Ah the joys of home ownership…

We were having my family over for brunch this morning and so I went into the basement to bring up some extra chairs. As I went down the stairs I noticed an odd aroma. As soon as I turned the corner I could see water on the concrete floor. Upon further inspection of the over-flowing drain I concluded that the sewage was backing up. Not fun.

I did some online research and discovered that the city can help. I called the phone number expecting an answering machine (given that it was Sunday). I was greeted by a live person and a promise that somebody would come and look at it within a couple of hours. I was impressed.

The city worker came within 30-45 minutes and went down in the basement to plunge the drain. It helped a little bit. He then explained that the trap outside (keeping gases from coming into the house) is likely the issue and needs to be dug up and replaced. He further explained that because our neighborhood is filled with old trees the city has a grant of $2,000 to replace the trap (likely underneath our porch) with a vent. He was very patient and knowledgeable as he explained things to me.

So our next step is to find a plumbing company that will dig up the trap underneath the porch. That is likely to fix the problem. The city will then come and send a camera down the vent and out to the street to see if there is further blockage. We will need to pay the plumbing company to do the big dig and then will get refunded by the city.

So my task tomorrow is to find the right company and get it done ASAP. In the meantime we are rationing water to ensure that the basement doesn’t become flooded again.

More to come…