A couple of months ago, the HVAC unit in my home started malfunctioning. The temperature inside my home soared to over eighty degrees Fahrenheit, even though my air conditioning system ran nonstop. After inspecting my air conditioning unit, my knowledgeable HVAC contractor recommended I purchase a new system. He discussed the pros and cons of installing different sizes of HVAC units with me. After considering my HVAC contractor’s advice, I decided to purchase a three and a half ton HVAC unit. Shortly after my HVAC contractor installed my new air conditioning unit, my house started feeling more comfortable. On this blog, I hope you will discover how an HVAC contractor can help you select the right air conditioning unit for your home. Enjoy!
There's nothing worse than having a clogged sewer main. You can't get water to go down your sink drain, the shower water rises and rises, and the toilets overflow when you try to flush. Before you know it, there's a stench building up inside your home from the sewage backing up. Most often, drains don't go down because there's a clog somewhere in the system. However, clogged drains aren't the only problems you can have with your sewer lines. Here are a few other things that can happen with sewer systems that you may never have thought possible.
Toilet flushed directly into a storm sewer for 80 years
A toilet inside a house in Topeka, Kansas, flushed into a storm sewer for 80 years. It was supposed to be connected to the sanitary sewer instead. The problem wasn't found until the city government discovered the situation. The sewage from the home then went from the storm sewer directly into a creek and on into the Kansas River.
The city officials then connected the toilet to the proper sewer outlet, and charged the homeowner for a portion of the repairs. The homeowner did not own the home when it was built 80 years ago, so she didn't feel that she should be required to pay for a mistake that was made so long ago.
Wait, the story gets even stranger: the homeowner had been paying sewer bills since she bought the house in 2007, yet the house wasn't connected to the sanitary sewer system. The city did reverse 2 year's worth of sewer fees.
Could this situation have been discovered sooner? Before the homeowner bought the home in 2007, a home inspector should have inspected the home thoroughly. However, since most of a home's plumbing is contained within walls and floors, and most of the sewer lines are underground, the problem may not have been discovered by a home inspector.
When a house is built today, the plumber is required to have the plumbing checked by the local building code and permitting authority office. This needs to be done before the walls are up so the personnel can see the plumbing and all the connections.
Raw sewage overflow prompted court to order sewer lines be televised
In a trailer park in Pennsylvania, residents have complained about raw sewage overflowing into their yards for several years. The landlord was ordered by the court to make all necessary repairs of the sewer lines on his property. The residents continued to complain about sewage overflow, but the landlord wrote to the court that the sewer lines are deteriorated and the sewage overflows from new breakages.
The court then ordered the landlord to televise the sewer lines. No, this does not mean he was required to televise them over a television station. It means that he was required to hire a plumber to insert a camera into the sewer lines to assess their conditions from the inside. This allowed the plumber to see exactly where the problems were so repairs could be made as ordered by the Department of Environmental Protection Agency.
The sewer lines on the trailer park property were found to have been damaged by a combination of tree root overgrowth and flaws in the construction. There was also some evidence that vandalism may have occurred. When a sewer line becomes damaged to the point of the sewage overflowing directly into the yard, then it's a good idea to have the entire sewer system inspected. If a problem to that extent occurred in one area, it's likely to occur in other areas, too. If you have questions about your plumbing, check out companies like A Absolute Plumbing & Heating.
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