It rained Tuesday.... And Wednesday! Guess what? No Basement Flooding!
YEAH! Victory!
It is true that there was a bit of seepage around the corners where the driveway meets the house. But there was nothing in the room where I installed the Sump pump!
And when I peeked inside, the water level was as low as when I first installed it. Meaning, somewhere in the middle of the night, it kicked on and drained the water out into the back yard. I deem that a success!
Now begins the task of making things look a little more professional and aesthetically pleasing. I worked at Haribo yesterday... Meaning: all of my special project tasks were lumped into TODAY! That is a tall order to complete multiple projects in a single day. Especially when I just passed my first Homeowners Skill test. And still have no real experience or knowledge of how long things will take to be completed.
That being said, I do know that part of the homeowner's DIY process is to start small and know your limits. From there, We build upon successes.... ( So I have read...)
So... Small task: Bury the hose from the sump pump so you can mow over it. Seems like an easy task. Just dig a shallow trench and put the hose in it. Cover the hose with the dirt.
Then the over thinking kicks in! What if I plug up the end of the hose? Where will the water go then? Will it flow back into the basement? What if it washes out a big hole in the backyard? Should I bury a bucket and fill that with the discharged water?
And on and on....
So, My thought was I would dig a hole at the end of the hose and fill it with some gravel. To make sure the soil does not fill in the gaps too quickly, I lined the hole with more landscaping liner. Top it off with a wire rack I got from the fire pit to put a "lid" on the hole.
Will it work? How should I know? I'm just making it up as I go along. And I could not find a Youtube video on this particular topic. So.... We shall see.
I already have a plan "B" in the event it somehow fails. But I'm hoping that the current set up will provide just enough drainage and seepage to keep the hose clear and water flowing.
Another project I tried to do was to cover several of the open drains that were in the basement. The old basement toilet flange!
I cleaned up the area and ground down the old iron flange/pipe so I could fit a flange cover over it. I think they poured lead in the seam between the pipe and the flange.
I don't plan on putting a toilet here any time soon, so this flange will just be used as a cover to keep the smell down.
And that goes for the other part near the laundry section. Again, I tried to clean up the pipe, but found the flange to be rusted in nice and tight. I still may have to use the grinder to cut that section out, but for now, a simple PVC plug will do.
I added a grate to the open "Drain" near the furnace.
There is a hole in the furnace where they added a vent to keep that "bedroom" warm. ( The one I ripped out.) I still have to tackle that, but think I might be able to get away with just using some aluminum furnace tape.
Speaking of the furnace! I changed out the air filter... which looked like it had not been swapped out since 1965. I say 1965.. because while pulling it out, I found a time capsule!
A newspaper page from the Milwaukee Journal dated May, 1965! Look at the prices and TV shows! Funny how things changed!
I was talking to my brother and he speculated that this house was most likely built before electricity, and that is why things look so dated and random. I would not doubt that there is an "Infancy" to the Electrical Codes that were used when building this place.
Ultimately, my goal is to completely rewire and update the system to the modern era. But that Project is a ways down the road.
Right now... I'll continue to work on keeping the basement dry.
And part of that process is clearing out the gutters so the rain that falls off the roof goes where it is supposed to. I have a small problem with birds wanting to build nests in inappropriate places.
And all that debris has found its way into the gutter pipe that is suppose to keep the water away from the house. I purchased a ladder today and was able to clear out at least one of the pipes. I will see if the other gutters on the other side require my attention as well.
So now the plan is to wire up a plug so the Sump pump has a more permanent power supply. This will require me to remove an existing 2 prong plug and exchanging it for a three prong. I may just wire up a circuit wholly separate so the sump pump in the only thing drawing power. That will clean up the "rat's nest" of wires that the last guy put in. And then I can restore power back to my bedroom. ( which was hooked into the same breaker as the basement plug....)
Honestly, this place is wired up more like a spider's web and less like a branching tree.
But I think I can make things simpler once I get that far. Mostly because I am a simple person. And I embrace the KISS method. (Keep it simple stupid...) Overly complicating things only makes things more difficult to understand. ( Perhaps that is one of the reasons I failed as a teacher.)
Ahh well. The weather has been wonderful the last couple days and I find myself enjoying the last few flowers that continue to pop up. These purple morning glories are magnificent!
I have not seen any Humming birds around here, but I'm sure I will try to cater to them once I am able to move out of the house and into "Landscaping 101". By then, I am hoping my skill set will be improved and "almost competent"
Time to call it for the night. The remaining projects will have to be saved for the upcoming week or next weekend. Whichever I am able to pull off I will try my best to make every second count.
