Backup update

We are no longer backed up.

The roter man came last Tuesday to unclog the clog and said that in his professional opinion he thought we had a problem at 40 feet our.  Part of the cleaning included a free camera inspection of the pipe, but the home owner had to be there, but we had 7 days within to do it. Oh darn, make me take a half day off of work. It was free and if we do have a bigger problem, now is the time to find out.

A different rotor man, who talked too much and got distracted easily, came on Thursday at noon. I re-explained the situation to him between his distractedness. 

No, we don't need the pipe unclogged, just the camera please.
Yes, the dogs are cute.
Yes, someone else was here to unclog the pipe, just the camera down the pipe please.
Yes, the water lines are new. 
No, I don't remember the other technician's name. 
Yes, just the camera down the pipes to see what is going on. 
No, we didn't hire a handyman to run the water lines Walt Kowalski did it. Yes, yes, Walt Kowalski did a good job of the new pipes.  
Just the camera down the pipe, please.
No, Walt Kowalski isn't looking for a job. Yes, he is very good at soldering he is a professional. 
Just the camera down the pipe, please.
Yes, it's a grinding wheel.
Yes, it came with the house.
Yes, I know it's an old house. 
Just the camera down the pipes please.
Yes, the dogs are cute.

Finally, finally, he got the camera down the pipe and started looking around.  His expert opinion was that there wasn't a break in the pipe at 40feet, there was a break in the pipe at 17feet.  Uh oh.  MUCH closer to the house than we expected and possibly our problem, not the city's problem.

Outside we go to locate the sensor at the end of the camera. 

Yes, the dogs are cute.
Just the location of the sensor, please. 
Yes, the swing is old. 
Just the location of the sensor, please. (The suspense is killing me and the thought of the bill isn't helping)
Yes, it's a quiet neighborhood. 

Finally, the location of the sensor. Right.On.The.Curb.  Sigh?  Maybe? 

He wasn't familiar enough with the city to know where our responsibility stopped and the city's responsibility started.  He had to talk to his manager. Really? What are we doing, selling a used car here?

But his manager gave us good news.  It was so close to the line where our responsibility ends and the city's begins that he wasn't going to give us prices for repairs until we talked to city.  *small sigh*

Ok. I can do that. 

Friday morning I called the city municipal authority.  She said that Pete was in a hole and he would call us back.  He did.  10 minutes later. 

I must not have been that big of a hole or they get good reception in holes in this area.

Pete said he and his men were in the area and would stop over that afternoon and run their own camera to find this "so-called" broken pipe and the home owner didn't have to be there.  That afternoon he could be there. THAT AFTERNOON!  I can hold my breath for a little longer.

Pete kept his word.  He was there that afternoon.  Inspected the pipe and gave us his report on his finds.

There was no broken pipe.  *SIGH*

What the rotor man saw was a broken piece of something stuck on the reducing coupling.  The coupling that reduces from the city's 6 inch pipe to the house's 4 inch pipe.  

This was probably the cause of the clog originally. 

Pete flushed the pipe again and gave it a clean bill of health.  He also said if we have another problem like this to call him first. 

If the entire city was run the Pete ran his department, the city wouldn't be in trouble.  Yeah Pete!

So for the cost of one rotor man we got the clog unclogged, a free camera inspection, another free camera inspection, a pipe flushing, and a big sigh of relief knowing we weren't going to have to dig up the front yard, basement floor, and sidewalk.

Sid I say *sigh*?