Last week we received our stimulus payments of $2,800. After today's news, that payment is just about gone. Over the weekend I discovered our downstairs (basement) bathroom did not have a sewage pump but instead a sump pump to pump the sewer waste from the bathroom to our outside septic.
We've lived here since 2007 but have rarely used that basement bathroom. I have my own bathroom of my bedroom which is the master (of course) bedroom. Bill chose for his bedroom a small room off to the side of the utility room in our finished basement. He likes rooms without windows. I like rooms with a lot of windows. Just another total difference in preferences that Bill and I have.
Bill didn't like to use the downstairs bathroom because the waste had to be pumped up through a sewer pipe to our outside septic tank. He almost always used the upstairs bathroom in our bonus room on the second floor. Now that he's incapacitated he has difficulty climbing those stairs to the second floor, he uses the basement bathroom.
Oh, by the way, I think I told you that for years Bill has been using the bathroom sink to take his pees. I only discovered that interesting tidbit of information when he used our guest bathroom and I smelled that unmistakable overused gay bar bathroom urine smell. For years I wondered why his basement bathroom always stunk. I thought it was because he never used hot water in his sink. Here he was peeing in the sink. When I confronted him about this awful habit of his he said "What does it matter? It all goes the small place?" Uh, not good Bill. Well, I talked him of using our guest bathroom in that matter and using his basement bathroom that way. He still doesn't pee in the toilet but does pee in one of those hospital jugs, which I empty several times a day. Perhaps too much information for some of my blog readers to absorb I understand but this is life here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. Bill is lazy as to his personal hygiene. Always has been. He's hardworking in other aspect but personal hygiene? Not so much. But he is working with me now, which I appreciate. And he also appreciates me taking care of him.
Sunday the sump pump for our downstairs bathroom was running for hours. Reluctantly, I had to call our plumber, on a Sunday. Why is it all these emergencies are on weekends and holidays or the middle of the night? Fortunately I had just signed a service agreement with the plumbing company so I wasn't charged extra for the visit this Sunday. The plumber came and quickly discovered that the builder had installed the wrong kind of pump for our downstairs bathroom. He said a sewage sump pump shreds toilet paper and other matter (fecal) whereas a regular sump pump is for liquid only. Again, another case of our building putting cheaping out. One wouldn't think that for a half million dollar house but there it is. I have to replace the pump. My pluming company called me this morning with the cost, $1,300. That along with my auto insurance and homeowners' insurance and Ferdinand, my landscaper edging and mulching our flower beds now, there goes our stimulus package. Oh well, that's what it was for wasn't it folks?
8 comments:
Ron, it is never ending. You have gotten off really lucky all these years. I owned six town house style duplexes and they all had lift station "sewage chewing" pumps and you are correct when you say they are expensive. All of mine had to be inspected each year to check for denim strings, hair, condoms and dental floss wrapped around the impellers. It cost $280.00 service call for EACH lift pump and then about $1800-2100 to replace the worn out units every other year.I used to buy the lift pumps on sale and have them on hand so I didn't have to pay full retail. Then of course there were always the tenants who flushed,condoms, dental floss and butt wipes and clorox wipes no matter what you had them sign. Need I say those were the ones who did not get their security deposits back? I will say this about your situation and the way your sump pump was used, it was a damn good brand of a pump. Most pumps unless they are checked yearly burn out or floats hang up and you got major cleanup when the pit overflows. Oh, and not to mention power outages and flooding. Thank good lord that your washing machine wasn't drained into the toilet pit. Glad you have a homeowners plumbing policy. Every home owner should have a home warranty for just this reason. Rental property owner seldom can get a home warranty policy because of the tenants notoriously putting dental floss and condoms down the toilet. Wishing you all the best as we are all patiently awaiting full blown spring. And as usual forgive me my ramblings.
It’s always something, and it always seems like once one thing comes up 2 more things follow😄 Hugs, Margaret
Ron,
Two steps forward one step backward.
I am glad the odd couple is settling into their routine.
I look at new builds today and they look flat, uninspired. I would hate to pull back the pretty and see how things were really built. I care about 5-10 years down the line. What quality are the building materials, insulation, foundation, and other bits and pieces. I would even be willing to spend a little more upfront for better quality. I would not be happy down the line discovering the builder cheaped out. I would be pissed. That is what pisses me off, I go into the buy with a good heart, and builder is rubbing their hands under the table of the cuts and saving they achieved. I have a friend who is a realtor. He bought a house a few years back and his first priority is the builder. He wanted to ensure that the house he was about to buy was top-notch.
Please continue to take care of our Bill and keep his junk out of the sink. For me, personal hygiene is a deal-breaker. Have pride in yourself. I have worked in healthcare for years and I can tell a patient that has a fragrant order due to hard work or not bathing regularly. And yes, I have told my staff they could not hand them a bar of soap on their way out.
Take care, be well, and get out in the sunshine. Spring has sprung.
XO
Victor
Woody,
Never apologize for your "rantings". I always find your comments interesting, helpful and informative. I can believe your problems with renters. Poor Pat, he went though some that with his Palm Springs rental. He is so glad he sold it and got out of the rental business. I work in a hotel, believe me, I know the things some guests (usually the little kids and the women) throw down the toilet. More than once I've been called to a room to get the plugged toilet working again after a guest has thoughtlessly put something in the toilet. Right now I'm waiting for the Service Today guy to come in and put in our new sewage pump. From the prices you stated, looks like I'm getting a bargain.
Ron
Victor,
Bill has never been one for soap. We have gotten into many a fight over me not wanting our house to smell like a greasy pit garage. some years ago I finally convinced him to use grease cleaner on his hands and just last year I convinced him to USE SOAP to wash his hands instead of just rinsing them off with water and shaking his hands dry. I've always found it interesting shortcuts people take when in other areas they're so hardworking which Bill is. It's just the personal hygiene, especially in later years. Now I wash his feet every morning with Dial anti-bacterial soap. No more stinky feet.
I think almost all builders take shortcuts when they can. The things we found out about my parents house that they had built in 1958 for $11,000 (a small 1,100 square foot ranch house). The building didn't even put tar paper under the shingles. He used the same color tile (dark green) in the kitchen as he did the bathroom. And he cut short on the roof overhang. I didn't find this out until much later. My neighbors here in our Ryan Homes development have encountered many surprises with their homes are the years wore on. I had thought highly of Rynan Home before I bought into this development. Now, not so much.
Ron
Hi Margaret. Always nice to hear from you.
Ron
Ron,
Seems like your builder took a lot of shortcuts.
Lar
They all do Lar. All the builders take whatever shortcuts they can get away with.
Ron
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