Busted Water Main

[Merlin]

So about a week ago we lost water and when it came back it was weak as hell and I spent a day and a half calling the water folks in town (small towns suck for this btw) before realizing there was a big wet spot out in the back acreage next to the garden. Apparently the dickhead who built my beautiful house decided not to put a shutoff valve inline with that water spigot (the other one that did not break of course had a shutoff valve), which effectively left it fully on and open to the main whenever water is turned on to the house.

At that point I grabbed my trusty shovel and started digging immediately, which was made more difficult by weather as well as the roots of a nearby tree. Hour upon hour the maddening roots grabbed at it and the mud stuck to the shovel blade leading to 3 shovelfulls being needed for what would normally be 1. The fucker was deep too, a full four feet under the clay and rock that frequents my property. And then to make things worse of course I strained my back mildly somewhere after which I could barely get out of bed the next morning.

This is when I got desperate and told my wife we're hiring a pro. She of course suspected that this was my plan all along lol. Which was only partially correct for the record. Then it took two days to get a local contractor out here with power equipment which, thank God the owner took pity on my situation and made this a priority because pickins are slim round here for skilled labor.

But anyway I had my first shower in several days this morning and gotta say that I am now fully appreciative of the technology of running water. Do not take this technology for granted people!

 

[CGI_Ram]

That sounds like an ordeal!

But... I need to point out;

So about a week ago we lost water

This is in conflict with...

But anyway I had my first shower in several days

This.

Haha!

Yeah... I broke my hand this past year, my dominant hand, and for 3-4 weeks when it was casted... Holy crap did I feel useless on basic tasks. I said something similar... "I sure appreciate my hands".

 

[Force16X]

my water main break involved a shut off valve box. the city i live in had no idea where it was and 20+ holes later they found it....................26 hours after i noticed the water comin in as it damn well pleased. they were so desperate to find it they tried using a divining rod to locate it among other ideas. some prior dumbass owner ran it along the foundation and at a 45 degree angle to the city water line, not even close to the sewer line (where water lines are usually run). and he used pvc pipe instead of copper. and i was left with the check.

 

[Merlin]

But... I need to point out;


This is in conflict with...


This.

Yeah at the midway point I turned it on and had a shitty shower with half pressure and refilled the toilets. Then I checked the meter the next day and realized that was a dumb idea lol. Water isn't pricey but I'm gonna be down a few hundred bucks total between that and the labor costs during the holidays which sucks.

 

[Merlin]

my water main break involved a shut off valve box. the city i live in had no idea where it was and 20+ holes later they found it....................26 hours after i noticed the water comin in as it damn well pleased. they were so desperate to find it they tried using a divining rod to locate it among other ideas. some prior dumbass owner ran it along the foundation and at a 45 degree angle to the city water line, not even close to the sewer line (where water lines are usually run). and he used pvc pipe instead of copper. and i was left with the check.

I can only imagine man. I'm guessing you paid the labor costs lol.

What's ironic is I was just telling my wife a month or so ago how glad I am that this house doesn't have a wet basement (which my house a couple purchases back did have). That thing was terrible, it had a tendency to overflow quickly when we were away and power was lost. So for anyone reading if you ever see a house listed with "wet basement" cross it off your list and you can thank me later.

 

[snackdaddy]

About 30 years ago I had a main water line break. I woke up one morning, went outside with my morning coffee and see all this water gushing from my lawn into the street. Turned out to be the main line from the city water line to my house. It was my responsibility not the city's because it was the main line in my yard.

I was pretty fortunate. My brother in law worked for a company that installed all the pipes and water lines for new homes. It was a Sunday and a plumber woulda been very expensive. He used his special took to turn off the water. Figured out where the leak was. Dug a hole and found the leak. Spliced new piping and it was all fixed. He said not to play him. So I tool his family to the lake and BBQ'd steaks with them. With a case of beer. A plumber woulda cost hundreds of dollars. We had a fun day fishing, eating and drinking. Lucky for us our wives drove our cars home afterwards.