# Maybe got a reak unda my house



## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

Just the other day a guy calls to say he has a leak under his house and could I come out to give a price to fix it.

At the front door I can smell the problem.:blink:

He lets me in, shows me the crawl access and sits back in a chair as I put on my crawl suit. I ask him what's the 1-1/2" flex hose for?(it' coming out of a hole drilled in the access cover). "Oh, thats for the sump pump. I put it in about a year ago" . WTF:no:. 

I open the cover and after shooing away the mosquitos, I look under his house and the entire 1500sq ft house is flooded with, well you know.:no:

This guy knew of the leak over a year ago and put the sump pump into a bucket under his house, drilled a hole in the crawl access and ran an 1-1/2" plastic flex hose across the room to a window. The sewage drains out of the window about 10' from his front door into a planter. 

I tell him he needs to call Emergency Restoration Services to have them pump out the crawl area and treat it before any (other) plumber returns to fix the sewer leaks. He asks if I'm sure it's a sewer leak? 

I think the pictures will tell the truth.

He already had cleanup company give him a price of 6000.00 to cleanup and treat the crawl area. I told him another 5k and sewer will get fixed after the crawl is safe to enter.

He wants to think about it.:whistling2: Maybe another year or so.


Check out the pictures.


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

How do I post multiple pictures? I have more.


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## cajunplumberjoe (Mar 26, 2009)

YOU my friend are a super nice guy. i would have reported his nasty junk to the health dept,permits and inspections,judge judy and anybody else i could think of.


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## cajunplumberjoe (Mar 26, 2009)

good pics by the way.


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

More Pics


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

a Good Plumber said:


> how Do I Post Multiple Pictures? I Have More.


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## Plumbdog (Jan 27, 2009)

OMG. There are some nasty folks on this planet. How does somebody even remotly think that living with that is "ok"?


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

A Good Plumber said:


> How do I post multiple pictures? I have more.


 

I got it, Thanks anyway guys.


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

nice sump crock?


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## uaplumber (Jun 16, 2008)

Nasty. Thanks:thumbsup:


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

I would call the city on that one. I usually mind my business and live by the rule. snitches get stitches. And they do. I think I might take the stitches on this one.


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## user823 (Feb 3, 2009)

Wow, that's a bad one! Almost looks like someone busted the holes in the cast iron to drain on purpose? That had to stink bad. Turn his dirty ass in, that's a health hazard to the neighborhood.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

does someone else live there besides him. I would still report him especially if there are kids in the house. There has to be mold and mildew in there that is very dangerous not to mention rodents.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

A Good Plumber said:


> View attachment 2121
> More Pics


 Is that an electrical line in that crap. God I am glad I already ate and digested it.:blink:


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## cajunplumberjoe (Mar 26, 2009)

ok-i just noticed the home depot sump "reservoir". i think those sell for $3.00 if anybody wants to go talk to the pros at home depot.maybe we could get a group discount.


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## PlumberDave (Jan 4, 2009)

wow thats not good.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Turn him in, he's got no right to pump his **** into the water table.


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

unbelievable


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## Plumbworker (Oct 23, 2008)

this very shocking.. i would have definitely call the helth dept. on this one... those band iron hangers look new?? no support originally??


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

You should still call and report that if you haven't already. that Has to be the nastiest crawlspace i have ever seen


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Holy Frijoles!:blink: He is living in a septic tank!


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

I reported it with the County Health Dept. 

They are sending out an inspector and they are going to call me with their findings. 

They want me to send the pictures to them.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

A Good Plumber said:


> I reported it with the County Health Dept.
> 
> They are sending out an inspector and they are going to call me with their findings.
> 
> They want me to send the pictures to them.


 You might have just cracked the swine flue case there sherlock!:thumbsup:


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

wouldn't surprise me if they condemned that house.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

al said:


> wouldn't surprise me if they condemned that house.


 They would here for sure.....without a doubt.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

How people can be so disgusting is beyond me. Glad you reported him :thumbsup:
I would have been like Dude rent a porta potty it will be a lot less than the clean up bill.


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

What is your crawl suit made of?


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

Proud Plumber said:


> What is your crawl suit made of?


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


I/m not going under there until the Health Dept deems the place safe.

Even then I'd only crawl that place with a tyvek suit and face mask.


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

The Health Dept called me. They like the pictures too. They are gonna make a visit to the home next week and said they would keep me informed.

I'll share their findings with you guys when I get it.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Dude, i came across something like that last month. The tenant cut the sewer loose under the house, and it looked very simular to that. It was a section 8 rental, and the septic had gone bad. Heres who I called.
1. The health Department
2.Code enforcement
3.Head plumbing Inspector
4.DOCFC(she had small kids in the home)
A few weeks later, read a nice article about that property in our local newspaper. The tenant totaly flipped the story on everything was blamed on the landlord. Oh pitty me, this is what I lived in, they wouldn't fix it, yada yada yada. I personally know this landlord, and he is a good one. This lady was scared of losing her free ride from uncle sam, and eventually she did.


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

Maybe he refused to pay the last plumber that came out to unstop his sewer,and plumber got him back I once (heard) about an apt building that had a croker or big potato sack stuffed into a cleanout and a sack of quickset concrete poured in and cleanout plug replaced after mr patel refused to pay


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

Update!

The home owner's son Inlaw called me this past Thursday, Said the health inspector contacted him:whistling2::whistling2:.

Son Inlaw figure's one of the neighbors must have contacted the Health Dept after they saw the cleanup crews at the house.:laughing:

The guy doing the cleanup also called. He says he is done with cleanup but now has to get a clearance from the Health Inspector. A first for him.

Friday, the guy who lives in the home, returned from a 10 day stay out of town and was found in the home cooking, washing dishes and flushing the toilet. His Daughter and Son Inlaw had to phisically remove him from the house, against his will and now have to pay for moore cleanup under the home.


The home owner has been sent about 100 miles away to his brothers house until the plumbing is repaired.


The Health Inspector is scheduled for next Wednesday.


To be continued.........


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## rickmccarthy (Jul 20, 2009)

wow that was friggin nasty i was in something almost as bad about 2 yrs ago Damn HUD housing


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

Update!

Yesterday we removed 25' of the 4" CI Main and replaced it with 4" ABS. We also added a two way cleanout under the house at the crawl access so that we could run a camera and/or a snake up and down the line if necessary.

We don't think this is the extent of the problems, but should slow down the problem until the place drys out and we have access to the rest of the crawl space. 

The cleanup was done poorly and we had to roll out 6 mil plastic to get out across the wet soil to do the repair.

Surprisingly enough the house smelled worse on the inside than in the crawl space.

The Building Inspector is now involved and wants to see if maybe the plumbing was installed incorrectly or without permits.
The Health Inspector wants a soil and air samples before he gives clearance.
Vector Control wants to verify the mosquito's are gone and are not caring the West Nile Virus.

This job just keeps getting better. 

I'll be posting more pictures soon.


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## express (Nov 22, 2008)

so who is paying for all this . does it fall under homeowner insurance.


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

express said:


> so who is paying for all this . does it fall under homeowner insurance.


 
The home owner is paying for it out of his pocket because he does'nt want his insurance company to make it a Mold and contamination issue and require more work be done.

All said and done this will cost the guy about 11k for the repairs including the cleanup.


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## That One Guy (Sep 14, 2008)

I will never understand some people, how could you live like that knowing you have a big pile of butt **** growing under your house. Ridiculous!!


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## A Good Plumber (Jun 18, 2008)

After the Cleanup 

They approved the cleanup:no:

This here is what they call mold.:laughing:


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

That looks more like someone hit that with a hammer rather than normal corrosion. Is that how he would solve his stoppage relief. Just bust out a hole and let it drain in the crawl space? Normally cast iron will rot out on the bottom first not on the sides.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

Never see holes in the side like that ,,, Seen 100s were the pipe is rotted out on the bottom .

What could have caused that ??


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## hepco (Jul 29, 2008)

*A little safety advise*



al said:


> Is that an electrical line in that crap. God I am glad I already ate and digested it.:blink:


 
Hey guys..just a warning and Ive seen it first hand..Had a real close friend crawling under a house, (helping a friend repair some floor problems) and the best we can understand roll back to grab something and pinned an electrical line between him and the ground. He was electrocuted so easily from a 120V wire. I was one of the firefighters that help pull him out not knowing who we were rescueing. Im an electrician by trade also but this has awakened me about crawling under house with wires laying all around. (Since someone mentioned electrical wire I thougth id get my two cents in here)


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## Flyleaf (Aug 18, 2009)

I saw one VERY similar to this, but the HO also had a supply leak. His actually looked nastier than this underneath, as there was sludge up all the floor supports and foundation. I tried telling him it was unsafe but "I have no where else to go... sobstory" I turned it down and left, thankful not to have to worry with it. Whew...:whistling2: Its times like that I'm glad I own the business and CAN turn them down.


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## M5Plumb (Oct 2, 2008)

Hey Rock, I hate to say it but good call, them kids are the ones whose being taught wrong...They did nothing wrong but they sure as #ell shouldn't be living in that kind of BS. Good on you Man !!!:thumbup:



ROCKSTARPLUMBER said:


> Dude, i came across something like that last month. The tenant cut the sewer loose under the house, and it looked very simular to that. It was a section 8 rental, and the septic had gone bad. Heres who I called.
> 1. The health Department
> 2.Code enforcement
> 3.Head plumbing Inspector
> ...


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## M5Plumb (Oct 2, 2008)

Even if you don't own the business, it is unsafe!! Your Ace or the bosses, doesn't matter, the boss only has to explain, you end up pushing 
daisies !! Just plain Horse $#it!! :furious:



Flyleaf said:


> I saw one VERY similar to this, but the HO also had a supply leak. His actually looked nastier than this underneath, as there was sludge up all the floor supports and foundation. I tried telling him it was unsafe but "I have no where else to go... sobstory" I turned it down and left, thankful not to have to worry with it. Whew...:whistling2: _*Its times like that I'm glad I own the business and CAN turn them down.*_


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## Flyleaf (Aug 18, 2009)

I can see now with crap like I just read that this is no forum where I want to be. Talk about immature, grow up man. Get a life. Whether I turn it down and leave or not is MY business. You don't run my business, I do. The last 3 plumbers didnt call anyone. I turned it down. Not my problem. People like you are why we get bad raps. Immature and hot headed.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Lets play nice. If this gets out of hand it will be closed.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Where did that come from Flyleaf, the guy was just making a valid point.


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## racerx (Aug 29, 2009)

Wow thats incredible.


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## M5Plumb (Oct 2, 2008)

Hey Fly, take it or leave it, the job will always be there...I want to be able to see my family at the end of the day just as much as they'd want to see me. Kind of hard to do after being dragged from under a home due to a condition that may asphyxiate, electrocute you. Even worse, getting some disease that you carry for a long time making your life miserable for the long haul...:no:



Flyleaf said:


> I can see now with crap like I just read that this is no forum where I want to be. Talk about immature, grow up man. Get a life. Whether I turn it down and leave or not is MY business. You don't run my business, I do. The last 3 plumbers didnt call anyone. I turned it down. Not my problem. People like you are why we get bad raps. Immature and hot headed.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

M5 and flyleaf I am a little confused here. Aren't you both agreeing that the job was unsafe and it was ok to walk away from it and/or turn it down. If that is the case why are you fighting about it. The way I read it is that you both feel that the job was unsafe to work in and would turn it down. Am I right or am I misreading something there?


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*never let anyone touch it...*

I wont let my employees do something that I would not do myself....

I wont send my guys out at night to the worst part of town either....
I DONT hand dig sewers or water services
(but they still all think I am an a-hole)

that is the nice thing about having your own business
you dont have to go crawling into the jaws of hell if you dont want to...you can pick and choose the battles...

in this town their are a number of companies that really dont care what the heck their fellows get into...where they got to go
or at what time of night they have to go there..

as long as their are billable hours at the end of the day......


to me.....that aint no way to treat the men working for you...

.

but I guess someone has got to end up doing it..... 
just not while they work for me....


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

master plumber said:


> I wont let my employees do something that I would not do myself....
> 
> I wont send my guys out at night to the worst part of town either....
> I DONT hand dig sewers or water services
> ...


Shows that you care about the health your men. :thumbup::thumbup:


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*sorry to bust your bubble AL*



al said:


> Shows that you care about the health your men. :thumbup::thumbup:


Actually AL,

 I dont have any of the S.O.Bss working for me any more..:thumbup: 
that is how I used to be to the guys for the last 25 years, till I finally realized that 
even with free medicle, take home trucks, 
X-mas bonus , 2 week paid vacations, and all

beleie it or not, they looked at me as though I was a complete chump....for not makeing them do all the nasty work and being good to them!!!!!!


so in truth, the ony fellow that gets sent out into the jaws of hell these days is just me.. 

and I still turn it all down. 

a mans got to know his limitations:laughing:


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

master plumber said:


> Actually AL,
> 
> I dont have any of the S.O.Bss working for me any more..:thumbup:
> that is how I used to be to the guys for the last 25 years, till I finally realized that
> ...


 R u Hiring now?


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*no way in hell*



GREENPLUM said:


> R u Hiring now?


I have had my fill of employees...


in the good old days they only got
messed up on booze and
weed.... and I could understand most of that....

now its crack and meth, 
and a mix of god knows what else they are 
ingesting into their bodies..






I would rather go it alone than deal with 
all mental issues that have crossed my path.....


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

I've seen some nasty stuff in my time, but this takes it for single family residential.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

racerx said:


> Wow thats incredible.


 We ask all new comers to post a little about them selves in the introduction forum. Please head to this forum and start a thread and tell us how long you been a plumber, what kind of shop you work in and so on. http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

master plumber said:


> Actually AL,
> 
> I dont have any of the S.O.Bss working for me any more..:thumbup:
> that is how I used to be to the guys for the last 25 years, till I finally realized that
> ...


 You didn't burst my bubble. You offered concern for thier health and welfare its not your fault they didn't appreciate it.


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## hulihan (Aug 11, 2009)

I hope you took those [pics from a distance and did not get wet  I see that alot, it is really funny what people will put up with. The health issue alone !


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