When things go wrong, they are wrong.

Have I mentioned that the addition is about 9” lower than the original cabin?

We had a very exciting day. The

lovely weather had me outside, where I noticed a chicken drinking from a babbling brook...in a place where no water should be!! That would be the dump station my in-laws installed when they still had an RV. We are talking a place that has been dry and unused for about 25 years. Eek. We started to investigate, which is when we noticed the bathroom was flooded. If the bathroom floods, so does the basement.

Michael mopped up about 8 gallons of nasty water.

After doing some sleuthing (yes, the electricity to the pump at the mound system still functioned, and no, the septic tank was not overflowing), Michael located a blockage in the sewer line six feet uphill from the septic tank. The 50’ snake sufficed to locate the plug, but could not penetrate it. So Michael, that genius, got a length of garden hose with a shnozzle on the end and, belly on the ground and long arms hanging down, fed the end of the hose into the drain pipe and blasted water into the clog until it disintegrated.

Wow. I was too grimy to be taking photos by this point, but a house with all of its sewer pipes filled with water creates a bit of pressure. When that clog went, it was spectacular! You will have to take me on my word.

Tank covered. Hose stretched out to let UV do it’s sanitizing thing.

Thankfully, Michael had put silicone caulking around the edges of the laminated flooring (like the directions say) and it limited the flooded area to the bathroom...and does not appear to have done any permanent harm.

We are contemplating how to keep this from happening again. Blockages are bound to occur and I can think of ways I’d rather spend my day. Michael is thinking of installing a trap in the sewage line that would overflow into a 55 gallon drum, which would keep the backed up water from reaching the shower drain (the lowest spot in the house). If anyone has a better idea, let us know!!!!