Sump Pump Fail: The Joys of Homeownership

After a wonderful weekend away, Adam and I came home to a scene that haunts all homeowners... a basement of water. When we purchased our home back in August, the sewer pipes were to be rerouted to abide by code. All the work was done previous to the change in ownership, and the previous owner even had the foundation fixed. Thus far, we hadn't had any woes or worries, but that was not the case after the mega storm that came on Sunday.

Do you know what runs through your brain when you see water bubbling behind the paint in your basement? How about when the electrical box to the whole house has water trickling down each switch? Or when you look down and get sprayed in the face from the geyser shooting from the sump pump? What do you see in your mind's eye during all of these situations? The answer is dollar signs! Oh the dollar signs! The worry that you haven't saved as much as you should. The worry that going back to school will no longer be an option. The worry that a house you only intend on staying in for a few years will eat away at all your hard earned cash and dreams of exploring the world...ouch.

But then logic kicks in, adrenaline kicks in, and you get down to business. This is happening, there is no changing the puddles behind the basement bar, and you've got to deal. Crying wont help and complaining wont change a thing. What will help is calling your father and diving into the sump pump to fix the problem!

The water had drained, but the pipes separated again. So, I held on while Adam got the screwdriver!

Thankfully, my dad is a Mr. Fix-it and was able to give me a few tips. Once I was shoulder deep in the water, I realized the two pipes had disconnected, so the pump wasn't working at all. Thankfully, I was able to connect them, Adam was able to tighten them, and the basement immediately started draining. So lucky! We decided I would take the next day off of work to do some clean up, and my dad came over to help us figure out a plan of attack. Thank God for my papa! As Adam pointed out, we can do grunt work with the best of them, but we are still learning quite a bit about being a Mr. and Mrs. Fix-it!

Day 2: Dad is assessing the situation

After digging a few pathways to divert the water, and buying, returning and exchanging a couple of sump pumps, we found a water tile system in our backyard that had previously been covered. Dad traced the path of the pipe with a crowbar, and Adam dug down. Thankfully, he was able to puncture a hole in the lower pipe and connect the sump pump line! Hurray! Once the ground dries out a bit, we will be able to make the connection more permanent, but it will work for now. 

Adam installed the sump pump. He is a rock star. 

A potentially disastrous, money heavy situation turned out to so much better than expected! With the help of my dad, we spent less than $200 on the fix, and we found out a few new things about our home. But for me, the real blessing came in the form of a realization.  As I was holding the pipes together and silently worrying about money (and the disappearance of my fantasy vacation), Adam was right there with me. We worked together to accomplish a goal, and I was reminded that when hard times come, there is no one I'd rather have in my corner than my best friend.