I will admit: I'm in uncharted waters here.... Today was the first day I have had the opportunity to tackle the next "project" in ernest. The Sump Pump!
Seems like an easy job, really! Just dig a hole in the lowest part of your basement, Sink a Garbage Can/ basin in the hole, Put in a Sump pump! Plug it in and sleep peacefully every night knowing your basement is safe from those annoying storm surges during severe weather! What could be easier?
Well, Except for that little bit of Concrete that covers the hole. But once you remove that, It is smooth sailing!
Except.... Hey! Did you know Concrete is Hard? Like... Rock Hard! They make Prisons out of this stuff!
And it is at least 2 inches deep! That might not seem like much if you are a convict digging for freedom. But that is a lot for someone with only a few hours during a single day to make a hole.
My first plan was to drill a bunch of hole around the perimeter with my handy dandy new Hammer Drill. I bought the biggest Concrete bit I could find and went to town!
After about 15 minutes, I found I only a few holes drilled and my poor drill was throwing sparks and smoking! (The kind where you say: "I'm pretty sure that is not normal....") Time for bigger guns!
Now I know in Shawshank Redemption, the Guy dug through 20 ft of Concrete with a spoon and a Hammer; But that guy had a lot of time and Motivation! ( And that was Hollywood! 'Nuff said.) But I have Tuesday as a preliminary Deadline to get this thing finished. And I'm not in Prison... So...
If Tim Robbins would have had access to a Jack Hammer, I'm sure he would have made the same call. I ran down to Menhards to see if their Jackhammer was available for rent.
It was! So, $80 bucks later, I tossed the thing into the back of the Subie and had 4 hours to make things happen. Having never used a Jackhammer before, I accepted their "User manual Print out" to see if there were any pointers I could discover. Now I know that they make these things for people who never finished Highschool, but I have two college degrees! (I probably should not mention that while working at a warehouse....) So I know they did not make it "Nerd Friendly". Besides, How hard could it be?
Turns out, Pretty easy! No certification required after all! Just point the pointy thing at the place you want destroyed and press the button. The only "technique" I could make out was to rest your belly on the handle and lift it with your knees. It made short work of the hole I had outlined.
So now, I had to dig. And that only required a shovel and a couple of five gallon buckets. The clay at the bottom was so ridiculously heavy, I felt like I was at that CrossFit Gym where Dave and Moe carry cowbells while lunging forward.
Except I must have looked like a farmer carrying one of those giant Milk Jugs while climbing stairs! In fact, I have two small red pinch marks on my legs where the handle of the buckets must have pinched me. The soil looks like it is made entirely of clay!
I figured the garbage Bin was 32 gallons, so 7 trips with a 5 gallon bucket should be enough to clear the hole with the proper depth. Think again! After 8 trips, I still had not fully buried the garbage can.
But I was having a harder time trying to get the clay out because the shovel handle was at its limit. So I decided that this was deep enough. (Not digging to China here....)
Another trip to Menhards. This time to return the hammer and also get the gravel and patio Brick for the bottom. I think I am now officially their "Most Valued Customer" since I have been there nearly every day since I began this project two months ago. (I think they have a picture of me on their wall!)
It was at this point where I could feel my motivation start to fade. That moment where you evaluate the task and the effort you have put in to this point and do the math. I am most likely not going to finish this tonight. So I had better set some realistic goals. Not to mention, Carrying 5 gallon buckets of clay up stairs a dozen times had really smoked me!
Upon getting home, I Covered the outside of the can with a fine mesh that is used to filter out large dirt particles.
Drill some holes into the garbage can and check for fit! Level things up and fill the space between the can and the soil with the gravel. Put the Patio Brick in the bottom so the Sump Pump has something to set on without sucking up sediment.
Clean up!
I'll save the hooking up of the Pump for later. There is no danger at the moment, other than ME... Doing a crappy job because I want it to be done!
So now I'm doing laundry and petting the cat. ( Who finds my blog time the perfect time to sit on my keyboard.) I think the basement is looking better now that the water has been removed and most of the junk from the demolition has been cleared. The next task will be to run power over to the sump pump and hook up some PVC pipe for a more "permanent" solution. Right now, I have a flex hose and an extension cord if things get out of control on Tuesday.
And I will save the French Drain Trench for another day. Unless it becomes a bigger issue. My hope is that the Sump pump will be enough for now. And I can begin focusing on things like Plumbing and Electrical...
Those have potential to be larger jobs than my initial observations. I would at least like to tackle the Water Main Shut Off Valve next. And then slowly work on replacing all of the galvanized plumbing that this place has.
For now.. I'm done! Time to eat some pizza in celebration.
And make every second count.
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