So remember that time . . .

Blind Owl

Hallucinogenic Owl
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Nov 27, 2015
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BlindOwl
That our house flooded with poo water, and we lost the entire finished basement, and insurance didn't cover it? And I refunded my fleet to pay to fix the foundation? Then my wifey and I rebuilt the basement into one massive playroom for our son (and me, haha).

Well we woke up at 4 am this morning to this:
IMG_20180112_042428.jpg
IMG_20180112_042446.jpg
IMG_20180112_052558.jpg
IMG_20180112_052629.jpg
IMG_20180112_063128.jpg
@CrudeSasquatch taking a poo break. Haha.
IMG_20180112_063142.jpg
IMG_20180112_070818.jpg
IMG_20180112_171909.jpg
IMG_20180112_174025.jpg

Happy Friday and Happy New Years! Haha.

Needless to say that partially refinished basement is gone . . .again. @CrudeSasquatch was here to help me start rescuing what we could at 4 am, thank God.

We figure now, as the foundation was just repaired, that the water must be leaking out of the sewer pipe and into the center of the cinder block wall. Here:
IMG_20180112_075133.jpg

The original assumption was that the wall was degraded here, and that excessive ground saturation was causing seepage through the wall. But $3300 later, we've sealed that wall from the outside.

Anyone with any plumbing/foundation experience have any thoughts?

Right now we're thinking that excessive ground water has backed the septic up enough that there's fluid sitting in the outlet that you see in the above picture, and that said outlet is cracked, and the effluent is flowing down inside the cinder blocks and seeping into the house. Or pouring, haha.
 
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Blind Owl

Hallucinogenic Owl
Donor
Nov 27, 2015
20,862
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BlindOwl
why you canadians live underground?
Because the air above ground freezes the flesh off your bones, haha.
that fcking sucks :slight_frown:
Haha, this too shall pass.
For some reason i cant see any of the pictures and for some other reason, im sure they would just make me feel even worse for you guys.

Hope you get it all sorted out for good this time!
Hmmmm, maybe because I shared them from Google pictures?

Does anyone else have issues seeing the pics?
 

Sraika

Space Marshal
Nov 7, 2017
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Sraika
Because the air above ground freezes the flesh off your bones, haha.

Haha, this too shall pass.

Hmmmm, maybe because I shared them from Google pictures?

Does anyone else have issues seeing the pics?
i get a bunch of :no_entry: signs instead of pictures.

From the accompanying text, i can guess the content.
Damn, mate, that really sucks. Let us know if we can help somehow.
 

Blind Owl

Hallucinogenic Owl
Donor
Nov 27, 2015
20,862
73,607
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BlindOwl
I cannot see them :(
i get a bunch of :no_entry: signs instead of pictures.
Can you see them now?
From the accompanying text, i can guess the content.
Damn, mate, that really sucks. Let us know if we can help somehow.
Thanks brother. We'll see what the insurance company has to say this time around. Same issue, same spot, but this time we've had the foundation repaired, so it looks to be a sewer issue, and sewer is covered.
 

marcsand2

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Mar 15, 2016
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Thanks brother. We'll see what the insurance company has to say this time around. Same issue, same spot, but this time we've had the foundation repaired, so it looks to be a sewer issue, and sewer is covered.
Soooo, then it was not a foundation problem but a sewer problem all the time, also the first time. Does the insurance company also pay their first mistake?
 

Bruttle

Space Marshal
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Aug 20, 2016
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Bruttle
So, this is pretty much right up my expertise. In the real world I am a facilities director for a large company (aka glorified maintenance guy). I work in the US with their rules, but I can make some basic assumptions. MAJOR caveat, I caught this post with a full bottle of rum in me....

First things first, a few facts are in order. I work with US laws, but they should be at the very least similar.
  1. Insurance companies specialize in finding ways to avoid payouts.
  2. Cities/Municipalities will go to almost illegal lengths to avoid culpability.
  3. Utility companies will avoid blame as far as they feel it is financially viable.
That being said, there are only two possibilities that can lead to your situation. The first is a sewer leak and the second is a storm water drainage leak. Given the time of year, I would place the larger chance on sewer. The only way to be sure is to get a sample and have it tested. It should be about $100 if you wanted to be sure.

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, the main issue is determining who is paying the bill. You, as the home owner, are responsible for everything inside your property boundaries. So if there is a sewage break inside your lot, you are responsible. That said, I highly doubt a local sewage break could be responsible for that high of a volume.

Chances are, neither the original issue, or the current issue were your fault. The only thing that could be your issue is a sewage break on your property. However, the volume suggests otherwise.

I would suggest a few things:
  • Ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone is having similar basement issues
  • Call the major drain companies to hear their history of the neighborhood (you would be surprised how much they know about the system).
  • Visit your city/muni department and find out what changes have been made to your house. They usually have a file.
I would love to give more personalized advice, but that's about the best my drunk ass can give. Please feel free to give me a PM though. I really do solve issues like this professionally.
 
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