Today was Sunday. A long weekend Sunday. It was suppose to be the kind of day where we would be able to meander through the chaos of two young kids with patience, fun and understanding. There's a big mess in the house. They've been building forts and creating master pieces but we'd tackle it in shifts. One cleaning while the other entertained the mini artists with a trip to the park or a nearby museum. We were also suppose to take naps in shifts. Instead, not long after waking, toilets began to gurgle and then overflow. Water was everywhere and the first layer of creative mess in the house was quickly covered with a second layer of wet mess.
The same thing happened two days ago on Valentine's Day. While Dave was taking a shower in the guest bathroom both toilets overflowed and the bathtub in the master bath backed up. The plumber came but the problem was obviously not solved. Today we urgently called and texted our plumber. We didn't hear back so Dave went off to Home Depot to rent one of those long metal snakes.
To make a long story short, Bert, the plumber called back around 3pm. By then Dave had snaked both toilets and the tub with no luck of finding the cause of the back ups. The gurgling suggested it could be something stuck in the air vents. Bert had snaked the pipes on the roof. I had no idea the pipes sticking out on top of the house actually led to lines under the house. Turns out those are the air vents which connect to the toilets and tubs.
Bert tried snaking a different roof pipe this time and upon his last try found a big knot of roots. Tree roots are in our sewer lines. The problem has been pulled out but we need to get a camera and find out how much more needs to be done. I must say it's kind of eerie that we're having these plumbing problems the same week I get a colonoscopy! It's all too familiar! Will we need to cut out and mend an entire section of pipes which will be very expensive or will we be ok with using root killer every six months or so along with a good snaking? We need to do more research before answering the question.
In the meantime, Dave and I were rather bummed and a bit angry. Days like these are when we wonder if home ownership is worth it. We wanted to be spending quality family time not him elbow deep in gutter goo and me having a my "normal work day". I decided to make the best of it.
P was due for a new bike so I grabbed both girls and off we went to REI. We bought P a pink cruiser with a pink unicorn bike helmet to match. Next we stopped at Chipolte for lunch and then we went to find a nice flat, empty, parking lot to learn to ride a bike. Fortunately, G fell asleep on the way to Pierce College giving me great one on one time with P. She's been riding a balance bike. As I expected the next step of learning to use pedals was short and sweet. I called Dave to meet us on his way back from Home Depot. I didn't want him to miss the momentous occasion!
Today will be marked on the calendar as the day P learned to ride a bike instead of the day our Sunday was ruined with overflowing toilets! It will be remembered as the day Dave and P went on their very first father-daughter bike ride!
Labels: plumbing, sewer lines
