Category: Maintenance

Part 3 and hopefully the final chapter for another 30+ years.

After detecting the problem in 2013 and doing the first half in 2014, it’s time to finish of the job.

Pipes 3 & 4 get dug up and replaced. Scott & Eric were a huge help and made the job go so much faster and it’s always fun working alongside the guys on a project.

After the dig & dispose, we made a trip into town for a few pipe parts, and a stop at the Chip Truck.  Once back on the job site the new pipes were assembled,  connected up to the system and then covered over. Repair complete.  Well, almost. The next weekend I re-assembled the walkway to the stairs and sometime this summer we should consider some topsoil and grass seed to put the lawn back in place.

It’s August 2014 now and the problem is back. Apparently the previous years fix was just temporary and now we really need to dig into it, literally, in to it, all of it. “It” is the stuff inside the pipes in the field.

There are 4 pipes going out across the field. It’s decided that we could replace 2 while running the operation on the remaining 2, so the digging begins. Step 1 is to remove the walkway which covers the far end of the field. After doing this and digging part of 1 pipe, the weekend is over.

On he next weekend Len & Darlene are with us and Len is a good sport and a great help as we uncover the two pipes.

Here is another example of the extent of the pipe clogging. Within 2-3 feet of the head of the pipe the clogging is about 75% going up rapidly to virtually 100% blocked.

The following weekend I splice in two new pipes and cover them over.

That’s a wrap for 2014 and we’ll get to the other two in 2015, preferably with some digging help.

It’s August 2013 and it’s backing up. Never happened before. Another cottage 1st. The “it” is the septic field.

This is not a good thing.

The fluid from the rectangular settling tank is not flowing out into the field. This pretty much puts the cottage on high alert as everything that flows into the tank is about to start spilling out all over the yard.

After probing with a garden host to try an clear any unknown/unseen blockages with out any success,  I decide that we really need to dig into this problem a little deeper.

After digging from the settling tank to the header pipe and across the header a bit I decide to cut out some of the pipe to gain better access to the pipes going out into the field in an attempt to flush them out. In the photo black pipe is the old stuff and white is the new. The flushing seems to be effective so I splice back in the new white pipe and call it a day. Time will prove that this was not the complete answer.

As with any cottage of a certain age, there are a number of quirks that have developed over the years. In the beginning, everything is well-organized or at least planned out and then over time little changes accumulate and it helps to have insider knowledge on how things work, or why things got to be the way they are. I’ve occasionally thought of putting together a “Cottage Book”, a history of our cottage, startup and shutdown procedures, things that are likely to go wrong from time to time and how to fix them. Not sure if and when this fabulous book might make an appearance on the best sellers list, so instead I’m thinking a series of “Cottage Tips” might be more expeditious in terms of sharing my experiences.

Tip #1: The water pump is running, but nobody is using the water.

This is not a good sign, especially if the pump is running frequently and nobody in the cottage is using any water. This is one reason why we turn the pump off when nobody is there. A runaway water pump will burn out sooner or later, and we’re all kind of used to having water on demand, not to mention the cost of replacing the pump. So, what to do? Well, somewhere in the waterline system there is a leak causing he pressure to drop and therefore the pump to kick in. If the leak is inside the cottage, you probably know this already by the water running all over the place. This generally only happens at startup when the lines have not been drained properly and freezing water has burst a pipe. But what if this is mid-summer and things have been fine up to now? Well, if there is no flooding in the cottage, check the area around the pump. Over the years metal pipes have corroded and cracked causing leaks.

No leaks here either? Hmmm, more investigation required. The next most likely culprit is the intake line and foot valve. I’d check the foot valve 1st. This little brass valve at the end of the intake line has a little spring-loaded plunger that keeps the water from draining out of the intake line when the pump is not running. When the pump runs, the valve opens and allows the water to enter. The part that is not too visible is the rubber O-ring on the plunger. Over time, it can get cracked and worn out and start leaking. In some cases, it can break and just “disappear” as it did this year (2013). There are spare O-rings in the shop and it’s a simple job to take the foot valve apart and replace the ring.

First close the valve to the house, just to avoid draining the whole system. Unplug the pump, and drain the pressure off using the hose at the pump. Take the foot valve off the line, remove the plunger, replace the O-ring, re-assemble and re-prime the intake line and plug-in the pump to re-pressurize the line. When the pump stops and the line is fully pressurized, have a look at the foot valve and ensure there is no water spraying out and it’s not making any hissing sounds, which would indicate that it’s still leaking. Assuming all is good, replace the foot valve screen, and take the end of the line back out into the deep water straight out from the dock. Easy eh? Oh yeah, don’t forget to open the valve to the house so you can enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Not the foot valve? Check the rest of the intake line to the pump, and then check the line between the pump and the house, then look around under the house for leaks. Still can’t find the problem? You have a real mystery on your hands. Keep looking, something will turn up sooner or later.