Stinky Black Hole

TMF, “Ugh, it is really stinky out there.”
BF, “Where? And what do you mean by ‘stinky?’”
TMF, “The sidewalk area where the puddle is forming.  It’s just stinky.”
BF sighs, “I think we have a sewage issue.”
TMF, “NO!”

Adding to my list of home improvement ignorance is plumbing.  Anything dealing with plumbing scares me A LOT.  There are many unforeseen issues behind walls and underneath floors.  Many of these issues are stinky, gross and expensive.

For the past few weeks, every time we took showers, washed dishes, washed clothes or used any water, an awful smell would surface from a specific area in the front yard.  As if the smell wasn’t bad enough, a large puddle would form but then disappear. 

During Tropical Storm Debby, the smell and puddle became worse.  BF decided to investigate.  He dug a large hole around the offensive smell and puddle.  More and more water continued to fill in the hole. 

After consulting with several plumbers, BF figured out the sewer pump was broken.  I called JEA and they sent a technician to see whether this was a customer or company issue.  Unfortunately they concluded it was a customer issue.  Fortunately they pumped out the nasty grey water and moved the extremely heavy concrete covering of the black hole. 

We could have hired a plumber to resolve the stinky problem, but BF is extremely handy and cost-conscious.  After two hours of labor and $250 worth of materials, BF installed the new sewer pump.

 

Although we didn’t ask for a price quote, we estimate BF’s work saved us nearly $1,000. 

BF, “You should stick your head in there.”
TMF, “Absolutely not!”
BF, “Why not?”
TMF, “It’s nasty in there!”
BF, “Well, it’s probably good that you don’t.”
TMF, “Why?”
BF, “I don’t want to scare you, but I saw some ‘things’ swimming around.”
TMF, “WHAT?”
BF, “Why are you running away?”

Is That a Car Jack?

TMF, “Is that a car jack you’re using?”
BF, “Yup.”
TMF, “Hmmm…”

After BF ripped out the offensive Stairway from Hell, he became really excited.  What guy doesn’t become excited with the prospect of busting holes in drywall?  He explained his method of installing a piece of wood inside the walls to hold up the sink cabinet in the master bathroom.

I sighed because I didn’t like the idea of another drywall hole.  I guess there’s some logic to BF’s reasoning.  The whole section will have to be repaired because of the ripped out staircase.  Another hole won’t make much of a difference. 

After moving the classy but supportive 2 X 4, BF cleverly used a car jack to help hold up the cabinet. 

As I walked into the bathroom, I’ll admit I found the car jack odd-looking.  After thinking about it, it makes sense.  Why not use a car jack in the bathroom?

Please keep your fingers crossed for us.  Every day we anxiously glance at the cabinets to see if the drawers are slanted.