Ace Sewer
02-17-2008, 04:24 AM
Did a job on a house used for short term rentals a few weeks back... crazy and I thought you might enjoy the story....
So I get in and no-one's there...the guests are out for the day. Its a main line, but odd. nothing on the bottom level is draining. I'm told the upstairs comes up out of a floor drain in the downstairs, and its looks like that's been happening, but sinks, toilets, tubs, everything downstairs is holding water even though well above the floor dain. I post hole through hip deep snow to the back side of the house just cause I want a cleanout so badly I have to look and Yay! there is one! under a deck! I pop it and its dry... hmm. I'ts been very cold so I'm thinking frozen, but the c/o is so close to the house I can't believe it's frozen above the c/o. And those sinks holding water are bothering me.
I flounder for a while, finally decide to jet a sink. I pick the bath with the double vanity as I figure I might get two for one that way, and I can peek around a corner and keep an eye on the floor drain from there to make sure I don't flood the place. Yep, I'm cutting ice about 10' in. About 15' the sink line drains; cool! But nothing else does...? Not even the second sink in this bathroom?
Long story short I had to jet 7 separate fixtures, 3 sinks, two toilets, a tub and a shower. Every stinking one frozen individually. All I can think is the main line froze, something dripping filled the system, then everything in the crawlspace froze.
So I get in and no-one's there...the guests are out for the day. Its a main line, but odd. nothing on the bottom level is draining. I'm told the upstairs comes up out of a floor drain in the downstairs, and its looks like that's been happening, but sinks, toilets, tubs, everything downstairs is holding water even though well above the floor dain. I post hole through hip deep snow to the back side of the house just cause I want a cleanout so badly I have to look and Yay! there is one! under a deck! I pop it and its dry... hmm. I'ts been very cold so I'm thinking frozen, but the c/o is so close to the house I can't believe it's frozen above the c/o. And those sinks holding water are bothering me.
I flounder for a while, finally decide to jet a sink. I pick the bath with the double vanity as I figure I might get two for one that way, and I can peek around a corner and keep an eye on the floor drain from there to make sure I don't flood the place. Yep, I'm cutting ice about 10' in. About 15' the sink line drains; cool! But nothing else does...? Not even the second sink in this bathroom?
Long story short I had to jet 7 separate fixtures, 3 sinks, two toilets, a tub and a shower. Every stinking one frozen individually. All I can think is the main line froze, something dripping filled the system, then everything in the crawlspace froze.