Saga of the Leaking Pipe – Finale
July 14, 2009 at 8:45 PM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: L&M Ditching, Plumbing, Repair, Sewer, Success, Water
So here’s the final chapter in our exciting tale of the Saga of the Leaking Pipes. The awesome crew of L&M Ditching arrived at 10 AM and started digging and cutting holes – I mean really, DEEP BIG HOLES to run new sanitary lines and water pipes through. Scary stuff! Genoa kept a pic log of all the work (see the link below) so we could see what was happening far, far away in the land of Winnipeg and wherever else we may be (Ian is somewhere between Winnipeg and Greensboro NC right now…hopefully – but that’s another story!)
Martin and the L&M Ditching crew get a HUGE round of applause and BIG thanks for all their great work today. Genoa says you are all GREAT guys and I guess you made this a lot less stressful than it could have been. We can’t wait to see the end result when we’re there in a couple of weeks, until then we have to make do with the pictures that Genoa posted. If you have ever wondered about how this type of thing works and what exactly is involved in replacing water and sewer lines, (…and really, who hasn’t wondered that I ask you??) – here’s your chance to see it ‘close up & personal’ – well maybe not quite as personal as having your own yard and floors torn up…but close enough.
All in all, I guess I’d have to say it’s kind of like having a house root canal…something you fear & avoid until you have no choice, but then afterward, you realize it really isn’t all that bad – and your teeth don’t hurt anymore! 
http://www.4shared.com/dir/14016690/75d7858b/sharing.html#
Sage of the Leaking Pipe – Update
July 13, 2009 at 9:06 PM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: Contractor, Fix, Leak, Plumbing, Water
So I guess I owe everyone an update on the Saga of the Leaking Pipe. We finally got two quotes in, with significant difference between the two for the same scope of work and same timing – so we went with the lower quote, of course! Originally, they thought we may have to wait until next week, but turns out they found an opening tomorrow, so the crew will be there in the morning to start work! Yeah! Too bad it means that E&G are stuck moving furniture and clearing out a whole bunch of stuff tonight, all by themselves, I think! But on the positive side, we’ll be rid of the lead water pipes, have a new sewer line and be back in the 21st century! Not bad for a 60+ year old house!
Let’s all pray hard that 1) there are no surprises when they start work tomorrow and 2) there are no surprises when the water is turned back on when it’s all done!
Saga of the Leaking Pipe – Decisions Decisions!
July 10, 2009 at 5:47 PM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: City of Edmonton, Contractor, Property, Quote, Sewer, Water
Interesting – both companies have come by now. One came by, did a quick review, determined there was no complication with the sewer lines, and gave a quote (gulp) for just the water line that was somewhat higher than we expected – and we’ll still be responsible for fixing the drill hole in the concrete and outside when they are done…but on the positive side, they can do it immediately.
The other company came by, investigated the property inside and out, and had some concerns about the location of the sewer lines and how things connected into the house. He called the city himself to check into the property and find out about the sewer/water lines & it turns out they were done separately, but are running beside each other, so we really have to do both together to be safe. He can’t determine where these come into the house though, so has suggested running a camera through to find the entry point, so there aren’t any mistakes once they start digging. May mean a (small) hole in the floor of a downstairs bedroom. He won’t risk a quote until he has all the facts about the current setup, so we have to do this before we can get a comparison quote. Also he probably can’t start the replacement work for another week though, because of his schedule.
Two completely opposite approaches: which one is right and how do we tell?
Saga of the Leaking Pipe – EPCOR to the Rescue
July 10, 2009 at 9:13 AM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: Edmonton, EPCOR, Leak, Plumbing, Repair, Water
Things are looking up…EPCOR provided a couple of referrals for the work. I called one – L&M Ditching – and they will go out this morning to try to get an interim fix on the inside valve so we can have a temp water supply. Then provide a quote on the work to replace sewer and water line – apparently best to do both at once!! <:o $$$$
Saga of the Leaking Pipe – Now What?
July 10, 2009 at 7:36 AM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: Edmonton, EPCOR, leaking, plumber, Water
So here’s the update as of Fri morning: Evan called at midnight last night to say the leak had gotten MUCH worse and they were going to have to get Epcor to turn the water off…again. This is after getting the guy out and then deciding to live with it overnight until we could find someone to fix the pipe. Well Epcor came out (yes, at midnight) and as a temporary ‘fix’ hooked us up to the neighbour through the outdoor faucets. Normally this works and provides essential water but bypasses the main pipe into the house…except in this case the water kept spraying out of the broken pipe! Apparently the inside shutoff valve is ALSO broken, so any water added into the house system will automatically flow back out the broken pipe. Could it get worse? I sure hope not…still trying to find someone who can fix a broken lead pipe…but not to forget: an important Thank You to Epcor, for trying!
Saga of the Leaking Pipe – It Begins
July 9, 2009 at 9:44 PM | Posted in Edmonton | Leave a commentTags: City of Edmonton, EPCOR, Leak, Plumbing, Water, Water Lines
Suzanne Adnams at 7:31pm July 9
Saga of the leaking pipe: It begins with a small drip at a join in the 60 year old, lead main water pipe coming into our house in Edmonton. It’s been like this since we bought it – we’ve had plumbers check it out and didn’t seem to think there was much that could be done because the pipes were so old. Then Genoa comes in today to find water all around the pipe, and a MUCH bigger leak – but from the pipe…not the dripping join.
So of course she phones Epcor, who tell her it’s not their problem – we need to call a plumber. So she calls me in Winnipeg and we arrange for a plumber to come – at great cost – $110 for the service call, but they arrive pretty quickly.
The plumber takes a look and determines that the leak is on the city-side of the pipe – at or below the concrete level, and appears to be leaking into the concrete. The plumber can’t/won’t touch it and suggests we call the city 24hr emergency line to get it reported right away…and confirms the charge for the service call, of course. Ok so now we go to the City of Edmonton…
After taking 1/2 hours to get the contact information for the City of Edmonton (our web access was down in Winnipeg, probably because of the Tstorms today – Ok so that’s not really the City of Edmonton’s fault…), I call the emergency number, which actually goes to 311. I patiently explain to the nice lady on the phone what has happened, and she takes down all the contact info to log a ticket to the public works dept so they can call back to arrange a call. So far, so good…seem to be getting close to someone being able to do something!
Ever efficient, someone from the city works dept calls Evan back within about 1/2 hour to follow up. But they think it’s a sewer backup, which of course has nothing to do with this issue and has never been mentioned. This is the main water line coming into the house! Apparently, the city works dept is only responsible for water LEAVING the house, not water ENTERING the house. Three guesses who handles that…
That’s right: EPCOR! So the city directs Evan to contact the afterhours service number at EPCOR, which he did and got through to someone right away. EPCOR is sending someone out to look at it asap. But that’s not bad really: it only took 3 hours to end up talking to the same people about sending someone out to look at the same problem. Could have been worse, I guess – in some cities you would have spent that 3 hours on hold!
Stay tuned…I’m pretty sure this isn’t over yet. I’ll keep you all updated as this unfolds…
8:15pm July 9
Ok so EPCOR has arrived, looked at it, and declared that all they can do is turn the water off at the main on the property line…it’s up to us to get a plumber to fix the pipe!! AAARRRRGGHHHHH! *tears at hair*
8:30pm July 9
Ever hopeful, I call the plumber back and explain my sad saga once more…at least they are still answering at 7:30 MST in the evening, right? Very nice lady is shocked and stunned that the city isn’t responsible for the main pipe coming into the house, and not sure that this is something that they can do. She promises to pass this back to Matt the plumber, and have him call to discuss in more detail. Meanwhile, I left it up to E&G to decide whether it was necessary to turn the water off to the house…wonder what they agreed to in the end?
8:32pm July 9
So in the meantime, if ANYONE in Edmonton knows who to call to get a new line put in from the water main to the house ASAP – PLEASE let me know right away! I’m very close to losing it right now…
8:38pm July 9
and while I wait for a call back from the plumber, I think I’d better go take my blood pressure…
8:45pm July 9
…and with all this water leak stuff in Edmonton, I’m afraid to go downstairs here in Winnipeg! After the deluge we’ve had today, I’m half expecting to find water in our basement too! ha ha
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