MONEY PIT (part 9) That mysterious odor and the constant flood.

STAIRS LEADING TO THE SIDE YARD OR DOWN TO THE BASEMENT, BEFORE WE REPLACED THE SIDE DOOR, CARPETED THE STAIRS AND FIXED THE STANDING WATER PROBLEM AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS, BEFORE A STEP UP INTO THE BASEMENT. 
THE BASEMENT WAS A MAJOR HEADACHE! THERE WAS A DRY SPELL AND THEN A COLD SPELL WHEN WE MOVED INTO THIS HOUSE AND THE BASEMENT WAS DRY FOR SOME MONTHS. THEN, WITH THE SPRING RAINS, WE HAD STANDING WATER IN THE BASEMENT. I HAD TO WADE THROUGH THE WATER AND KNOCK A HEAVY CEMENT PAVER OFF THE SEWAGE LINE THAT LED TO THE STREET. I HAD TRIED TO BUY A CAP FOR THE LINE, BUT, IT SEEMS OUR CENTURY PLUS PIPES WERE NOT STANDARD IN 1995. 
THE THING IS, WE FLOODED MANY TIMES AND FINALLY HAD TO CALL ON COUSIN VITO AGAIN. VITO WAS VERY BUSY, BUT, TOOK TIME TO COME OVER AND LET US KNOW WHAT COULD BE DONE. VITO PICKED UP A COUPLE OF MEN TO DIG A FRENCH DRAIN AROUND THE PERIMETER OF OUR BASEMENT. THERE WOULD BE A SUMP PUMP IN THE LOWEST CORNER OF THE BASEMENT AND THE DRAIN WOULD LEAD THE WATER THERE. THE MEN VITO LEFT WORKED VERY HARD AND SEEMED TO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. I KEPT CHECKING ON THEM FROM TIME TO TIME, BRINGING THEM WATER AND PIZZA FOR LUNCH. THEN, IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON, THEY CAME UPSTAIRS TO SEE ME AND SINCE THEY ONLY SPOKE SPANISH, I HAD TO KEEP SHRUGGING. THEY APPEARED TO BE EXCITED AND FINALLY ONE OF THEM MADE A SIDE BY SIDE SNAPPING FIST MOTION. I IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THEM DOWN TO THE BASEMENT AND SAW THAT THE FUEL LINE HAD SNAPPED AND WAS LEAKING. I JUST GAVE THEM AN IT'S OKAY MOTION AND CALLED VITO. VITO CAME RIGHT AWAY AND SPLICED THE LINE BACK TOGETHER. I PAID VITO AND HE PAID THE GUYS WHO CERTAINLY EARNED THEIR PAY. I CEMENTED THE LINE BACK IN AND A DAY OR TWO LATER NOTICED OIL SEEPING UP THROUGH THE CEMENT. VITO'S SECOND SPLICE DIDN'T WORK EITHER, AND I ENDED UP CALLING THE OIL COMPANY. THEY FIXED THE LINE FOR JUST A COUPLE OF BUCKS AND TAUGHT ME A TRICK. ALL I HAD TO DO TO CEMENT OVER THE HOLE IN THE FLOOR WAS TO THROW DOWN SOME QUICK DRYING CEMENT AND JUST SPRINKLE IT WITH MY HOSE. IT CAME OUT EVEN AND SMOOTH.
IN THE MEANTIME, THE DRAIN HAD BEEN FILLED WITH SAND AND GRAVEL, PERFORATED PVC PIPE LAID INTO THE TROUGH, LEADING TO THE NEW SUMP PUMP. IT WAS THEN CEMENTED OVER. WE DIDN'T HAVE A COVER FOR THE WELL WITH THE SUMP PUMP, AND I ENDED UP MAKING ONE FROM THE SEAT OF A STOOL. 
THE BASEMENT STILL FLOODED AND WHEN IT DID, I WOULD GO DOWN, WADE THROUGH THE WATER, KNOCK THE COVER OFF THE WELL, GET THE PUMP GOING. I WOULD STILL HAVE TO BAIL WATER, RUN THE WET/DRY VAC AND DUMP THAT MULTIPLE TIMES. LARGE FANS TO DRY THE FLOOR WORKED WELL FOR THE CONSTANT SEEPAGE. 
ONE WEEKEND IT RAINED NINE INCHES OF RAIN. I WENT DOWN TO THE BASEMENT TO FIND WATER SHOOTING THROUGH THE BRICK FOUNDATION ON ALL SIDES. I WAS UP ALL NIGHT WORKING INTO THE NEXT DAY, BAILING AND BREAKING MY ASS. IT WAS DEMORALIZING TO SAY THE LEAST, BUT, IT HAD TO BE DONE. I DUG DOWN AROUND THE WHOLE FOUNDATION, WATERPROOFED IT, PUT DOWN GRAVEL AND FILLED IT ALL BACK IN, I ALSO PAINTED THE WALLS IN THE BASEMENT WITH WATERPROOFING. I WON'T SAY IF IT WORKED OR NOT, BUT, THE BASEMENT WAS DRY WHEN THE HOUSE WAS UP FOR SALE BY US. 

THEN, THERE WAS WATER BUBBLING UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET, ALL SUMMER LONG. WE FINALLY CALLED THE CITY AND THEY CAME. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN THEY KNOCKED ON OUR DOOR SAYING THEY NEEDED TO GO THE OUR BASEMENT TO LISTEN TO THE PIPES. AFTER DOING SO, THEY ANNOUNCED THAT THE LEAK IN THE STREET WAS COMING FROM OUR HOUSE. THEY AGAIN KNOCKED ON OUR DOOR AND GAVE US A NOTICE THAT WE HAD TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITHIN 10 DAYS. THEY TOLD US THAT IF WE HIRED A PLUMBER THEY COULD GET AN EXTENSION. WE GOT THE PLUMBERS, THEY EXCAVATED AND FOUND THAT THE LEAK WAS ACTUALLY THE CITY'S PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS THE VALVE THAT WAS LEAKING AND NOT OUR LINE. 
OUR LINE, WE WERE TOLD, HAD TO BE REPLACE BECAUSE WHENEVER THEY EXCAVATE AND FIND LEAD PIPE, THEY WERE REQUIRED TO REPLACE IT WITH COPPER. 
WE REALLY FELT BAD HAVING TO USE AL'S INHERITED MONEY FOR THIS, BUT, IT WAS LUCKY THAT MONEY CAME AT JUST THIS TIME. 

WE THOUGHT ABOUT CONVERTING FROM OIL TO GAS BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO COSTLY, SO, WE HAD A NEW OIL BURNING FURNACE PUT IN INSTEAD. THEY HAD TO CUT UP THE VERY OLD LARGE FURNACE TO GET IT OUT THE DOOR, AND THE NEW MODERN ONE WAS ONLY A FRACTION OF IT'S SIZE. 
ANOTHER TIME WE HAD A STAINLESS STEEL LINER PUT IN FROM THE ROOF DOWN THROUGH THE CHIMNEY AND INTO THE NEW FURNACE. 
WE HAD THOUGHT (AND WERE TOLD) THAT THIS MIGHT SOLVE OUR ERA LONG PROBLEM OF 'WHAT'S THAT SMELL'. IT REALLY DIDN'T STOP THE ODOR THAT NO ONE COULD FIGURE OUT.
IT WAS NOT UNTIL VITO LAID A NEW SEWAGE LINE FOR US THAT HE DISCOVERED THAT OUR SEWAGE LINE HAD NEVER BEEN VENTED. DOUBLE JEEZ!



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