A Plumbing Tale Continued

The plumbing saga continues in the Wilson household! We have been using RID-X faithfully, but it just so happens that the day my article about my plumbing problems went up, my toilet decided to overflow again! There was water backed up in the tub, and water was spraying out of the clean out in the back of the house. Are you kidding me?

We went through the motions again, and this time my husband was home. He called his dad, the plumber, who was at work at the time. He said he would stop by on his way home from work. During that time Todd had left for work, and we were forced to avoid the toilets and water for a few hours.

My father in law stopped by and checked the pipe. There was a blockage of some sort, which was the same problem from before. He used a tool that he had to stick down the pipe about 60 feet to the main. He was able to break through the blockage. What he thinks at that point is there are roots and toilet paper is getting stuck on the roots. He left the tool there in case we had to do it again.

I never would dream I’d be calling him again a few hours later with the same problem. Keep in mind I had spent time using bleach and water to clean out the tub, toilet, and the bathroom floor. I was frustrated, and I called my father in law again.

He came out and did the same thing as before. This time there was a big blockage. He maneuvered the tool trying to break it up. He broke through it again. He thinks he is pushing a hold through the blockage, but when he takes the tool out toilet paper is plugging the small hole up again.

At this point, he had me turn on the sink, the tub, the washer, and flush the toilet. Everything was working fine. He said he is going to rent a rooter to clean out the drain and get rid of the roots.

Before he left, he gave me instructions…gross, inconvenient instructions. He said do not put any toilet paper in the toilet. WHAT?!! So, that’s what we will have to do until he can get the machine, hopefully soon! I decided baby wipes and Ziploc bags may be the way to go. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I think this will be our best option.

My 9 yr. old and 12 yr. old are mortified! My husband and I are not thrilled, but it is what it is. We use diapers for the little ones, so no concerns there. Potty training will be on the back burner this week.

I am praying that this will be one of the last steps to our plumbing problem. I will keep you posted on how this turns out. So far we haven’t spent anything, and if my husband’s parents rent the rooter, I don’t think they will make us pay for it. We have had this house for one year, and this is the first major mishap, so I really can’t complain.

This whole experience has made me realize how important an emergency stash of money is. It just so happens that last week I decided to start getting a handle on our finances and saving for that. Our total so far is 95 cents. This may be a very hard lesson to learn, but I am glad to be learning it now. I’ll keep you posted on our situation!

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