My hands are blistering and my back is aching as I tilt the shovel against the pipe and hear it crack. “Crap, I’m going to have to dig deeper.” As if I needed more work to do.
Yesterday, my septic system decided to rebel. It had taken enough of my crap, and it wasn’t going to tolerate any more.
When I called the septic pumping company, they asked if I had located the cleanout cover. I told them I would try to find it. No such luck, but what I did uncover was a leaky pipe leading to the septic tank. I found it because there was a small patch of grass growing in that spot. It had been that way for some time. I never thought much of it up to this point.
After the septic pumping guy did his thing, I asked him to look at the pipe. He gave me some advice, and it seems like an easy fix- as long as you don’t mind digging.
I can’t use my own bathroom. Not until I get this fixed.Considering the fact that this pipe has probably been leaking for a long time, I’m literally digging up fecal matter. My cats probably think I’m making the biggest litterbox they’ve ever seen.
In a way, they’re right.
I could really use a shower- in fact, I was about to take one when I discovered my little problem. The toilet was bubbling as I was waiting for the shower water to heat up. I thought it would be a good idea to flush the toilet. I thought wrong. Fortunately, I didn’t make a huge mess in the bathroom.
Luckily I spent a few years working with irrigation, and I’m familiar with repairing pipes like this. The only problem is digging out enough dirt so that I can get under it.
Update: I finally fixed the pipe, and all seems well. I haven’t completely filled tho hole in, but it is 80 percent or so filled, and as my mom put it- it can wait until winter at this point. I’ll have it filled in before then, I assure you.
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