[True Story!?] Sewer Wars: When There Was No God in Our Toilet
[Warning!!] If you are currently eating, I would appreciate it if you could read this later (^o^;)
Since humans excrete as long as they are alive,everyone must have one or two 'toilet stories'.
In the case of a bath, there are days you might skip it if you aren't feeling well, but you can't do that with a toilet. In fact, depending on your physical condition, you might go back and forth more often than usual, right? (´д｀|||)
Actually, the toilet in the company housing I lived in until I was 11 was'a pit latrine'.I used it normally when I was old enough to understand, but looking back now, I think, 'I'm glad I didn't fall in' (^o^;). Because what spread out under the toilet bowl was a deep hole...
Oh, I used to drop my slippers in there often...Every time that happened, my mother would scold me (´Д`|||)
When we moved to a new house and the toilet became a 'Western-style & flush' toilet, I was truly happy ＼(^o^)／
It was different from those days when excrement stayed home until the vacuum truck came. If you flush the water, you can say goodbye in an instant. How wonderful.Viva flush toilets (≧∇≦)
From there,'a life with flush toilets'continued to the present, but during that time, twicea tragedy occurred where the toilet could not be used properly...happened.
The first time was caused bya water outage due to the Great East Japan Earthquake.At that time, until the water pipes were restored, I remember 'manually' replenishing the flush tank with water...'The gratitude of being able to use a flush toilet normally'was something I learned for the first time then.
And the second time...
Looking back now, it was tougher than the earthquake.At the time of 3.11, I knew it was caused by a water outage, so there was a 'goal' that 'as long as it is restored...', but this time, I didn't know the cause for several days... Moreover, since it was a tragedy that happened only to our home in the housing complex,I felt like I was going to be mentally broken.
I wrote this article in the hope that it might be useful if you ever feel that your plumbing, including the toilet, is 'strange' in the future. (Though it would be better if such a day never comes).Some excrement-like things will appear, but please feel free to read if you'd like (*´ω｀*)
[It started with the bathroom drain...]
That was four years ago in February. It was a Friday night before a three-day weekend.
Hmm? (゜_゜)
After the whole family finished bathing, I decided to finish cleaning up during the night, so I pulled the plug on the bath, but I immediately realized something was 'wrong'.
The drainage speed is abnormally slow!!
Until the day before, the hot water would drain away in just a few minutes, disappearing beyond the hole with a small tornado, but the water level wouldn't go down easily.
(Is the bath additive the cause?)
The reason I thought so was that this was the first time I had used a "thick" type of bath additive that claimed to "warm you to the core of your body."
It is only natural to think about whether you did something different if something different happens. ...Thinking about it calmly, there is no way that could be the case, but at the time, I had a strong feeling of "I hope that's it!" and I was convinced by that.
However, that hope was dashed in less than an hour...
[Oh! A Hellish Scene]
"Mom, the toilet is acting weird!"
When I was called by my eldest daughter's loud voice and went to the toilet, there was a 'gurgle, gurgle, gurgle' sound coming from the toilet bowl... When I looked in fear, I could see large bubbles rising from the toilet water.
There is no way a 'thick-type bath additive' has that kind of power. Yes, I already know that. This means something is clogged in the toilet or the sewer...
(What, what, what should I do...((((；゜Д゜)))) )
The bubbles disappeared quickly, but after that, when I flushed the toilet, the water level would rise to the very edge of the bowl and then suddenly drop with a jolt.
When I called my husband, who was working away from home in another city in the same prefecture, for an SOS, "It's probably just clogged with trash or dead leaves. Why don't you try flushing a lot of bath water?" he advised. Although it was a waste of water, I did as he said, and thinking there was a possibility that the toilet was clogged, I searched for 'how to use a toilet plunger.' Following the information, I plunged it many times after the children had fallen asleep.
But the 'toilet water level problem' did not improve at all.
(What am I doing?)
While feeling pathetic for plunging in the middle of the night, I did my best until the date changed.
At this time, I had no idea that something even worse was happening elsewhere...
I realized that the next morning. I was sleep-deprived because I had been fighting with the toilet until the middle of the night, but I woke up earlier than usual because I had too many things on my mind.
When I opened the curtains and looked outside, I noticed that our home parking lot was slightly white.
"Hmm, is it snow?"
Because I wasn't wearing my glasses, my vision wasn't very clear, but the only place that was white was our parking lot so I immediately realized it was something else.
My head was full of question marks ( ・◇・)?, but once I put on my glasses and focused, the true identity of the 'white thing' was revealed...
It was actually a large amount of toilet paper (used) Σ(￣ロ￣lll)
I froze for a few minutes, unable to comprehend what was happening, but the shock I felt the moment I realized it was 'sewage' gushing out from my home's sewage pit* was...
Toilet paper alone would be fine. But when you talk about sewage that has passed through a toilet, you know it has to contain 'that,' right? Yes, it was there. It was scattered about... u...n (omitted below)
The sewer system was completely out—that much was clear now. It was no longer a level I could handle on my own.If I didn't get a professional out here immediately, living a daily life in this house would be the height of difficulty indeed.
(A lot of people walk through this housing complex early in the morning... They saw it, didn't they? They definitely saw it clearly.What is this public humiliation?...No, no, this isn't the time to be worrying about that... hahahaha (￣▽￣;))
*Sewage pit: A small manhole located on the property. It is a facility installed where household drainage pipes join or turn, designed to prevent drainage clogs and to make inspections and cleaning easier. (Quoted from the website of 'Sakura Co., Ltd.' in Katano City, Osaka Prefecture)
By the way, did any of you take a class on 'The Tale of Genji' back in high school?
The textbook used at my high school included 'Kiritsubo', and...
Regarding 'Kiritsubo no Koi', the mother of Hikaru Genji who received the undivided (no, too much) affection of the Emperor at the time,when I heard from my classical literature teacher that 'filth was scattered in the corridor she used' as one of the ways she was harassed, I remember laughing with my friends and saying, 'That's so gross lol'.
Yeah, even if there's a difference between asphalt and wood, I'm sure it felt something like this (looking into the distance).
My mental state... it was already starting to break down at this point.
[The Professionals Arrive!! But...]
I managed to pull myself together and contacted my husband, pleading, 'I'm calling a professional right now!', but he put a stop to it, saying, 'Wait a minute!'
'I'll look for one online. I can't stand the thought of getting scammed by a shady contractor!' he said.
Looking back now, it was the right decision. He is better at research, and if I had searched in a panic, the probability of hitting a shady contractor would have been high. ...But my thinking at the time had turned into something quite cynical, thinking, 'It's easy for you to say. You're just watching from the sidelines, aren't you?'
'What are we supposed to do about our toilet until then!?'
'Why don't you just not poop?'
'Σ(￣皿￣;;'
Under normal circumstances, that would have been a joke, but at the time, I was absolutely furious.
Without a stable sewer system, there is no stability for the human spirit...
Yes, that is the lesson I learned at that time.
Although I was furious, I left finding a contractor to my husband and started cleaning the parking lot with a hose and a brush. After all, I couldn't just leave the parking lot covered in filth forever.
It was sunny, but it was February... and it was so, so cold ((+_+))
But maybe it was better than summer? The smell would have doubled, and I didn't want to get heatstroke from something like this... That doesn't mean anyone is saying 'Spring and autumn are fine!' though.
I tried to pull in my father, who had a track record of 'fixing a clogged sewer at an elderly person's house living alone,' as a last resort, but it was still beyond his capabilities.
However, by checking the sewage basin many times, I was able to confirm that the water level went down over time. It proved that, albeit only a little, the drainage was working.
...So, my two daughters evacuated to my parents' house, and I was the only one left in this house. I had to take care of the pets and coordinate with the contractor, so it couldn't be helped. This was the beginning of the days of keeping drainage to a minimum.
I asked my parents' house to handle cooking and laundry, and somehow managed with just the toilet, but even flushing that toilet was nerve-wracking every time. 'If I flush this toilet, will the lid of the sewage basin be lifted again and sewage be sprayed everywhere?' It was like a game of Russian roulette...
Furthermore, when I walked the dog, checking other people's sewage basins became a habit, and I started feeling 'It's nice that this house's sewage is flowing properly...' a bizarre kind of jealousy. Honestly, I was a mess back then (ー_ー;)
I will say it again.
Without a stable sewer system, there is no peace of mind for humans!!
Regarding finding a contractor, my husband found a company he thought 'might be able to do it' and requested the work via email. According to him, what's important in choosing a contractor is 'not the scale of the business, but a designated contractor capable of performing municipal water and sewage work!'
Although he found one, he said they were closed on that day, which was a Saturday. As luck would have it, it coincided with a three-day weekend, and I had to wait until Tuesday in this state, which really got me down (/。＼)
And various worries raced through my mind...
'How long will I have to endure this?'
'How much will it cost?'
'Will it even be fixed in the first place?'
And so on...
I even ended up 'Come to think of it, if it were the old-fashioned <night soil collection> type, at least I could have used the toilet with peace of mind...' reminiscing about the past.
That said, I don't want to go back to those days... (´д｀|||)
And then Tuesday arrived
Since the contractor probably saw my request email that morning, I was worried, thinking, "It's doubtful they'll be able to come today (;;)."
But then I got a message saying they would come in the evening!!
Man, I was incredibly happy.
This kind of life ends today (*^▽^)/★*☆♪ They'll just use a high-pressure washer (I looked it up online) to clear the clog in a jiffy, right?
I waited for the evening in a happy mood (so old-fashioned).
I was confident that no matter how grumpy an old man showed up, I would welcome him with the biggest smile (lol).
However, the person who arrived was a pleasant man in his 30s. Thinking to myself, "Is this man my savior?", I guided him to the 'sewage explosion site' and explained everything that had happened so far...
“...I see, I understand. Then, could you show me the ‘final inspection chamber’ next?”
“Excuse me?”
‘F-final inspection chamber’? (゜〇゜;)????? What on earth is that!!??
I must have had a blank look on my face at that moment. When I replied, "No, I don't have one...", the contractor said with complete confidence, "No, you definitely have one."
“There’s no way you don’t have a ‘final inspection chamber.’ Based on the location of the sewage inspection chamber from earlier, it’s probably around here...” the contractor started to say.
However...
“Huh? It’s not here,” he started to panic.
“See!? It’s not there, right?” I said...
“Yes... it’s not here (；゜∀゜)”
“Yeah... it’s not there (￣～￣；)”
The moment it was confirmed that ‘our battle continues’ (´д｀|||)
[The Pitfalls of Used Homes]
The 'final inspection chamber' is located near the boundary between the residential property and the road, and it serves the role of collecting all drainage flowing from within the premises, such as rainwater and sewage.
To state the conclusion first,that 'final inspection chamber' was actually buried under the soil! And at quite a depth, too... It took two whole days just to find it. In other words, not a single bit of construction work progressed during this time.
Since we bought our house used, I have absolutely no idea why the final inspection chamber was buried so deep... The contractor was also scratching his head.
Did the previous owner dump a massive amount of soil when they were landscaping the garden? Hmm, it's an eternal mystery.
Since it's a used house, I was prepared for a certain degree of defects, but I hadn't anticipated this. Could it be that checking the final inspection chamber is a must when scouting for used homes...?
If anyone reading this is considering a used house,I recommend saying to the real estate agent, 'Excuse me, could you show me all the inspection chambers for this house?'┐('～`;)┌
I've digressed, but I was relieved once the final inspection chamber was found. And then,the high-pressure washer finally appeared! It was such a long wait!
Although the noise was quite loud, I thought, 'If this clears the clog, then it's no big deal!'
Or so I thought, but...
Huh?
It hasn't changed at all...
'It's not changing,' the contractor said with a troubled look.
After that, as a result of investigating the final inspection chamber,it was discovered that something like roots was clogged inside the pipe flowing out of the house.
We had finally reached the root cause.
'Then we should just remove it immediately.'
...You would normally think that, right?
However, that is difficult.
The reason is thatthere is no space to pull it out...
'The Enormous Turnip'is a classic folktale, right? The reason they were able to pull out that giant turnip was because 'everyone worked hard together' (though the necessity of the mouse that joined at the end is questionable), but the amount of space is also important, isn't it? Even if the old man had a muscular body and the strength to pull out the giant turnip by himself, it would be impossible if there wasn't enough space to plant his feet and move his arms...
The case this time is the same... You can't exert force inside a hole that is barely big enough for a person to fit into.
The professional tried every method he could think of, but it wouldn't budge.
“We might need to break the drainage pit once.”
Hearing this 'giving up' statement, I timidly asked about the cost.
“Hmm, probably around 150,000 yen...”
I felt like I was going to faint, but there was no other way. I confirmed it with my husband over the phone and agreed to go with that method as a last resort.
“I'll come back tomorrow. I'll think about whether there are any other methods.”
Perhaps this contractor was a 'good one.' He was working hard and thinking of various things... I thought to myself that it wasn't the contractor's fault that the situation wasn't improving... and at this point, I had already resigned myself to the '150,000 yen course'.
[Time to wrap up the story...]
The next evening, the contractor came back with another man.
The two of them talked while peering into the final drainage pit, and after a while, they began to work.
I gratefully accepted their efforts in spirit, but I no longer had any expectations.
However, a miracle where things take a turn for the better just when you least expect it happened!!
“It's cleared!! Can you fill the bathtub with water right now and flush it all at once?!”
Perhaps because I heard words I hadn't expected, there was a slight delay in my ability to feel happy. Even so, I hurried to the bathroom, filled the tub, and pulled the plug...
T-the water flow is back to normal 《*≧∀≦》
Watching the water disappear quickly into the hole, I felt like I was going to cry tears of joy. From the garden, I could hear the two contractors shouting, 'We did it!!'
When I first saw inside the pit, a lot of sewage had accumulated, but I learned that normally, sewage just passes through and it should be almost empty.
“You should check it once every few months from now on.”
The contractor left after saying that. The amount on the invoice that was sent later was 80,000 yen(￣０￣;
(It's, it's expensive. But compared to 150,000 yen...)
And that root in question was shaped just like an extra-large sweet potato. Perhaps because it had been exposed to sewage for so long, it was pitch black. I took a picture at the time, but since it was a feature phone, the data went missing. If I had known I would be writing about it on note like this, I would have properly taken a picture with a digital camera and saved it...
↑*Of course, this is just an image (bitter laugh)
It had quite a presence, but in the end, it was just a root... Thinking that our daily life was threatened by something like this makes me feel quite complicated. (〃_ _)σ∥
To everyone who owns a detached house, after reading this, why don't you go check your drainage pits right away?
Don't underestimate plants(Why the Kansai dialect?)
That's all from the scene!!
↑This is my home's final drainage pit. Since we paved over the garden during renovations, it is now inside the parking area. This has made it easier to check.