Still waiting for the plumber/excavator to finish the neighbor’s job. The rain has slowed down the work, but it is looking like they’re almost done.
And I started keeping track of who I’ve shared my troubles with. I don’t want to bore folks. At work yesterday I told the tale to ten individuals. One was a guy who is getting ready to get bids for a job. He asked me to write down the name of the guy who fucked me over, so he avoids him.
Still waiting?
In progress, as a matter of fact!!
Five minutes after getting to work I got a call. I called the videographer (I keep calling her that, actually a paralegal with video aspirations and a nice video camera).
She recorded me giving a synopsis about what happened, then video of the area. Plumber began digging and I drove back to work. Three hours have gone by, no further news.
Thanks. I’m just curious for future reference, even though I’ve sold my house now.
They did a beautiful job at my neighbor’s place. Redirected the flow of a creek so they can sit on their deck and view/hear the water. Yesterday I saw 30 or so bales of straw at my neighbor’s house, so I was hoping my job would begin soon.
And I keep telling my story to everyone who will listen. If I cost the original excavator a single job, I’ll be happy. 
Well, you admit that your only problem with the septic company is that they recommended an excavator that you felt didn’t meet your needs, though you haven’t, in fact, yet verified that your problems are caused by their incompetence or another factor. But you pleasure in blackening their name to anyone who will listen and when they ask what they can do to make it right, you stonewall them. Unless the septic company is staffed by villains out of a Captain Planet episode, they want to do right by their clients and leave people happy with their work and their recommendations, not fuck your life up for funsies. I think you’re Weather-Teching the situation a bit out of entirely understandable frustration.
My problem with the septic company is twofold. When they told me I needed a new tank/field, they gave me the phone number of the excavator they use. I relied on that recommendation. Secondly, when they came out to see what the problem was, they grossly misdiagnosed the situation (they have apologized for that incompetence).
I haven’t maligned their company, other than mentioning it to a neighbor who subsequently told my story to friends. All of my bitching has been about the excavator, who refused to even consider the possibility that his work has failed.
As far as the septic people now offering help, we had already paid money to the plumber/excavator who is working now, as well as a small retainer to my attorney. The septic people offered to help over a month after learning there was a problem.
If it’s been a year, what recourse do you actually have? Is there anything legally that will back you up? If you paid cash and didn’t get a contract with a warranty, I wonder if the courts will back you up. Certainly if it failed right away, then you have a case. But after a year, anything could have happened to cause a new break.
Do you know for sure it was working correctly when the work was originally done? One possibility is that it was hooked up, but not correctly and ended up loosening over time to cause this leak. Or another possibility was that all the work ended up stressing the pipe and causing a break farther back.
All questions we’ve thought about. The plumber who demonstrated an issue at the inlet (ground bulged up with pressure in the waste line) has seen previous problems where inappropriate or misused fittings coupling the tank and the waste line were at fault. His money is on failure of that fitting, which the excavator supplied/installed.
My lawyer talked about how, even without a specific warranty, certain work is expected to last at least a certain amount of time. The septic tank should be emptied every five years or so. Failure at the inlet in 11 months is not normal. Other plumbers have said the same thing. Plumbers/excavators/septic people I’ve spoken with were all incredulous that the excavator wouldn’t concede some possibility of liability.
ETA: if the video of the area shows that the inlet fitting failed, my lawyer believes we have a good case.
Hey - anyone else see that breaking news story about a rapidly expanding sinkhole in western PA? :eek:
I hadn’t heard about it until now. In Trafford, about 25 miles away from me. The link goes to video of the hole.
The plumber who diagnosed my problem put some flags ion the ground around the danger zone. I’ve mowed right up to the line. A little scary.
Well, the great news is that everything has been fixed in under a day. Now I can spread some topsoil, grass seed, and straw. Yippee!!!
At some point he was proceeding slowly and cautiously and was surprised he hadn’t arrived at the inlet yet. He called the septic people to see if they knew how deep he should expect the inlet to be found. They came over, expressing great interest in the project.
She told the plumber (and is on video saying this) that when the excavator was almost finished, he told her he didn’t have the correct fitting to connect my line to the tank. She offered to go to Lowes to buy whatever he needed, he said he’d do that and finish the following day. The next day when she stopped, he was gone. She called him and was told that he found the part he needed in his truck.
So, he continued to dig. It was too nasty to dig by hand. At some point he crushed the incoming pipe and the sleeve. Although it is all on video, the video does not “prove” that excavator number one is to blame, although everyone who was there believes so. The plumber who was digging said it looks like there were voids in the backfill, and there is circumstantial evidence of shoddy work, but no hard evidence. There was no gravel; he said he would typically back-fill with gravel first, then soil.
The septic people talked with the plumber and told him they were going to be calling the original excavator and telling him they will no longer refer people to him. They asked for the plumber’s contact information and are going to send people his way. She also apologized to me (on video) and told me when we need our tank emptied (four years from now) they will do it for free!!! In turn, I called my activist neighbor, thanked him for his support, and told him how the septic people turned out ok.
The plumber’s bill was very reasonable, less than 1/3rd of the excavator’s minimum fee for the same job.
I have an appointment Friday evening to talk with my attorney. Based on the lack of video evidence, I think he’ll be advising I walk away at this point, based on previous discussions.
Thanks for the update. Glad you can use your water again.
(…I really need to get my tank pumped…)
All right - best news is you got your tank fixed and have peace of mind.
Also, you got a free next pump, and the reward of some economic loss to the wrongdoer.
At this point, I think walking away would likely be the right choice (unless the $s involved are considerably greater than I imagine.)
Go forth and poop in peace!
Thanks for the update kayaker! (As inconclusive as it is.)