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Polar bear with carrot

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Ranch life ain't always roses

The incredible water main fiasco just keeps growing and growing, seemingly never ends. Guess that is what happens with a fifty year old ranch. Eventually all the substandard pipe blows up and busts a leak. I keep thinking I have the problem licked and not unlike Hydra, it rears its ugly head somewhere else.

I haven't had a shower in three days. Ditto shaving. Basic human digestive function is quite limited, that is all I am going to say.

I have hired two experts, had three able men on the job and for some reason we can't get any pressure at my house. No one can figure it out. Thirty two years here and the place is still driving me crazy.

I have replaced 440' of crappy 1 & 1/4" pipe with schedule 40 1 & 1/2". The old pipe would not stop splitting. We flushed the rp, did everything one could possible do but still no luck. Next step is putting another 250" pipe lateral in again through the pasture and hooking up to the existing service, try to do an end around. Will require a trencher.

I think a silk oak might be crushing a water pipe up top. We cross connected the new and old system into a loop yesterday, should have taken care of all our problems. And even that did not work so I got myself a real conundrum here.

Leslie went to a friend's to do laundry, I am going to skedaddle over to Don's and take a shower. This shit is starting to piss me off.

I have a lot to do this week but everything is going to have to wait until I get my water problems squared away.

Wish us luck.

2 comments:

Jon Harwood said...

I am left speechless. What a colossal drag.

Anonymous said...

Did you check the valve going into your house? With all the work you have been doing, shutting the water off and turning it back on again, sometimes the bonnet inside the valve drops, partially/completely and blocks the flow. I would humbly suggest checking the valve(s) going into your house.Maybe Tom has already checked it, but there also could be a buried isolation valve somewhere in your garden perhaps? Anyway, thought I'd throw my two cents in, half a world away. Would love to be helping Alan and Tom figure this out, wish you all the best and hope you find the culprit soon.
Dave in Japan