine, Hick was reluctant to pay such a fee. It could be even more, once the actual problem was discovered.
Hick called a guy who lives out here on the county blacktop road. We had bought a rental duplex from him many years ago. He went to look at the situation. He called on Tuesday evening with a price of $2,200. That's total. He will dig up the line, and then move it to the back yard, rather than the front yard. He will buy the pipe and put it in, connecting it to the city sewer, then cover up the trench. All Hick will have to do is connect the line from under the house to this new line.
It seems like a reasonable deal to me. Hick says all the lines are within about 24 inches of each other. The sewer line, water line, and gas line. Moving the sewer line to the back will make sense. The contractor can tie it in at the alley, and won't have to pay for the city to dig up the road in front. Hick thinks maybe the original sewer line might be cracked, from when the city did work on the water line a few years ago. He said the older sewer lines are made of clay, and any pressure from digging could crack them.
Sometimes, it's who you know. Sometimes, it's Hick knowing when he's being taken advantage of. Sometimes, it's a little of both.
This is not something that could have been foreseen when buying the house. Which only cost us $35,000, lest you forget.
Wow, that is a great dealfor $2,200.00. Hopefully there are no additional issues once the digging commences.
ReplyDeleteThe digging started today. Hick is on his way over to check on the progress right now. And probably to pay the guy. It's a cash deal, handshake contract kind of thing, with a guy Hick trusts and has done business with before.
DeleteWhen Hick told the auger guy that he wouldn't be needing his $3,500 services because he was using the other one, Auger Guy said, "Oh. Is he still doing that kind of work?" Hick told him, "For people he knows." I think Auger Guy was surprised, and figured he'd overplayed his hand with that estimate.
We had an old house where roots would grow into our line and cause a back up every year. Roto-rooter took care of it each year, but not pleasant. Digging up the pipe would have been a small fortune. After two years I learned that if I flushed some specific chemical down the toilet in May, the roots would not grow would to cause a problem. When we sold the house the new buyers were a pain in the neck about several issues.
ReplyDeleteI didn't tell them about the May chemical treatment.
Let the buyer beware! This was not something Hick could have foreseen when we jumped at the chance to buy Bargain House. It had been fine for four months, then this unwelcome sewer surprise.
DeleteHick thinks with just the old man living there, and then the house being empty, there wasn't a problem. But once Hick and Old Buddy started working there, and using the sewer, it was too much for the old system.
At first Hick was afraid it might cost us $5000-$6000 to fix the sewer line. Good thing he knows "bargain" tradesmen! I knew about chemicals for sewer lines and septic tanks, but I didn't know they could stop the tree roots.
I know about that chemical treatment, I used it in a previous rental and am planning to do so again here to prevent another stinky blowout in my bathroom. There's a choice of tablets or liquid that you flush down the toilet and it kills off any tree roots in the pipes.
DeleteI wish I had invented that product!
DeleteThat is a very decent price! Our old sewer lines are clay pipes too and our constantly shifting soil, (wet when raining, dry and caked as hard as cement during the rest of the year,)puts pressure on them and eventually they crack, so sewage leaks, tree roots find a source of water and bingo! homes are in trouble.
ReplyDeleteWill the new pipe also be clay? Here there are advertisements in newspapers and magazines for people who can dig around the cracked pipes and instead of replacing, run a plastic pipe through the cracked one from the house to the main council sewer.Apparently that is a less intrusive method of fixing and probably cheaper.
Yes, this is a good price, compared to what it could have been. Hick thinks the pressure of the "recent" city work, and all three lines being so close together, is what messed up the old sewer pipe. The new pipe are indeed plastic. I'll have an update in the future. Hick already sent one picture of the work.
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