God bless the boys from YCUA
Recently, just before the holidays and a mere day after my father's funeral, my homes soil pipe failed (i.e. the sewer). At that point I was wondering if the month of December could get any worse.
Nothing gives one a headache faster than plumbing problems. You never realize how nice it is to flush the ol' thunderbox-- Until a time comes and then you can't, thus your house is quickly relegated to nothing more than a heated tent. If there's anything 'good' to this tale, it's the fact that my wife and myself were able to use the bathroom at my sister's house across the street during this "emergency."
Yes, I knew that something wasn't right the minute I saw the 'gray water' backed up in the utility sink in the basement, mostly because I had recently had my main 4 inch pipe augured out-- So I knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong, underneath me in the Stygian world of pipes and sewers.
This happened on a Friday-- So there was no-WAY I would call a plumber for a weekend $$$ service call, so the wife and I sucked it up and took care of our business elsewhere.
After we lived semi-third world for that weekend, I called R&R Sewer Service (their name says it all, eh?) to re-auger my drainpipe-- although I just KNEW that wouldn't be the "fix." Well, I was right-- Despite the man from R&R's best efforts at that nasty task, he couldn't snake through to the main sewer line. "Great. I knew it. Great. " I remember thinking. I thanked and payed the man for his valiant efforts. By the way, (insert shameless plug) I highly recommend R&R Sewer Service (PH# 734-487-5000) for augering out drains in the Ypsi area, if for no other reason than that my own company has dealt with them for over twenty years, and we've always been satisfied with their work.
The only good that came from this was the fact that the R&R man and myself managed to figure out how far his auger head got before it was stopped cold by the obstruction-- Aprox. 66 feet which put it out to the curb in the street: WHEW! That placed it outside my property line and under the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authorities area of responsibility. I say again, WHEW! Now I am luckier than most people that have had their sewers blow up on them, for even had the problem been on my side of the "fence" the fact that I work in road construction gives me access to power equipment like air compressors and backhoes.... Yet even with this peace of mind, who wants to dig up sewer pipes in the middle of December just days before Christmas? Plus, I'd have needed to pester (and pay) a few co-workers to help... That's the sort of personal debt I tend to avoid.
The next step was to call YCUA to camera inspect my sewer line, which I did right after the R&R man left. This was Monday afternoon by then so they couldn't make it until the following morning. I have to admit I was pleased with their timeliness-- They said they'd arrive around 9:30 am; and so they did. Now if only Comcast could match this! I know, I know, cable hook-ups are in a mysterious realm that we mere mortals shouldn't question. Period!
So the YCUA people inserted a video camera that snaked down through my pipes giving a cool full color picture that seemed almost like a special Hollywood movie effect as the picture on the screen raced along my pipe works below. It was also a relief in that the camera's picture showed that the pipes just outside my house were seemingly in good condition-- At least up to the blockage, anyway. Outside a YCUA worker used a metal detecting sensor gizmo to locate the head of the video camera, which I was happy to see was only about six inches from where the R&R man and myself thought it was-- Not bad for a measuring tape and guesswork, I'd say.
So now having confirmed that the Problem was their responsibility, the YCUA guys wasted no time. They put my problem down as an "emergency repair" which put it at the top of the list for what would be Wednesday's work list for them, barring a water main break or something, which thankfully did not occur.
So Wednesday comes and once again, true to their word, they show up within minutes of when they said they would, an army of dump trucks, backhoes and workers and they waste little time in preparing to dig up the lawn extension in front of my house. My only regret is that I had to go to work then-- I wanted to buy that crew some pizzas or something! Well, the short of it is, by 1 PM I could FLUSH again, HIP-HOORAY!
To conclude: I know that I, and perhaps you as well, when you see that bi-monthly YCUA bill; warm fuzzy thoughts aren't exactly at your minds forefront. However, I would ask that if/when you see a YCUA crew working on the street-- Especially this winter, give a honk and a wave won't you? Who knows. Your pipes may be next!
Nothing gives one a headache faster than plumbing problems. You never realize how nice it is to flush the ol' thunderbox-- Until a time comes and then you can't, thus your house is quickly relegated to nothing more than a heated tent. If there's anything 'good' to this tale, it's the fact that my wife and myself were able to use the bathroom at my sister's house across the street during this "emergency."
Yes, I knew that something wasn't right the minute I saw the 'gray water' backed up in the utility sink in the basement, mostly because I had recently had my main 4 inch pipe augured out-- So I knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong, underneath me in the Stygian world of pipes and sewers.
This happened on a Friday-- So there was no-WAY I would call a plumber for a weekend $$$ service call, so the wife and I sucked it up and took care of our business elsewhere.
After we lived semi-third world for that weekend, I called R&R Sewer Service (their name says it all, eh?) to re-auger my drainpipe-- although I just KNEW that wouldn't be the "fix." Well, I was right-- Despite the man from R&R's best efforts at that nasty task, he couldn't snake through to the main sewer line. "Great. I knew it. Great. " I remember thinking. I thanked and payed the man for his valiant efforts. By the way, (insert shameless plug) I highly recommend R&R Sewer Service (PH# 734-487-5000) for augering out drains in the Ypsi area, if for no other reason than that my own company has dealt with them for over twenty years, and we've always been satisfied with their work.
The only good that came from this was the fact that the R&R man and myself managed to figure out how far his auger head got before it was stopped cold by the obstruction-- Aprox. 66 feet which put it out to the curb in the street: WHEW! That placed it outside my property line and under the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authorities area of responsibility. I say again, WHEW! Now I am luckier than most people that have had their sewers blow up on them, for even had the problem been on my side of the "fence" the fact that I work in road construction gives me access to power equipment like air compressors and backhoes.... Yet even with this peace of mind, who wants to dig up sewer pipes in the middle of December just days before Christmas? Plus, I'd have needed to pester (and pay) a few co-workers to help... That's the sort of personal debt I tend to avoid.
The next step was to call YCUA to camera inspect my sewer line, which I did right after the R&R man left. This was Monday afternoon by then so they couldn't make it until the following morning. I have to admit I was pleased with their timeliness-- They said they'd arrive around 9:30 am; and so they did. Now if only Comcast could match this! I know, I know, cable hook-ups are in a mysterious realm that we mere mortals shouldn't question. Period!
So the YCUA people inserted a video camera that snaked down through my pipes giving a cool full color picture that seemed almost like a special Hollywood movie effect as the picture on the screen raced along my pipe works below. It was also a relief in that the camera's picture showed that the pipes just outside my house were seemingly in good condition-- At least up to the blockage, anyway. Outside a YCUA worker used a metal detecting sensor gizmo to locate the head of the video camera, which I was happy to see was only about six inches from where the R&R man and myself thought it was-- Not bad for a measuring tape and guesswork, I'd say.
So now having confirmed that the Problem was their responsibility, the YCUA guys wasted no time. They put my problem down as an "emergency repair" which put it at the top of the list for what would be Wednesday's work list for them, barring a water main break or something, which thankfully did not occur.
So Wednesday comes and once again, true to their word, they show up within minutes of when they said they would, an army of dump trucks, backhoes and workers and they waste little time in preparing to dig up the lawn extension in front of my house. My only regret is that I had to go to work then-- I wanted to buy that crew some pizzas or something! Well, the short of it is, by 1 PM I could FLUSH again, HIP-HOORAY!
To conclude: I know that I, and perhaps you as well, when you see that bi-monthly YCUA bill; warm fuzzy thoughts aren't exactly at your minds forefront. However, I would ask that if/when you see a YCUA crew working on the street-- Especially this winter, give a honk and a wave won't you? Who knows. Your pipes may be next!
posted by Rob at 2:30 PM
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