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Don't you hate it when...

Marc

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...you discover you have no hot water at 9:30 pm just before you want to take a shower, because the power went out at some point during the day, and everytime the power goes out the breaker on the water heater trips so you trudge outside in the windy cold, open the bulkhead, make your way down the stairs still in khakis and leather shoes and step down onto the floor to turn on the light only to discover you just stepped in 8" of brown water because you have a dug basement and get both feet wet, but relieved to see the cinder blocks on which the furnace and water heater are sitting have kept both above the water line, so you go into your garage, get your rubber fire boots and slosh around the basement to reset the heater, go to bed, and wake up the next morning only to realize it tripped again and you still have no hot water so you have to scramble to gather clothes and shower at work?

Man I hate that.
 

ctenidae

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I'm surprised that you either shower or wear clothes to work. My information must be faulty.

I've got two words for you on the basement- Con Crete. Look into it. Here's two more: Sump Pump. Backup Generator.
Chicken Waffles.
Archipelago Zanadu.

I think you understand what I'm trying to say.
 

Marc

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Chicken waffles made the most sense.



But it's a stone foundation, so the concrete's a no go.

I am tied into a large generator when the power fails but since the heater trips as soon as the power fails I'd need a generator that turns on before I actually lose power... and I don't think they make those yet.

And last but not least, it ain't my house, I'll let my landlord pump out the basement. And pay for anything else he wants.

:dunce:

I'm still thinking about those chicken waffles though...
 

ctenidae

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Mmmm, chicken waffles....

Gotta say, the #1 thing I miss since moving up this way is good food. Not a Waffle House for miles, and I haven't found a place yet that knows how to fry a porkchop.

Sucks for your heater-tripping woes, though. Damn gas safety devices...
 

Marc

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It's actually oil, which is the bit I don't really get.

It's got a gravity head going to the burner, yes, but only about 3-4 feet worth. I am unconvinced tripping the breaker does anything for safety's sake when the power goes out.

I don't know, I guess I don't know enough about the oil burner to know, but I assume it's basically the same as an oil furnace, which does not exhibit these same unexplicable behaviours.
 

ctenidae

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Straight wire it, then. Skip the switch.
Just do it in a way that when the whole thing blows up, your re-wire job is undetectable.
 

Marc

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I'd actually consider that if I owned the thing, but I don't wanna go around tearing apart something I may or may not be able to reassemble in working order if I don't own it.


Actually, now that I think of it, I could use the reverse of that logic and sound just as reasonable.
 

ctenidae

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I've been advised not to discuss the details of that matter pending further appeals.

I can say this, though- those pictures don't mean anything.
 

Vortex

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Mark I can actually tell you how to fix the water problem. I'll talk to you on Sat. The wall needs to be made firm not stone or rubble via some form of parge or one sided blind pour and then waterproofed. I can give the info on how to do that. Work and sweat equity, but I could help with the materials very easily.


Know go get cleaned up something smells.
 

Marc

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I appreciate it Bob, but I doubt my landlord will care much. He's a dairy farmer and doesn't have a whole lot of time to do improvements and also is fairly cheap. But he's a great landlord.

The floor was dug out about 8" when they renovated, probably for local building code, so that's how high the water got before it reached a pre existing drain. Since the water isn't hurting anything, there isn't much a reason to do anything about it except pump it out.


It isn't a recurring problem either, just a freak thing. I don't know where it came from, back in October when we had the week and a half of rain, the basement was dry as can be.

It didn't stop me from swearing up and down at the cows though. That made me feel a little better.
 

ckofer

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I'm am surprised yet pleased to find out this happens to people in CT. I own a small business that services well water systems and thought that this muddy cellar scenario was limited to north of the Manchvegas/Kennedy line.
 
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