Octopus Overlords

“It's unpleasantly like being drunk."
"What's so unpleasant about being drunk?"
"You ask a glass of water.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Holy crap! Great news

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Maybe not water now. My pump ran all night for some reason and I heard it whining when I got up. Checked it and it was hot so I had to yank its power. I hope to hell its not burned up. The pressure gauge was reading 30 lbs...thats the cutoff of the pressure tank and the pump is supposed to shut off when it reaches that but didn't. FUCK. If the pump is ruined or burned up or something Im screwed. You'd think its the pump or the install of it . If its the install I doubt a company would fess up and buy a new $850 pump.

All I can hope it its not damaged as it was still running at least and hope if they set it again it keeps working for years. Damnit.

And right now no water since I had to yank its breaker. Lucky I had a shower last night. I have no idea how long its ran like this...at least all night...could be a day or more.

Maybe a leaky pipe somewhere?

With this old house I never know or could tell. We had one once for a month and never knew it until I could actually hear it one day on the back porch. Power bill was over $600...and they refused to take much if any off it. And then the plumber couldn't get to anything under the house so they just ran PEX tubing along the back porch ceiling and through a door thats never opened into the bathroom. Then around the edge of the kitchen floor for hot water. Everything is piecemeal.

I mean, you don't want to hear it, but that house really does seem to be an albatross around your neck.

If the jet pump you listed is the one you purchased (a few pages back), I'd bet on a leak somewhere in your drop pipe (the pipe that goes down into the well). That's just more $$ to fix - parts and labor to remove and reinstall. Hopefully it's not a faulty or clogged pump or your water table has dropped as those are bigger problems.

Oh I know. Some days Im tempted to pack up and leave. But its home. I actually love it here other than problems. I love the past and history of it...not only my life here. barring unfixable or finality type problems Ill die living here.

Oddly, my youngest stepson and his wife have asked my to move in to a house on their property. For free.
I really hate to move but it would mean less work and I'm having a tough time of the maintenance as it is.

Daehawk wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:19 am Maybe not water now.

Well crap! I guess you're doomed to that new fitness routine.

dbt1949 wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 6:21 pm Oddly, my youngest stepson and his wife have asked my to move in to a house on their property. For free.
I really hate to move but it would mean less work and I'm having a tough time of the maintenance as it is.

This is the stepson who DIDN'T try to threaten you when you asked them to stop freeloading off you not that long ago, right?

Yep. we've never had any problems with him. Had to bail him out once for domestic violence but he paid me back.

Well plumber was out. Between him and him calling his two Master plumber friends and a well man the diagnosis is the pump is just fine...but the flow from the well to it is clogged some or has some muck or debris in it. i guess sitting not used for a month allowed that to happen. Ill need a well man to come fix that. Im not sure how they do that....maybe some kinda snaking. Im sure it wont be cheap so it has to wait.

Oh and a leak was ruled out as theres a house water flow shutoff valve right there near the pump and even with it closed the pump could not draw past 30 lbs...it was cutting off right at 50 lbs when it was installed. He said I can power it to wash dishes or take a shower but need to un power it right after or it will run until it burns out.

No money. Im out till Friday next week then I already own the plumber and the air in my car went out today too so need $30 freon...hope thats all it is. No haircut this month or exhaust repair. Im f'd again.

Oh and he showed me how I can fix my toilet myself for $8. Its been the same problem with it since 2017 and I have just had it jury rigged.

Toilet technology is so easy even I can do it. I've replaced our toilet's guts 2-3x over the past 32 years.

Saw this mentioned on facebook for septic tanks and fields. You might want to research it a bit, and if it sounds of benefit try it out https://doctorpooper.com/drain-field-cleaner/ It's also on Amazon, read all the comments and questions this isn't an endorsement as I don't have any septic systems I have to deal with anymore so do some research yourself and decide for yourself. https://www.amazon.com/Cleaner-Dr-Poope ... B09G4DBM9V

From looking at that I question whether I have a field problem. Theres no messy places and it was at least 15 years ago when it was last pumped. So maybe the field is fine and that guy was hoping to make some money.

Daehawk wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 11:27 pm From looking at that I question whether I have a field problem. Theres no messy places and it was at least 15 years ago when it was last pumped. So maybe the field is fine and that guy was hoping to make some money.

The thought of someone pulling up to your situation and thinking “gold mine” is kinda hard to imagine.


But who knows. Maybe you are right.

Maybe they found black gold. Texas Tea. Oil, that is.

em2nought wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 11:14 pm Saw this mentioned on facebook for septic tanks and fields. You might want to research it a bit, and if it sounds of benefit try it out https://doctorpooper.com/drain-field-cleaner/ It's also on Amazon, read all the comments and questions this isn't an endorsement as I don't have any septic systems I have to deal with anymore so do some research yourself and decide for yourself. https://www.amazon.com/Cleaner-Dr-Poope ... B09G4DBM9V

Save your money; these are useless.

Theres no messy places and it was at least 15 years ago when it was last pumped.

Should be pumped every 3-5 years. Limited use can extend that, but generally speaking, it's not a good idea to go longer as the amount of grease and solids that can flow out into the field increases, risking failure.

Would be nice but I dont have the money. I cant even get the water finished fixing so its normal. i cant repair my car tire. I cant do anything with anything.

Understood. Just want to make sure that if things change, you put money towards pumping your tank, not tossing chemicals into it.

I may not be able to take another shower again either. I checked the cold flow hoping it was be unclogged or a better flow..its worse. Which means not only is taking a shower going to be very difficult but worse it means it wont refill the hotwaterheater as Im using the hot..its almost a trickle. So I could burn out the elements at the least or ruin a 5 year old water heater at worst. Looks like no showers ever...yay fun.

EDIT: I may be able to wash off. just get enough hot out to do that....and hope it doesn't burn the pump out trying to run long enough tp squeeze enough back into the water heater. I think Ill call the place that helped me back or go by Friday and see if I have any options with them about getting these lines cleaned...the well lines not the septic lines.

Back to zero water...nothing at all comes out now even with the pump trying. I cant live like this. I didn't let it get to me before but this is too much. My BP is way back up just after I got it under control.

Im pretty sure the well place wont take installment payments. If they would then I could get this started fixing it next week. But it may be months. The first $300 I save HAS to used / kept for property tax. I have $0 saved for that at the end of the year...well in a couple months really. THEN I can start saving what I can sell online to go for the water.

Can you at least use a dolly to wheel a 5 gallon jug over to a neighbor's hose?

No dolly. If I want water I have to pop the concrete cap off my well then lower a 2.5 gal bucket repeatedly down and up to fill some 5 gals I have. Then carry them all in....but only for toilet flushing.

For my bathing or washing dishes or cooking or water for my dog I have to use my food stamps to buy better quality water. For a bath and hair wash its about $10 worth or water.

Shall see Monday how things play out. Typical it seems as I asked for a emailed report stating what needs to be done to fix it last week and still didn't get that report...so have to try that too Monday.

To top it off my car ac is dead and then the passenger window stopped working. And the drivers side I had repaired is giving me trouble..so cant go anywhere when its hot..so to be someplace Im up at 7am to get done before 11am.

Problems are stacking up. Life.

Daehawk wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 1:44 pm No dolly.

How about balance a jug on your lawnmower and wheel that over?

Jaymann wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 2:23 pm

Daehawk wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 1:44 pm No dolly.

How about balance a jug on your lawnmower and wheel that over?

It would all slosh out on the way back. But honestly after all the times I did it last month or the month before my back is still in pain plus my insides ache now all the time. I dont even feel like getting it up from the well in the yard. Pretty dejected right now anyways after all Ive done and paid only to lose it again. Im considering no baths, no flushing the toilet, and not bothering to go get the free food at the food bank. Just tired of it all right now. Im sure Ill change my mind when I start to stink and starve. But for now Im mad too. Everything is breaking and Im STILL 2 years away from money. Think Ill just sit here. I will call those places Monday to see whats I can get done over the phone. other than that Ive gotten stuff out of storage to clean, repair, and see about selling.

And my bp is back bad...152/87 right now and thats after meds. Maybe it will kill me. Still have my little buddy dog to care for though and am not going to rush him to be gone in my mind...bad luck...want him to live forever and have a great life

I've been wondering if you and/or Blackhawk could get assistance from here-

https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=80524

Alefroth wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 6:05 pm I've been wondering if you and/or Blackhawk could get assistance from here-

https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... hp?t=80524

If I've learned anything from all of this - there will be a perfectly understandable reason why this option is entirely off the table.

Thanks for trying though.

You would have been better off getting hooked up to a reliable water supply. Or selling.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.

Zarathud wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 10:57 pm You would have been better off getting hooked up to a reliable water supply. Or selling.

This is what I’ve been wanting to say.

The city-hookup is the only remote long term solution to this, short of leaving (which is probably better) - but Daehawk has explained how that’s just never going to happen because he can’t do that.

Random thought Daehawk, if your credit rating is doing really well now - is there any way to pay for any of this (water from the city) against that ‘credit’ ?

What was the entire cost of the city-hookup solution again?

It’s pretty clear Daehawk is unable to make good decisions at the moment. Drinking and going through old memories and smashing keyboards will not solve this water problem.

Many have been telling him to seek help.

City was $1000 NO PAYMENT OPTIONS for the meter from city...then min a plumber would final it from the road to house I found was over $1500 more....so over $2500.

Honestly - it sounds to me as if your very life and livelihood in that house are dependent on you finding a way into that $2500.

I realize that seems out of reach (and perhaps is), and I realize that I'm annoying as all hell for insisting this is the case, but it's simply what you must achieve.

Daehawk wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:07 am I cant live like this.

And yet you shoot down every suggestion to change how you live.

As long as you live in a house that you can't afford to maintain financially or physically, you will lurch from crisis to crisis until you can't anymore.

Maybe if you can scrape through two more years and pay off that damned house this will all get better. But two years is a long time to go without such basic creature comforts as running water.

If the water is not good enough quality for bathing or washing dishes, try boiling it. It would be a pain, but cheaper than bathing in bottled water.

Zarathud wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:15 pm It’s pretty clear Daehawk is unable to make good decisions at the moment. Drinking and going through old memories and smashing keyboards will not solve this water problem.

Many have been telling him to seek help.

Unagi wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:45 am Honestly - it sounds to me as if your very life and livelihood in that house are dependent on you finding a way into that $2500.

I realize that seems out of reach (and perhaps is), and I realize that I'm annoying as all hell for insisting this is the case, but it's simply what you must achieve.

BTW Daehawk, did you ever follow through with this…?

Daehawk wrote: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:41 am I am also signing up next month for a financial planning support group kinda thing. Supposed to help me teach myself to save and find ways to create a financial buffer for these problems. I honestly dont see how in the world they can help me as I have cut everything non essential out. Its just the mortgage left really thats killing it all. BUT its 3 hours a week for 16 weeks and they give you a $25 gift card per session and at the end of the full thing they give you $500. So heck with it whether I learn anything or not that I haven't already done..thats enough for me to go. Plus is goes in my record as I did attend and Im trying the stuff they suggest for me . That way I can get help in the future.

Because if nothing else, that $500 would at least get you 20% closer to covering the estimated $2,500 cost necessary for tapping in to city water.

BTW Daehawk, did you ever follow through with this…?

I did...they never called me for it so I didn't qualify after the initial interview.