Tuesday morning we were finishing breakfast when Emma came into the house saying that there was water all over the parking area. This was surprising since Gene had been out earlier working in the garden and hadn’t seen anything like this. So we went to take a look and water was indeed gushing from a cement clean-out box which is part of the drain system for the sewer and kitchen sinks. This could only mean that a water line had burst somewhere under ground or under the porch where the lines come into the house.
To try to find out where the leak was, Gene plugged up the 4” pipe in the clean-out box with plastic bags, braced them in place and watched to see where else water might appear on the surface. Sure enough about 20 minutes later there as a wet spot, then water bubbling out a hole in the ground right above the lid to the septic tank! The leak was somewhere down there. Water is still pouring out full-tilt but we don’t know about any shut-off valve to turn it off. Nevertheless, Gene starts digging and we stop using any water from the taps or discharging anything from the bathroom or kitchen. Fortunately we have a good working outhouse!
Emma informs us that there is a shut-off valve somewhere in the field to the north but only Adam knows where it is. Adam is out with the cattle right now so we continue digging and the water keeps flowing. After a while it becomes apparent that the water is flowing out of the septic tank. But how is it getting into the tank? We keep digging.
After a couple of hours, Adam shows up and takes Gene out to the middle of the field where he has uncovered a valve, only a foot or so below the ground in the middle of nowhere. Using an adjustable wrench we gently close the valve (which is leaking water around the stem, because it has probably been hit with a plow!), and the water flow drops to a trickle. At least now we have some measure of control. The only problem is that closing this valve also shuts off the water to the guest house - and we have guests.
We finally uncover the discharge pipe from the septic tank and at the same corner of the tank we find the water line which comes into the house and discover that the water line actually passes through the corner of the tank. (If anyone reading this can explain how that came to be, we’d be interested in hearing about it.) There is only dry ground around the water line in the direction of its source so the leak must be right there - inside the septic tank.
Now that we have some idea of the problem, the first order of business is to install a shut-off valve to the house so that we can completely stop the flow of water at the leak and be able to open the valve to the Guest House. However we are lacking a hacksaw. Gene borrows one from Ron Herr’s next door, but it’s not up to the task. So he goes looking among the tools that were shipped in a container back in January for Sikalongo Bible Institute, but have not yet been picked up. Sure enough, there was a hacksaw in the collection and with that we were able to cut the pipe. This is how the Lord provides!
Now that we have water shut off completely to the house and available to the Guest House we are able to move ahead with repairs. The first order of business is to dig up the water line, assess its overall condition and decide upon replacement. We also discover that an 18” section of tile drain pipe between the septic tank and the main line is broken and will need to be replaced. We also decide to replace the water line with a plastic line so a trip to town to get pipe and fittings while Bright, our general help employee, continues to dig the trench. We find everything we need to make the repair except for replacement tile, so that is still an issue. End of Day 1.
Wednesday we go to work making a connection from the valve we installed to the cut- off stub of the former water line near the house. We’re not successful in getting the plastic compression fitting to seal on the galvanized pipe. Still no water in or out of the house. Clean up and go to Bible Study. End of Day 2.
Thursday. After sleeping on it, Gene is reluctant to run a new water line anywhere close to the septic tank. So we look for some other way to connect to the house system and finally discover a 1” tee with a plug in one end in the laundry room off the porch. This will require a new trench to be dug and a bit of galvanized pipe work for which we will need to hire a plumber. Fortunately we know of a reliable one from previous experience and he agrees to come out and take a look at it. Plumber arrives, works up a materials list for us and gives us a quote for the job which I think is way too low. He accepts my offer of a higher figure! He also suggests that rather than trying to find a pipe to connect the section of drain tile (which is no longer available here), we build a cement box which can serve as an additional clean-out. Brilliant and more than worth the extra we agreed to pay him. Gene knocks a hole in the laundry wall for the new water line. Back into Choma with a shopping list for parts. Still no water in or out of the house. End of Day 3.
Friday morning the plumbers arrive and go to work. The plumbers are good and make great progress but one of the elbows - a cheap Chinese imitation shatters while being installed. Also, he doesn’t have a 1.5 inch threading die which will be needed to install a solid plug on the open end of the old water line. Back to Choma where we make an exchange of the elbow for the real McCoy which our plumber was able to find at the hardware. (Interesting that they have both kinds! Now I know where to look next time. See what learning can come out of these situations?)
But now for the threading device. We hike around town to five locations with no luck. So the plumber calls another plumber who does have what we need and we drive to his home to pick him up then to his worksite to get the tool and back to Nahumba - one and a half hours. Two plumbers and Gene are working like bees finishing up the final connections and around 4:00 PM the valve is turned on and everything holds. We have water in the house, but still can’t use the toilet, bathtub or kitchen sink drains. The plumber finishes constructing the brick and mortar box and we take him and his equipment back to Choma. End of Day 4.
Saturday is a cleanup day and waiting for the cement box to set so we can reconnect the bath tub drain which has to pass right over it. This is the last thing that needs to be done to finish the project. But then Darlene notices water dripping from the porch roof. This could only mean a problem with the hot water tank which is in the “attic.” Gene goes up the crawl space above the office closet and discovers that the shut-off valve is not fully closing. He drops the water level in the intake box and then opens the valve full flow a couple of times. That seems to do the trick and it closes properly. The likely cause? Some debris which may have gotten into the pipe from our earlier work. By the way, we did sanitize the lines with Clorox (Jik here) before the final connection.
Side note: Saturday we were scheduled to bring a group of 8 into our home in order to accommodate another group in the Guest House. (This due to an inadvertent double booking while we were in Spain.) However, the group due to arrive is not coming until Tuesday, so we didn’t have to bring additional people into our home with a crippled water system. We are thankful.
Sunday. Everything seems to be working now. We just need to complete the bathtub drain tomorrow which should be a simple task. Tomorrow night we bring the 8 guests into our home for the rest of the week. They will still use the new outhouse and carry out the dishwater because the septic system is not designed to handle that many people.
Mother used to say, “Aren’t we having fun for poor people?”
