We had a problem with our sewer drain pipe a few years ago. It was clogged with tree roots and during a major rainfall, we had sewage back up into our basement through a drain in the laundry room.
We rented an electric sewer snake and cut out what we could, and everything seemed to run free.
Until last night.
We survived the incredibly heavy rain storms earlier this summer, but my guess is that that city-owed tree on our corner just LOVES our new sprinkler system and has been shooting out roots like crazy. Including into our drain pipes. Last night, around 9 pm, a toilet was flushed in the basement and …. well …. the flooding began.
We called the general Toronto help line (311) and they sent out a guy within about an hour and a half. He snaked the line, ran a camera down, told us that there were roots clogs on both our side of the property line as well as the city side. He submitted a work order for the city to come out as well as the gas company so that they could mark where the gas lines are. Gas man came this morning, said that the city has been asked to clean our lines.
Zou and I took a trip to Home Depot to get a replacement filter and drain cover for our long unused wet/dry shop vac so that we could do a decent clean up. He and Alex had started the process last night and they’d run a fan overnight, so everything was dry by this morning. But dirty.
We’ve now cleaned up, sprayed all the floors with Lysol, and now we just need the slight smell to dissipate. Luckily, it’s windows open weather so we’re getting a full house refresh.
In other excitement, it’s a race to the finish for my book club meeting next Sunday. We’re reading Wolf Hall and I’m 356 pages in to the 517 page total. I like to finish a few days in advance so that I can have a good think and prepare for the meeting, so I figure 40 pages per day over the next four days should do it. I’m not usually like this, but I’m reading another book at the same time which is a little faster paced (ahem), coincidentally called Lone Wolf (by Jodi Picoult) and so I need to have some concrete goals to get the club book done. It’s just how I work best, ya know?
Domestic Bliss: The Empty Nest 