Plumbers Are Scary

I went home at lunch yesterday and my husband says, "We have a problem." That alone made my heart start beating faster, but then I look in the bathtub and see nasty, icky water in it. Apparently when anyone flushed the toilet in the back bathroom, sewage water would come up the drains in the bathtubs and showers.

First thing I do is call my dad because this is a bigger plumbing problem than I am used to dealing with and I was only on my lunch hour, so there was not a whole lot of time. He said it could be a clogged vent or a partially clogged sewage pipe. After doing a ton of research online, I was praying it was the vent that creates the pressure in the drains because it would be easier to fix. I borrowed a ladder from work, put my fear of heights to the back of my mind and climbed up on the roof. The people in the apartment building next to us probably thought I was crazy, lying on my stomach in the middle of the roof.

Unfortunately that was not the problem and after agreeing that it needed to be looked at as so as possible, we called a plumber. From that moment on I was an anxious mess. I was scared that the problem would be more than just a clog and that the cost would be so crazy we would not be able to afford it. I ended up hiding with the dogs in our bedroom, trying not to throw up, and hoping that Rommel would come through the door and tell me it was no big deal.

The plumbers arrived and tried to snake out the mainline, but there seemed to be a bigger problem. They needed to bring in a camera to figure out exactly where the problem was and how deep it was. That alone made our bill jump from $80 to $200.

They came back today and found the actual problem, which I suppose could be a lot worse. They are extremely nice guys though and are doing a good job. It just hurts to hand over $900. But it must be done.

Hopefully from now on my mother-in-law will understand the importance of maintaining our home, etc. And a bonus would be that she appreciates my handwork even more because it does not cost anywhere near $900. I could start charging though, that's an idea!