![\"44510](\"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/44510-750-Side-Image-1024x768-2885845250.jpeg\" "\\"44510-750-Side-Image-1024x768-2885845250.jpeg\\"")
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My septic tank is old. Really old. When the house was rebuilt in 2008, the builder didn\u2019t think about replacing the tank at that time. I guess there was no real need, so why would the lazy jackass do something proactive?<\/p>\n
The house was originally built in 1992 presumably that\u2019s when the septic system was installed. At the time the house burned and was rebuilt, the septic system was 16 years old. The system wasn\u2019t in use for a year while the house was rebuilt, but the tank itself is iron and rust never sleeps.<\/p>\n
So here we are with a septic system that is 30 years old, and it\u2019s failing. The tank was pumped out about a year and a half ago and at the time the guys said it should be replaced. I decided to wait because I was unemployed and didn\u2019t have 7K to toss at that bill. That decision was at the time against my better judgement because I like to stay out ahead of maintaining things if possible. However given the circumstances it was a viable decision, even if it wasn\u2019t the preferred one.<\/p>\n
I suppose this is why the solar panels have been a thorn in my side. They represent an investment that will likely pay off over the next few years or at least break even. (Even though they still haven\u2019t produced one usable KW of energy yet, Thanks Edison!<\/em>) Even as the other half was wanting to move forward with the panels, I was asking, \u201cWhat about the septic system?\u201d Warm summer days would have been an opportune time to have that taken care of, in preparation for the Winter.<\/p>\n To be fair, installation of the solar panels had a defined expiration date. If we\u2019d waited any longer, we wouldn\u2019t have be eligible to lock Edison into paying us a fair price for the excess power we generated. The septic system was a ticking time bomb with no precise date of expiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hey, you put your money on the table and roll the dice! Sometimes you roll a winner, and sometimes you crap out.<\/p>\n (Yes I used that analogy with intent.)<\/p>\n Well, the septic system has, (oh hell I can\u2019t resist,) crapped out. Fortunately, the weather is fairly mild and we have no winter storms in the forecast for at least a week or two. That means that the replacement can go ahead without fighting a foot of snow. Unfortunately, It\u2019s not known due to the supply chain issues and all of that when we can get a new tank put in.<\/p>\n Additionally, with the insanity of gas prices and the cost of diesel, it\u2019s gonna cost more. Yeah, the excessively high diesel prices will affect the cost. Figure it\u2019s gonna cost more for the pump truck to come up the mountain, and the truck to bring a new tank up, the backhoe to dig out the old tank, the long distance transport of the tank from where ever it\u2019s manufactured etc, etc.<\/p>\n This is one of those few times when I wish I lived in a city. If I did, I\u2019d be connected to s sewer system and wouldn\u2019t have to worry about much other than the cost of a plumber to occasionally snake the main pipes that lead to the sewer.<\/p>\n Ah well, we\u2019ll be paying for this for a long assed time. Especially when you consider the interest rates on credit cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n These are all the things I was thinking while outside digging a cat hole to bury some waste that had been expelled from the pressure relief pipe at the front of the house. At least the plants next to the hole will be well fertilized come Springtime.<\/p>\n A plumber is coming up today he\u2019s going to see if there\u2019s some blockage. (it\u2019s possible, not likely, but possible). I\u2019ve also got calls in to a couple of different septic tank folks. I\u2019m hoping we can have the existing one pumped out, maybe Wednesday. That should get us through Thanksgiving. Today I\u2019m taking the water softener offline, which will reduce the amount of waste water going into the system. My hope is that we will not have to decamp to a hotel waiting for the tank to be replaced. The dog is the issue there. He freaks out in closed rooms.<\/p>\n Once I get a schedule for the tank being replaced, I\u2019m going to be digging up the sprinkler system. Me & my trenching tool got some work to do. Yes, the sprinkler line crosses the yard in such a way that when the backhoe gets here it\u2019s gonna tear up that line, if I don\u2019t expose it, and remove it. I\u2019m figuring that I\u2019ll cut that section out, set it aside then temporarily cap the loose end. Come Springtime, I\u2019ll finish the repair and reset the line and sprinkler heads.<\/p>\n Nothing living in the mountains is ever easy or straight forward. On the plus side, at least my knees may be completely up to the challenge by then. In a strange way I kinda look forward to being a shirtless redneck with a shovel sweating my ass off in the sun. I do not look forward to being a freezing redneck bundled up in 30\u00b0 weather digging up the sprinkler line in the coming weeks, but you play the hand left deals ya.<\/p>\n I suppose I could have a portapotty delivered. Now that\u2019s super redneck! Bundling up in the middle of the night to go take a leak really takes me back to my roots. Showers would be a problem in that case, but I suppose I could go out to the truck stop nearby and rent a shower there.<\/p>\n All I can say is Happy Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n Update: Well, it looks like the problem was some kind of blockage going from the house to the septic system. The plumber who is a godsend cleared it in about 10 minutes. There\u2019s a reason we\u2019ve been using this particular plumber for years. He\u2019s on time, (calls with an updated ETA, if he gets stuck on a job,) has fair prices and does great work.<\/p>\n The ticking time bomb of the septic system ticks on, but at least we can plan for that expense instead of having to do it as an emergency.<\/p>\n So that\u2019s what I\u2019m thankful for this Thanksgiving.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whew, dodged a bullet for now, here\u2019s hoping that things hold together until Spring. It will just be a lot more convenient to deal with this when it\u2019s warmer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, there are actually remarkably few. The trouble is, when something happens it’s \u201cbig\u201d and a royal pain in the butt. It\u2019s a disadvantage to be so far from shopping centers if you need or want something. Even the nearest Home Depot is 30 minutes away. The Lowes is 45 minutes away. It\u2019s tough to … <\/p>\n
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