jessica
we got very little rain today, and the effect
was consequently much less, but still noticeable. what that demonstrates
is two-fold:
1) that the slow down is proportional to
the amount of rain. we now have correlation and proportionality,
demonstrating causality.
2) if a very small amount has a noticeable effect, a very large amount would have a very large effect.
i
don't think it's likely we're ever going to get enough rain for a big
problem, and i can deal with a slow toilet, but i'm worried about
run-off in the spring. the proportionality that is now demonstrated
indicates that the run-off could be a gigantic problem.
none
of this was happening before, so something has changed in the last
month, something that needs to be determined is if other people in the
neighbourhood are having the same problem or not. a back-up like this
should only affect the lowest lying fixtures, so i need to find somebody
else with fixtures in the basement to ask. i've identified the basement
tenant next door, i'm now waiting for him to come outside for a smoke
to ask him. if he's dealing with the same thing, well know it's a city
problem. if he's not, i'm not sure what to say other than that something
is probably busted...
(pause)
alright...
so,
i talked to the tenant next door and he IS getting back-ups from the
rain, meaning it's a city thing. he thinks the pipes in the area are bad
and it's the construction.
at this point, i've reached
what i can do: i've identified there's a problem with the city piping
and reported it to the property owner.
it's now in your hands as to what to do...
(pause)
i've
thought about this a bit and i think it's worth being careful about.
apparently, the neighbour next door is actually getting backups, not
just slow drains. i may have a block of some sort, but i'd hazard a
guess that most plumbing is at least mildly blocked. what if the reason
i'm NOT backing up is because there IS a block?
i think
there's enough evidence at this point to conclude that rainwater is
somehow getting into the city's sanitary. i think it's better to focus
on that.
the landlord
THE City WILL BE HERE MONDAY DURING THE DAY TO RUN THE EEL THROUGH THE LINE:
jessica
ok.
i still don't feel that i'm getting across what the problem is.
the problem is not that the line is blocked all the time. it is not. the problem is that the line is ONLY blocked when it RAINS.
in
general, i'm an advocate of ruling out possibilities. the only way to
find out is to try. but i've developed what is a pretty strong causal
relationship between the drain and the rain. it seems to be that it will
continue to drain slowly until the sump pump turns off, then get back
to normal. the sump pump continues to run 12 hours after a mild rain
storm, and i need to reiterate that this seems unusual. but considering
the separation, i think what the connection between your sump pump and
the toilet down here is is that the water drainage in the basement
across the street is going to level at about the same time the sump pump
stops. that is, i think that the reason they seem connected is because
the floor drain across the street should stop draining at roughly the
same time that the sump pump down here stops.
i'd just
request that the three of us spend a few minutes over the weekend
brainstorming other ways that the rainwater might be overwhelming the
sanitary on the street.
that abandoned house is the
only thing i can think of that really makes sense...and it would
probably be better if one of you can get a hold of him to turn the pump
back on and/or plug the drain somehow, if you know him, because if i do
it it's going to be through city bylaw.
