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Sewer line break under trailer

cargin | Posted in General Discussion on April 18, 2009 11:34am

All

I have several mobile ome trailers that I rent out.

Renter is moving out of one, she had been there about 3 years. she is moving back in with her ex.

No complaints from her at all. I knew she was a messy housekeeper.

Anyway I went to check on the unit today. It smelled like sewage in there real bad.

I took off some skirting and found the sewer line was disconnected from the main line.

I have a shallow pond of water and sewage about 15′ in diameter uner the trailer.

Laying on my side, I dug a shallow hole and put a sump pump in there to try to drain the water out. Only moderately successful.

My question is how do I clean this up enough to do work under there and how do I get rid of the smell.

I was working with a sump pump that will pump to within an 1/8″ of the floor.

I was thinking of getting a regular sump pump. digging a deeper hole and running water to wash sewage into the new pit and then pump it out into the lawn for clean up later.

I would appreciate any ideas that you guys may have about dealing with this issue.

It’s no fun working under trailers. Last time I was under this one was about 2 years ago.  Attached is a picture.

View Image

Thanks

Rich

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Replies

  1. cudavid | Apr 18, 2009 11:56pm | #1

    YECH! Move the trailer and start over!

    1. cargin | Apr 19, 2009 01:07am | #4

      cudavid

      Too bad I don't have a big loan against it. Then I would just give it back to the bank LOL.

      Rich

  2. GregGibson | Apr 18, 2009 11:57pm | #2

    Ugh, I had the same deal, but only about 20% as bad as yours. Rental house with VERY low crawl, and I'm 6'7" and about 240#. I got under to see what was what, and decided to let the plumber handle it. Some things just ain't worth it. He repaired the separated cast iron, don't know how much he cleaned, but he only billed me $250. Worth every penny.

    My first thought, when I was climbing around under there, was cat litter. Your sump pump idea should work, you might even flood it with some clorox water and let the sump have that, too, then spread 100 lbs. of cat litter or floor dry.

    Greg



    Edited 4/18/2009 4:58 pm ET by GregGibson

    1. cargin | Apr 19, 2009 01:17am | #5

      Greg

      I would be thrilled if someone could fix it and clean it up for $500.

      I like the idea of the clorox and cat litter.

      Thanks

      Rich

      1. Malo | Apr 19, 2009 01:50am | #7

        Geta few bags of lime and a coffee can and spread, toss, throw as much as it takes to sop it up.

        BTDT more than once.

         

        ~ex-trailer trash.

  3. alwaysoverbudget | Apr 18, 2009 11:59pm | #3

    landlords.

     

    all they do is collect money and get rich.[i am one so i can make fun of you]

     

    no good ideas. i might try to first get under there if you have most the water out and use a wet dry vac,consider the vac junk when your done.next get some fans blowing to dry it.i did just mention here the other day about using a scuba wet suit in the same situation under a house.

    what about making sure the insurance is paid and set a fire under it to burn off the sewage???????????sounds like a plan to me.

    the worst problem with digging a hole is it gives water a place to stand later.you got a krappy job ahead of you ,no matter what. pun is intended. larry

     

     

    YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T
    MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
    DUCT TAPE.

    1. cargin | Apr 19, 2009 01:21am | #6

      Larry

      I am starting to understand bad lanlords right now.

      shop vac might be a good way to go.

      I could fill the hole with sand after wards.

      I took a fan over today intending to let it blow for a couple of days, but it is a stead rain today and I was miserable after a while, so I just gave up and went home.

      Thanks everyone for the replies and the ideas.

      Rich

  4. USAnigel | Apr 19, 2009 02:00am | #8

    Its looks lovely under there!

    Shop vac with an extention and 45-90 degree angle of the end and drift it across the "mess".

    Fresh step sprinkled over and vac up again.

    The smell will go once its dry.

  5. JimB | Apr 19, 2009 02:47am | #9

    I second the suggestion of lime.  It's SOP for sewage spills and septic system failures.  Neutralizes the pH, kills the pathogens, and diminishes the odor.

  6. Boats234 | Apr 19, 2009 02:54am | #10

    Invite Mike Rowe over for a 6pack. http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/dirtyjobs.html

    Ask him to bring an extra wetsuit and get to work.

     

    Either that or I kinda liked the the Jewish lightning suggestion. ;-)

    1. Scrapr | Apr 19, 2009 10:53pm | #15

      i hear bobbys has a turkey baster

      maybe he is hiring out?

       

      http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=119130.1

      Edited 4/19/2009 3:54 pm ET by Scrapr

      1. Boats234 | Apr 19, 2009 11:07pm | #16

        LOL... I'm surprised Bobby's didn't chime in earlier. Maybe the wife found out?

        1. bobbys | Apr 24, 2009 12:41am | #28

          Turkey baster is back in the draw and no ones the wiser. I can rent it out but this just maybe to big a job. I do have a hand bilge pump but im useing it right now to empty my septic so i cant lend it just yet;]

  7. User avater
    EricPaulson | Apr 19, 2009 03:19am | #11

    Can you excavate a hole or depression 15 or 20ft away and ditch the mess to the hole>

    Call the septic guy to suck it up.

     

     

    "When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." — Sherlock Holmes, 1896

  8. User avater
    Dam_inspector | Apr 19, 2009 03:24am | #12

    Put down a tarp after it's dried out before going in.

  9. LittleItaly | Apr 19, 2009 10:18pm | #13

    Find a local sanitary portable toilet contractor to come by with the "honey wagon" and see if they will suck out the . . . . "stuff".  

    Lime and cat litter, cant go wrong.

    1. cargin | Apr 19, 2009 10:50pm | #14

      Little Italy

      The problem is that the sewage and water is perhaps only about 1  to 1 1/2" deep.

      If I slide a spade along the ground, i will get sewage on the top and sand on the bottom.

      On top of this I have to lay on my back or side  to do this work. There is not much room to work under there.

      And I defintely don't want to start crawling around in it.

      I worked on Saturday laying on a piece of styrofoam, trying to pump off the excess water with limited success. And I still got enough on my clothes to make them disgusting. 

      I don't know if these porta-potty pumps will work to suck it off the top of the ground where the pump will loose prime.

      If it is a shop vac type of thing then it will work. Most of the hog confinement pumps and honey wagons pump out of a pit. A very large pit at that.

      I'll go talk to them on Monday and see what they can do.

      Rich

      1. jej | Apr 20, 2009 12:35am | #17

        hope your wearing a face mask. i put a few drops of lemon in mine to cut down on smell

        1. Malo | Apr 20, 2009 01:09am | #18

          I hear they use Vicks Vapo-rub under the nose for cadaver work.

      2. User avater
        BossHog | Apr 20, 2009 04:15pm | #19

        I wonder if you could add water when you're pumping - Like run a garden hose under there to help flush the stuff to a hole you've dug to put the sump pump in. Taking off a bunch of the skirting so you get a lot of air flow under the thing also comes to mind. That would help dry it out and dissipate the smell. Duane's suggestion of spreading lime might work. I know they used to throw lime into outhouses, so there has to be something to that. Good luck with it...

        1. Malo | Apr 20, 2009 04:30pm | #20

          When I lived in NC, I was in the middle of 400 acres of cattle pastures and woods. The river was down hill, and Cowee Mtn. was uphill..so in the morning the air currents went up hill with the warming, and in the evening, it flowed down off the MTn. as it cooled.

          One summer I noticed a distinct DEAD smell in the mornings, I mean, REALLY dead, and BIG.  After heading out and following the fence line I came across the landlords bull ( A BIG Charlaise) and he had got struck by lightning, from the looks of tree he was under...it too was hit.

          Me, landlord and his nefew ( on a back hoe) were gonna dig a hole and bury it, but Bobby ( the nefew) and I could not get close enough w/out puking...so Old Ralph ( 80 something) drove his PU truck up next to it and started dusting it with lime...3 bags IIRC...he never flinched.

          We never buried it, just left it rot with the lime.  I still have the skull, my GF's son wanted it, so we poked a long stick in the eye socket and put the skull on the shed roof till the sun and maggots did the job of cleaning it..LOL

          So, yeah,,,lime works.

        2. cargin | Apr 20, 2009 04:34pm | #21

          Boss

          Thanks for the input.

           

          I wonder if you could add water when you're pumping - Like run a garden hose under there to help flush the stuff to a hole you've dug to put the sump pump in

          That's what I was thinking of doing. I had  hard enough time getting a shallow hole dug for my 1st sump pump effort.

          I dug 15 gal of muck and sewage out with a gutter cleaning tool and a small shovel. It would take forever to do it that way . Those buckets were extremely heavy

          Even after washing my jeans in Oxi-clean and bleach they still have a faint sewage oder.

          I try to always keep my skirting intact. The stray cats love to make a home under a trailer. I am going to have to make an exception this time .

          Rich

          1. GregGibson | Apr 20, 2009 04:59pm | #23

            Yeah, at this point, what's a little cat $hit added in ?

            Greg

        3. User avater
          maddog3 | Apr 20, 2009 05:03pm | #24

          migh also want to think about getting a shot or two from the family doc.

          .

          .. . . . . . . .

        4. cargin | Apr 21, 2009 05:19pm | #25

          Ron and All

          OK the plan is to have a septic tank guy and his pump come at 9 AM tomorrow.

          We are going to dig a pit and use water to wash sewage towards the pit so that he can pump it out.

          His pump need to maintain prime, like a sump pump.

          If it was like a giant shop vac we could run along the top of the ground and suck it up.

          Cover the area with lime.

          Then I am going to remove some skirting and let it air out.

          With the winds we had yesterday I won't need fans.

          Thanks to all for the input.

          Rich

          1. cargin | Apr 23, 2009 05:00pm | #26

            All

            I started at 8 AM yesterday removing skirting.

            At 9AM the pump guy showed up. The lake under the trailer had largely dried up over the weekend and Mon and Tues.

            Septic guy said this isn't bad, just let it dry out. He has seen much worse.

            Trailer didn't smell anymore either. I opened all the windows for the day.

            He ran a big tape down the line and got the main line cleared.

            I helped him and raked leaves.

            After he left I used a spade and removed about 50 gals of the worse of it and disposed of it at a farm place. Then I spread a couple bags of lime. That's all the farm supply store had on hand.

            I removed the old drain lines under the trailer, they were all very clear. Not even the usual residual stuff. All the connectionsand elbows were the black rubber with the hose  clamps. They were all cracked or broken. Pipe itself was the thin wall in great shape.

            I worked until 10:30 that night and got the drains redone in schedule 40 PVC.

            Sorry no pictures, I was too busy.

            I had glue all over my hands and arms. I am going to let the trailer dry out for a couple more days.

            Thanks to al for the advice.

            Rich 

          2. User avater
            maddog3 | Apr 23, 2009 07:59pm | #27

            did you get your shots yet ? here are some of the things you could get

            Gastroenteritis, characterised by cramping stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomitingWeil's disease, a flu-like illness with persistent and severe headache, transmitted by rat ####. Damage to liver, kidneys and blood may occur and the condition can be fatalHepatitis, characterised by inflammation of the liver, and jaundiceOccupational asthma, resulting in attacks of breathlessness, chest tightness and wheezing, and produced by the inhalation of living or dead organismsInfection of skin or eyesRarely, allergic alveolitis (inflammation of the lung) with fever, breathlessness, dry cough, and aching muscles and joints.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          3. cargin | Apr 24, 2009 05:24am | #29

            maddog

            Thank you .

            I will talk with my doctor.

            I wore rubber gloves yesterday and washed everything with clorox.

            Rich

          4. User avater
            maddog3 | Apr 24, 2009 03:01pm | #31

            anytime cargin, just be careful around the ####, the bugs thrive for a long time, and staying upwind is more than an old joke.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

          5. JasonQ | Apr 24, 2009 06:23am | #30

            You forgot tetanus.   Everytime it flooded in Iowa when I lived there, people were crowding the doctors' offices for tetanus shots if they got exposed to the floodwaters - apparently raw sewage can harbor tetanus bacteria.

            Jason

            Edited 4/23/2009 11:26 pm ET by JasonQ

          6. User avater
            maddog3 | Apr 24, 2009 03:02pm | #32

            yep I did, good catch Jason.

            .

            .. . . . . . . .

  10. Mooney | Apr 20, 2009 04:58pm | #22

    Another landlord here.

    I had similar the same problem only it was a house .

    I evacuated the house which was easy, lol.

    I put  a turbine fan in the crawl hole . 200 cfm blowing across the wet areas. I opened up all the vents and put a heavy screen over the crawl hole opening . Most mobiles dont have vents in the underpinning is the only slight problem with this solution. Those need added anyway. I left the house for two weeks after dropping by to redirect the fan a few times . It was bone dry in two weeks . I went in with lime over a dry floor and coverd the entire crawl space with 6 mil plastic. [which needs done anyway in a crawl space } I fixed the plumbing . By the time I went in, there was bugs eating away at the solids. I figgured Id let nature take its course.I kept the inside of the house sprayed for bugs  After the summer months I sprayed for bugs under the floor.

    Tim

     

     

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