[vintageogauge]

A few weeks ago TV hired a company to clean out or test the sanitary sewer drains on the street. A worker walked through our yard and I asked him if water was going to blow out of our toilet (this happened to me in the past) he said definitely not, I thanked him and explained my past experience. Well, you can guess what happened, I went in the house an hour or so later and toilet trap water was all over the floors and walls of the bathrooms. I let him know in no uncertain terms that I was not pleased as I now have two bathrooms to clean and disinfect and a bunch of bacteria laden wet rugs to get cleaned. I called TV and they called the company who stopped over and offered to mop up the floors with their truck mop as it would only be water out of the toilet trap which I did not accept, I told them that if it came out of the toilet it has bacteria no matter what part it came out of and that I would do it myself but I could not clean the rugs as they would be too heavy for our washer. He told me to get them cleaned, send him a receipt, and he would re-imburse me. I did exactly that and here is what happened next. I received an e-mail stating that he would stop over for documentation, I already sent him the paid itemized receipt so I asked what else he needed. A week later I get a call from a lady at the company stating that she was going to stop over with a release of liability for any and all future claims of damage that I had to sign and she would notarize in exchange for a $85.00 gift card, she also stated that if I didn't accept the card I would have to give her my social and sign off on more papers to get my money back (it was $51.00 to clean 6 heavy rugs) I advised that I did not want the gift card and that I was not signing a release nor would I give her my social, etc. She said she would send a personal check that day, it's been two weeks and nothing.

My questions is since they wanted me to sign a release should I get in touch with TV and tell them I want my back flow device tested and also have the line scoped to look for damage? I don't know how far to go on this and even who to contact but there must be a good possibility of damage if they wanted that release signed and notarized. Look forward to some advice. Thank you.

[Villagesgal]

Call an attorney. They need to sanitize your walls, cabinets and replace flooring as the sewer water could have found its was under the flooring and been absorbed into the sheetrock and cabinetry, rugs and furniture it came in contact with. I hope you took pictures. I worked for a utility company and we had to replace all those things and any furniture the sewage came in contact with. The Utility company who hired the contractors are ultimately responsible. DO NOT SIGN ANY RELEASE. THEY KNOW THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND WANT TO GET OUT OF HAVING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Speak with an attorney, usually the consult is free and if its a decent attorney they will take a portion of the settlement.
Sewage water if it got into the walls, floors and cabinets or carpet will start to smell and can cause mold and mildew behind the walls and under the flooring. This might also negate your warrantee coverage on your new home with the Villages. Force the Utility company to clean this up, sanitize and replace.
Stand firm, don't let them push you around. Talk to several attorneys, as I said, usually the initial consultation is free. Good luck.

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Villagesgal

Call an attorney. They need to sanitize your walls, cabinets and replace flooring as the sewer water could have found its was under the flooring and been absorbed into the sheetrock and cabinetry, rugs and furniture it came in contact with. I hope you took pictures. I worked for a utility company and we had to replace all those things and any furniture the sewage came in contact with. The Utility company who hired the contractors are ultimately responsible. DO NOT SIGN ANY RELEASE. THEY KNOW THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND WANT TO GET OUT OF HAVING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Speak with an attorney, usually the consult is free and if its a decent attorney they will take a portion of the settlement.
Sewage water if it got into the walls, floors and cabinets or carpet will start to smell and can cause mold and mildew behind the walls and under the flooring. This might also negate your warrantee coverage on your new home with the Villages. Force the Utility company to clean this up, sanitize and replace.
Stand firm, don't let them push you around. Talk to several attorneys, as I said, usually the initial consultation is free. Good luck.

They were hired by The Villages not by the sewer company.

[retiredguy123]

If you only asked them for $51, what do you expect to accomplish? If you take them to court, you would need to show a lot more damage than that. In my opinion, it is not worth pursuing, unless you can show that there was significantly more damage to your house than $51.

[vintageogauge]

I didn't say I wanted to take them to court, that was a reply to my post, I've never been to court and don't feel like starting now. See my last sentence, my question is should I tell The Villages that I want the line and back flow device tested? And/or who should I call?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

I didn't say I wanted to take them to court, that was a reply to my post, I've never been to court and don't feel like starting now. See my last sentence, my question is should I tell The Villages that I want the line and back flow device tested? And/or who should I call?

As far as I know, there is no backflow prevention device on a sanitary drain line.

[Stu from NYC]

Why in the world would she need your SS #? Do not see any reason to give that out.

Even stopped giving it to Drs

[queasy27]

Do the same thing happen to any of your neighbors? Knowing if was everyone or only you would be a good indication whether or not more testing would be useful at your place.

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by queasy27

Do the same thing happen to any of your neighbors? Knowing if was everyone or only you would be a good indication whether or not more testing would be useful at your place.

No, only my home, they could not find my outside trap which was clearly visible and they assumed I was tied in with the neighbors. With nowhere for the pressure to go with the trap closed tight it all went into the house and up through the toilets.

[C. C. Rider]

I would contact TV and tell them what happened. This was done by a contractor working for TV and therefore TV is just as responsible as if it were done by TV employees.

I would insist that everything be cleaned properly and any direct expenses that you incurred by reimbursed in full. I would not sign any release papers. If TV says that they won't do that, THEN I would consult an attorney... preferably one that is not owned by TV.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

No, only my home, they could not find my outside trap which was clearly visible and they assumed I was tied in with the neighbors. With nowhere for the pressure to go with the trap closed tight it all went into the house and up through the toilets.

I don't know what you mean by an "outside trap". The only thing visible outside your house is a cleanout plug. That is an access connection for a plumber to unclog your drain line. Your sewer line is not connected to your neighbors. It drains directly into the main sewer line in the street. There is no plumbing trap or backflow prevention device outside of your house. You just have an open drain pipe that runs from your house to the sewer line that runs down the middle of the street.

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I don't know what you mean by an "outside trap". The only thing visible outside your house is a cleanout plug. That is an access connection for a plumber to unclog your drain line. Your sewer line is not connected to your neighbors. It drains directly into the main sewer line in the street. There is no plumbing trap or backflow prevention device outside of your house. You just have an open drain pipe that runs from your house to the sewer line that runs down the middle of the street.

I didn't say the line was connected to my neighbors, the employee stated that. There is a trap outside as well as a clean out, the employees boss explained that to me. If there is a sewage backup from the street what prevents it from entering your home if there is no back flow device?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

I didn't say the line was connected to my neighbors, the employee stated that. There is a trap outside as well as a clean out, the employees boss explained that to me. If there is a sewage backup from the street what prevents it from entering your home if there is no back flow device?

I think the boss was wrong. Your toilet is a trap in itself. Adding a second trap in series to a drain would violate the plumbing code and would impede the proper function of the drain. Raw sewage, toilet paper, etc. would not flow very well through a drain pipe that had a trap in it. And, normally, there is nothing installed in a sanitary sewer line to prevent backflow. That is why insurance companies offer optional sewer backup coverage for your homeowners policy. I am just trying to explain the system as I understand it.

[Villagesgal]

Nothing prevents the sewage from entering your house if the sewer is clogged. The backflow is for drinking water, not sewer water. If sewage actually did come into your bathroom and spray all over the walls and floor you cant just suck it up and clean it with wet rags, but you do as you like, you will be living with the bacteria in your bathrooms. You say the Villages hired them, the Villages is then responsible for proper cleanup. When Fenny was built the City of Wildwood serviced the water and sewer, they still do water, not sure about sewer, but you should check. There is E colei in sewage which can make you quite sick.

[retiredguy123]

You may want to read your homeowners policy to see if you have sewer backup coverage. The coverage is usually optional, but I have always bought it.