spedbug | (no subject)

This photo shows the cast iron pipe. Normally, we'd have only needed to expose part of this but, when we broke through the concrete we caught a whiff of sewer gas. It seems the sewer line, at some point, had a hole in it and was (no lie) covered with a piece of glass then concreted over. Because the right side of the "tee" needed to be cut out and replaced, we had to jackhammer a much larger area.

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The "finished" product. The length of pipe going up the basement wall will, eventually, tie into the powder room sewer line.

Savagefuzzball went to a friend's house for most of the evening. After all the sweaty, dirty work you see above, MrBug and I showered, went out to eat and then picked her up. From there we went to Coldstone Creamery for ice cream. When we got home, we went down in the basement to clean up a few things that were still lying about (a garden hose we'd used to flush the system, etc.) and watched a mouse run across the basement floor and into the block wall up to where we'd jackhammered. For years, I've watched our cat, Boots, sit in front of that wall and stare at a corn-kernel sized hole where the block wall and basement floor met. I thought she was just trying to freak me out. Obviously, she knew something I didn't. MrBug has stuffed a towel into the space for the evening. Tomorrow we'll replace the dirt and pour concrete and the mouse worries will be no more. Of course I'll set traps in the basement tomorrow, too, because goodness knows how many mice came out once we'd broken open their thoroughfare. One made itself known...others may be lurking. The only thing making me rest easy? - Boots is in for the night and she's already shown interest in the basement "renovation".