My Fourth of July disaster.

[pektel]

So, I had my girlfriend's entire family over for the fourth. Had 14 pounds of pork butt almost done, and her parents had just arrived. I was in the kitchen cutting veggies, when my gf yelled "oh no!" From downstairs.

Well, my fourth consisted of my sewage pump failing, flooding an entire level of my home. Which was FRESHLY and completely remodeled. In fact, I was still finishing up the back bar.

Good thing it was a nice day. I moved everyone outside, so I could focus on the problem.

Replaced the pump by myself (NOT a fun job), but had to call the pros to do the cleanup. Luckily, they were able to save the $50/yd carpet. But had to take it up to dispose of the pad, and treat the carpet/walls with a whatever chemical they use for that stuff.

11 of their centrifugal fans, and a giant dehumidifier have been on for almost 4 days. I guess they're coming tomorrow morning to get their equipment. Then back to redoing the remodel.

This time it comes out of pocket. This last remodel was due to... Yep, sewage pump failure. That was covered under my insurance. I doubt they'd cover it a second time. This time, I discovered the failure was due to my lovely gf flushing baby wipes. They got tangled up in the impeller and burnt the motor. $295 for a new motor, and I'm a little scared to see what servpro's invoice is gonna be haha.

I think it's finally time for a drink. :)

[T.G]

So, the important question here is...

How did the pork butt turn out?

[pnoon]

Sorry to hear that, Peter.
Hope the impact turns out to be less than anticipated.

[pektel]

Yep, I forgot to mention the best part. They were wrapped in foil, and I had switched them over to the oven. Had one of the guests pull them out, and bring them outside. They set the cookie sheet on the coffee table outside, and the neighbor's lab got into both of them. I'm not one for animal cruelty, but that dog was pushing it. I did have to issue an apology to my guests, as I thoroughly cussed out the dog while shoe-ing it away.

The second best part, was the funny looks I got from the guests when the first thing they saw me carrying up was my fully stocked edgestar. Water hadn't made it over yet, and ya gotta have priorities :tu

[cobra03]

Well if nothing else Peter, the cigars made it out safe. Hope everything works out as best as possible for you.

[bobarian]

Sorry to hear you had a bad Fourth. Hope things work out.

[T.G]

Sounds like something from one of the Vacation movies. Hope things work out and it ends up costing less than anticipated.

[icehog3]

Sorry to hear about your 4th, Peter, sounds like a mess. More like "A Christmas Story" than "Vacation", but a bummer none the less.

[Weelok]

Wow, that is crazy!!!!! I bet you were thinking what is next?

[massphatness]

That stinks - figuratively & literally.

Hope it works out with a minimum of hassle for you, Peter. On the plus side, you were home when it happened. Damage could have been worse had hours passed before it was discovered.

[Robulous78]

When life hands you lemons, Make lemonade...

But there ain't sh!t you can do with a rotten lemon...

Sounds like you got one of those, my condolences...

[jledou]

Dang Peter, sorry to hear that it was a ruff 4th.

Good luck with the cleanup.

[OLS]

I love women as much as the next guy, but you can't say much for the utter hardness of their damn HEADS!
You can't make them stop flushing things they KNOW BETTER than to flush. How many times do they have
to have the toilet overflow over a flushed tampon or napkin? I KNOW that these kinds of functions are embarrassing,
and they want to get rid of the evidence ASAP, but COME ON. It can't happen enough times for them to get it.
Its almost like they think "Well, maybe THIS ONE TIME I can get away with it." My sincere apologies for
seeming insensitive to your love for your own woman, I know she already feels like crap. I am talking about the
sex in general. It's like they have the "curse" that they have to deal with, but OUR "curse" is dealing with
their inability to learn from their mistakes, lol

I will say one thing though. I can't give em too much guff about it, that VERY tendency of women to push the
laws of plumbing is the thing that tipped me off to the fact that a woman was trying to trick me into marriage
with a fake pregnancy. Motel toilet over-flowed while we were on a trip to see her friends. And blood oxidizes
and changes color in under an hour, even in water, so there was no way to play it off on the previous night's
guests........TMI????? :r I waited two weeks for her to tell me something then dumped her on her a55.

[czerbe]

ugh sorry brother

[CigarNut]

Sounds like you made the best of a lousy situation Peter! Hope everything works out for you.

[dunng]

The pork butt part made me cry... on the other issue, I would pick up a few Zircon Leak Alerts. They are alarms that go off when they get wet, I have a few in my basement and they let you know before it gets out of control. :ss

[Remo]

Man, Peter...what a $hitty 4th (pun intended) hope it all gets sorted out for ya.

[Dave128]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope you get things worked out and cleaned up ASAP.

[pektel]

Sounds like something from one of the Vacation movies. Hope things work out and it ends up costing less than anticipated.

A young Christie Brinkley pulling up in a Ferrari would've probably made the day a little better :)

[pektel]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

There came a point where all I could do was just crack a smile about the whole scene.

To ME, it was a complete DISASTER. Then I saw no one else was freaking out (except my brother in law, who helped me out with some of the cleanup). The kids were playing in the pool and sprinkler, everyone else was watching kids, talking, drinking, laughing. They were still having a good time.

And yes Vin, glad I was home. We were supposed to go to a beach/picnic area all day. I talked them into coming over to my place instead. If we would've stuck to the original plan, things would've been much worse.

Brad, yeah, they certainly are a different character. But for a LOT of other areas, she's great. It's just in instances like this where it's a little... frustrating. But I'm sure there's things I do that piss her off (though not to the tune of what this is going to cost monetarily).

[OLS]

Yeah, the T.M.I moment and my general anti-fairer-sex rant was pretty over the top.
In general, one has to be ever-amazed that they even stay around us with all of our
various noises, smells and habits. I think it is more than fair to say we are as bad or worse,
but my feeling is, and I may be wrong, when it comes down to costing the couple money
that would have been easily avoided, its usually the woman that causes it.

1.) I knew that light meant there was a problem, but I thought maybe it would flash if it got really bad.

2.) Honestly, its ALL PAPER, how come I can flush this and not that?

3.) Feel free to add your own here.

[pektel]

110% agreed. When she and I first started living together, her car died while pulling in the driveway. And wouldn't start again. I figured no biggie, probably alt or battery. Nope. I pulled the oil dipstick. Bone dry. Not once did I think that a driver - male or female - did not regularly check their oil.

Months later, we were in some argument, and she blamed the engine failure on ME, saying "it's the MAN's job to check the oil." I told her, "Fine. It's a WOMAN's job to clean, do dishes, and laundry." She just said "OKAY!" And that was the end of it.

And I haven't washed an article of clothing since. I think I came out ahead, though sometimes I do help with cleaning and dishes.

[dijit]

Sounds like something from one of the Vacation movies. Hope things work out and it ends up costing less than anticipated.

Sounds like a Christmas story, complete with Bumpus' dogs. In July. Hope the damage recovery didnt hit you too bad.

[racerX]

It isn't the situation, it's how you handle it that matters. You showed great emotional intelligence. 4 stars for you. Start planning next years 4th (1st anniversary poop party). Well done sir, well done.

[pektel]

Well, just got the call. Wet wipes being flushed will cost me just a tad south of $3000.

Honestly, I was expecting half that. And hopefully, the gf will take my advice from here on out.

Ha, I had to laugh at that last sentence.

[OLS]

And I haven't washed an article of clothing since. I think I came out ahead, though sometimes I do help with cleaning and dishes.

Well "Mr. Its Good To Be The King", you DID just spend your 4th of July mopping up $hI+, lol.
So not SO far ahead....;)

[pektel]

Touché, sir. :r