Rain Water etc.

It has been raining – a lot.  My house has a stone cellar, just stones piled on top of each other with some concrete between. 

Last year I had city water installed.  I didn’t notice that the plumbers left two old iron pipes open where the water came into the cellar from the old well.

Some of the downspouts were also rerouted recently which put extra water at a corner of the house, right where the old well was.

The rain that came yesterday, 3 inches I have heard, came fast and hard.   I heard the sump pump working so I went to look in the cellar. 

Water was gushing out of the two pipes with more water pressure than I get from my faucets.     The water was a couple of inches deep in places and still coming fast.

I went back upstairs and mentioned a pool in my house on facebook.  A few minutes later there was a knock on my door.  Al,  fellow antique dealer/handyman,  had seen my facebook page and came to the rescue. 

Off we went to Lowe’s.  We wondered up and down the aisles considering several different fixes.   I was thinking liquid nails, several tubes.   Then I pictured a plug of liquid nails flying across the cellar.

Al settled on a couple of fixes.  I helped out by reminding him that most of that stuff still had a hole in it.  He was undaunted by my opinions. 

He found short pieces of hose that would clamp over the pipes.  Then he found plugs to go in the ends of the hose pieces.

Today he came back with tools and my old pipes now are plugged up.  YEAH!!!

There may never be another downpour like that again but if there is the cellar is ready for it.

The dehumidifier is working hard to dry out the cellar.  It is amazing how well it works.

Then I remembered the last time the tax assessors came around and asked if my basement was finished.  RIGHT!  I told them it was as finished as it was ever going to be.  Guess I was wrong.

Who knows what’s going to happen….

Later….