Waterworld victory

Water is restored to the house. Huzzza!

It was exactly the miserable job I feared it'd be. Imagine being on your hands and knees, chipping away at frozen gravel. My main tools were a heavy iron pry bar, an ax and leather mittens. The procedure was to chip away at the ground and remove the debris by hand. I tried to thaw the ground with hot water, but that only seemed to thaw enough dirt to make mud.

Eventually I got down to a 90 degree fitting. I was able to remove it without damaging anything. (a trick in itself) The line was frozen just beyond the fitting. The small diameter hot water pipe then slide into the supply line, thawing an inch at a time. After about a foot of ice, the line ran free.

After reconnecting the supply line the pump was powered up. I got a good shower from my whole house water filter as water sprayed everywhere. Unnoticed, the gasket had fallen out. Once found and installed, everything worked fine.

I've yet to turn on the water to the upstairs. That always goes better with two people. One person can watch the upstairs bathroom for problems while the second person opens the supply valves in the basement. The downstairs bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen all have water.

Of course, now that the water is connected, I've no excuse to not do the laundry and wash the dishes. Already I've mopped floors. It's best my lovely wife not see exactly how much dirt and mud I tracked into the kitchen.

But first, a well deserved and needed bath.

-Sixbears