Tiny Grass

Our shower drain has been getting slower and slower over the last few months. I’ve been really lazy about pursuing the problem. I tried some baking soda & vinegar followed by boiling water a few weeks back, but it didn’t impact the problem at all. So I’d been considering using a plumbing snake to take care of the problem. We have an archaic septic tank, so I didn’t want to go the Draino route. So for the next step, I call my neighbor and ask to borrow a plumbing snake. Here’s where things get emotional for me: My neighbor suggests that my shower is the lowest drain in the house, and the slowing indicates septic failure. Shit! Everything always comes back to my 55 year-old undersized septic tank. Initially, I poo-pooed her diagnosis, but then the wheels of fear began to turn in my mind.

That night I had the following dream: Our septic was failing, and Dylan McKay was there to help! (Yes, I’ve been recording way to many episodes of 90210 on the DVR lately). Anyway, the septic tank was overflowing, and seemed to be able to be accessed via a sloping ramp under my house. As in, open up a big hatch, and walk down a ramp. Unfortunately, Dylan is never really dependable, so he slipped while walking down the ramp and ended up bathing in sludge. Now who would I call for help?

Back to reality. Arp headed over to Home Depot and bought a plumbing snake. I read the instructions at This Old House before I started the project. I fed the snake into the proper spot and started twisting. After I hit what I thought was the obstruction, I pulled the snake back up. I might have pulled it a little quickly. When the end landed in the tub, what met my eyes caused me to scream and go running into the hall so that Arp could witness the horror. I have to admit, when I first saw it, just for a second, I thought it was possible that a huge rat had died in our pipes. When Arp saw it, he suggested that I use rubber gloves for the rest of the task.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of the clog. I had to do some serious plunging to finally relieve the blockage. But I am happy to say that my tub is now draining at top speed, and the septic is fine. Why do I always get the worst jobs around here?

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 at 10:01 pm and is filed under DIY. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.