# Most disgusting yet



## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

Thursday 3pm: Get a call for a broken sewage ejector in a quasi-gated community. I get there and the Canadian homeowner/electrical contractor (for real) has a hole dug in his front yard. It is full of mud and sewage, so we (he and me) bail and dig it out until I expose the 2" sewer.

The ejector is used to get the sewage up to the city sewer about 50' away.

I clear away the mud/sewage to expose the tank lid and unscrew it. I lift the pump out. Pretty standard so far, right? The owner is poking around the tank and feels rock on the bottom. Rocks. 

Remember that we are one notch up from hillbilly here, so rocks would not surprise me. What surprises me is that I agree to help him bail out 50 gallons of raw sewage into a wheelbarrow. He takes each load of sewage and dumps it into the empty lot next door.

I'm pretty suited up with gloves, boots and coverall, but he's in street clothes and no gloves. I offer him gloves, but he says, "It's too late and besides, as long as I don't eat it, I'm okay". 

Grossing me out big time by now. I didn't puke, as the job did pay really well.

We get it empty and I use my shop vac to suck up the rocks and mud the were indeed on the bottom of the tank. The plumbers set the tank in the yard without dirt/water proof protection, so over the 10 years, dirt got into the tank. I have no idea how the 1" rocks got in the tank.

The flooding was caused by a Fernco coupling they used on the PVC 2" street 1/4 bend. Every time the pump kicked, the Fernco would slip until 10 years later it blew off and sewage flooded the electrical, which shorted out the pump.

At any rate, in all the years I been doing this, I never bailed 50 gallons of sewage into a wheelbarrow. Never want to do it again.

edit: I've seen worse, like the 200 gallon hot tub fill of sewage, but this bailing is the worst I've done.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

They drove pipes to try and keep it from blowing because they obviously knew better. That is the part that I don't get. Why would they not have used NHB to start with?


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I've seen rocks put in the bottom of new plastic basins as a deterrent to keep them from floating after a rain when they are empty and the ground still soft from the initial excavation. After the ground has settled, they usually stay put.

You did remember to put a weep hole between the pump and the check valve, didn't you?


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

Gettinit said:


> They drove pipes to try and keep it from blowing because they obviously knew better. That is the part that I don't get. Why would they not have used NHB to start with?


That was me that added the braces and I added some wood between them and the pipe.



ChrisConnor said:


> I've seen rocks put in the bottom of new plastic basins as a deterrent to keep them from floating after a rain when they are empty and the ground still soft from the initial excavation. After the ground has settled, they usually stay put.
> 
> You did remember to put a weep hole between the pump and the check valve, didn't you?


These rocks weren't heavy enough to weigh it down.

That dang weep hole...the customer didn't want it and he pointed out that the old pump lasted 10 years without it.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

When you took things apart .. Did you inspect the old check valve ????

Was the flapper part of the check still there ??

I have seen things blow apart like that before because the check flapper broke off and went up the line causing a blockage and when the pump turned on the fernco connection would blow apart...

You never know ... You might be heading out there again ...

As for getting rid of the sewage ... I would have made him call a pumper truck to suck it all out...


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

I keep one of these Tsurumi pumps on the truck with two 50' rolls of 2" discharge hose.










It's Chinese, but handles sand, mud, and diffuse solids real well and the rubber boot on the bottom allows the plumber to set it in the bottom of a muddy pit/trench and it'll pump away with no problem.

Depending on the amount and type of solids in the pit it probably would have worked well for you.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Funny thing about the customers not wanting one, the manufacturer requires it. I've seen pumps fail within two years because they didn't have the weep hole. If he went ten years without it last time, he got lucky.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

ChrisConnor said:


> Funny thing about the customers not wanting one, the manufacturer requires it. I've seen pumps fail within two years because they didn't have the weep hole. If he went ten years without it last time, he got lucky.


To last that long or even a week without locking it up it must have a vent tube in the wire. If they have one I silicone them shut and drill a hole anyway.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

johnlewismcleod said:


> I keep one of these Tsurumi pumps on the truck with two 50' rolls of 2" discharge hose. <SNIP>
> 
> I have said this before, but whenever a check with rubber couplings, a compression check, a fernco, no-hub clamp -- what ever and a pump is involved -- I always take this extra precaution. I'm sure it has saved my butt a couple of times.


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

That's an excellent technique right there, Bill :thumbsup:...I'm going to remember that one :yes:

To be clear, though...my Tsurumi pump is just my service pump. It's not on the truck to sell as a permanent sump pump.

The unique design makes it extremely well suited to below grade repairs is all...it's the best I've found so far.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Try goin down into a 20' deep lift station and shoveling crap into a bucket that they pull up with a rope all day long !!!


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

There's not enough money to do that in my career, promise.... ever. 



I would of had a garden hose setup with another submersible pump running in the pit, hose ran far enough away to get the bad stuff from rolling back. Throw a dust layer of lime and hose down with water into the ground. Cleaning the walls with the hose once it got to the lid, then let someone else shop vac the remainder and pop the bolts off the lid. 


Repeat, rinse with that clean water out of the hose doing the majority of the cleaning, no wheelbarrow needed. 

If no source of water, tanked water set up to a pressure washer. Last week is when I did exactly this for a cistern cleaning...


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

ChrisConnor said:


> Funny thing about the customers not wanting one, the manufacturer requires it. I've seen pumps fail within two years because they didn't have the weep hole. If he went ten years without it last time, he got lucky.


Not my problem and the customer is the customer. When it comes down to it, we do as they say and if it makes more money down the line, that is a good thing.



OldSchool said:


> When you took things apart .. Did you inspect the old check valve ????
> 
> Was the flapper part of the check still there ??
> 
> ...


Nope, did none of that.

The guy's a Canadian and the house is one of his vacation homes. Believe it or not, his type isn't entirely welcome here because of the rude attitude. Wait, you are Canadian, aren't you?


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

One notch above hillbilly... that's a lot of admission from a Canadain.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Plumber said:


> The guy's a Canadian and the house is one of his vacation homes. Believe it or not, his type isn't entirely welcome here because of the rude attitude. Wait, you are Canadian, aren't you?


I highly doubt he is rude ... Maybe stupid .. But not rude ... He did hire you


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

Anyway, look at the pit again. The pit is made of wood planks set a few inches above the tanks. The cover for the wood pit is also made of wood and sits on top. Dirt and rain water gets into the pit and then seeps into the tank through the rubber gaskets.

And no, I did not offer to do any improvements. I'm a dumb hillbilly, after all.



OldSchool said:


> I highly doubt he is rude ... Maybe stupid .. But not rude ... He did hire you


I'm lobbying for a $100.00 entry fee at the Canadian border. I call it the Rude Tax.

You should see all the Canadians filling gasoline cans and taking them back to Canada. The lines at the discount gas stations are 50 long and block traffic. 

Also, the Canadians will buy hundreds of gallons of milk and take it back.

Also, each morning we have to clean up all the garbage that Canadians throw out in the parking lots adn streets.

Not to forget the drunks and all the crimes that go with that.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Plumber said:


> Anyway, look at the pit again. The pit is made of wood planks set a few inches above the tanks. The cover for the wood pit is also made of wood and sits on top. Dirt and rain water gets into the pit and then seeps into the tank through the rubber gaskets.
> 
> And no, I did not offer to do any improvements. I'm a dumb hillbilly, after all.
> 
> ...


Yes Canadian criminals really like their milk.... That's a known fact up here.....

Anybody with more than a gallon of milk on them is a dead give away that their going to get all milked up and go on a crime spree...

All the gas they are buying is for the get away


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

OldSchool said:


> Yes Canadian criminals really like their milk.... That's a known fact up here.....
> 
> Anybody with more than a gallon of milk on them is a dead give away that their going to get all milked up and go on a crime spree...
> 
> All the gas they are buying is for the get away


http://www.theonion.com/articles/perky-canada-has-own-government-laws,19927/

This article explains all you need to know about Canada.


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## sjaquay (Jan 13, 2013)

ive been asked to do things like that, my response is always the same, just because im a plumber, doesnt mean i wanna play with peoples crap. bill gates doesnt have enough money for me to do that. last time was a customer with a clogged water closet that was clogged for 9 months that they continued to use with out flushing, told him id unclog it for $1000, after he cleaned it out. i do some nasty things but in no way anywhere near that bad, if you lived near me, id forward all the ones i get to you. you da man....


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

They don't have pump trucks where you live? I won't enter or otherwise deal with a septic system without the tank being pumped down first. I'm a plumber, not a sewage diver. I wouldn't bucket out a pile of shiot, not to mention someone calling the DNR and getting a huge fine for unauthorized sewage dumping. The department of natural resources will come out and issue tickets for stuff like that here. If I lived in that neighborhood, and saw that I would call the DNR. There's a reason why septic tank people need a license. You can't just dump shiot anywhere.


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## bcp2012 (Oct 27, 2012)

If I have to go into a tank or work on a pump where the tank is flooded, I tell the HO to get it pumped 1st. But up here in Manitoba, technically I'm not supposed to go into a tank alone. There's supposed to be 3 guys on site and they are all supposed to have confined entry certification. Which i am certified for. One guy goes into the tank wearing a harness which is attached to a winch on a tripod and two guys up top incase anything goes wrong. Also supposed to have fresh air pumped into it. 
So far in the 2 yrs I've been in business I haven't had to crawl into a tank. Been in lots of them before, but if something happens I'm screwed.

Sent from my iPhone


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## BuckeyeBowhunte (May 4, 2011)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Try goin down into a 20' deep lift station and shoveling crap into a bucket that they pull up with a rope all day long !!!


you need to tell them to hire a vac truck.


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> They don't have pump trucks where you live? I won't enter or otherwise deal with a septic system without the tank being pumped down first. I'm a plumber, not a sewage diver. I wouldn't bucket out a pile of shiot, not to mention someone calling the DNR and getting a huge fine for unauthorized sewage dumping. The department of natural resources will come out and issue tickets for stuff like that here. If I lived in that neighborhood, and saw that I would call the DNR. There's a reason why septic tank people need a license. You can't just dump shiot anywhere.


It was a matter of moving the crap from the front yard to the side yard. It's a disgusting set up and one that I won't forget. Look at the pit again. It's in the front yard and sewage was pooled there for a while before the ho discovered the problem.

This is in a border town of 2,000 in a gated community full of Canadians. The whole county is less than 200k. There's a pumper about 20 miles away. Not a whole lot of calls. City folk have a perception of the county as being a country song.

It ain't that. It's as hard bit as it gets for the majority.


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## johntheplumber (Feb 11, 2013)

My thinking is that I'm the professional. I'm the one that knows how to install it correctly. In the one that will hold the warranty for a year. I'm the one that will look bad if it fails.

Stand by your guns and you "tell" the customer how it "has" to be or you won't do it. 

Don't compromise your quality or integrity because a homeowner says to.


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## Plumber (Jan 18, 2009)

johntheplumber said:


> My thinking is that I'm the professional. I'm the one that knows how to install it correctly. In the one that will hold the warranty for a year. I'm the one that will look bad if it fails.
> 
> Stand by your guns and you "tell" the customer how it "has" to be or you won't do it.
> 
> Don't compromise your quality or integrity because a homeowner says to.


Boy, you city guys are lucky. I really wish I could pick and chose, but what little work there is here is being divided up between too many companies.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Plumber said:


> Boy, you city guys are lucky. I really wish I could pick and chose, but what little work there is here is being divided up between too many companies.


So what is it ... You make post like own a company but in other post you are an employee or want to be an employee going out on interviews..


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