How muddy is too muddy? (Plumbing)

[Suzie-Q]

My plumbing pipes run in the crawl space under my house. Recently a pipe broke and flooded the crawl space. I turned off the water and pumped out the crawl space. I also put a fan down there to help (albeit not much) to dry the space out. The pipe that burst is at the far end of the house, about as far from the access "hole" as you can get. It's under the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the plumbers keep telling me it's too muddy for them to fix the pipe. I said, "part of the job, getting muddy." They said it's too muddy for them to do whatever they have to do to fix the pipe, implying that the tools or whatever would slip or sink or something.

I'm hoping someone here can tell me if they're really being honest with me or they're just putting me off. They've already told me they're very busy -- they've had to fire a couple of guys. And my repair won't be a high-profit job.

Timeline:

--Water turned off completely on Thursday

--Crawlspace pumped out on Friday (done about 6 p.m.)

--Crawlspace drying out (with weak fan) Saturday-Tuesday

--Tuesday afternoon I was told it was still too muddy

Should I look for another plumber? Are the guys being honest with me?

Going without water this long has been a minor nightmare, as you can imagine!

Thanks in advance,

[RBM]

Unless they're the only game in town, I'd call someone else

[Toller]

Are you kidding? Maybe not.

If they have other work to do, any mud is too muddy. Would you work in a muddy crawl space if you had a choice? Look for someone who need the work more, offer to pay him a premium, or wait until he feels like doing it. It is unreasonable to expect someone who is busy to give mud a priority for no reason.

[hallerb]

call another plumber yours doesnt want the job...........

you should of been using several fans or better go buy or rent a couple dehumidifiers of blow heated air under the house, probably the fastest way to dry it up.force heat in near the wet area, let it exhaust thru vents.

is your crawlspace properly vented? or are you one of those sealed it up miss guided folks?

add another access door closer to the problem area, so when something like this happens again access will be easier.

CALL ANOTHER PLUMBER RIGHT NOW.

[Art]

I sometimes call Rotor rooter. They are a bit high but at least in my area are reliable and stick to their quote and don't leave until the job is done.

[tbasc]

Sounds like there is no vapor barrier on the floor of the crawl space. See if you can find someone to put that down. You don't say how high the crawl space is. That might have been a concern too. TB

[Goedjn]

What difference does it make? If they don't feel like doing it, they're not going to do it. You could always do it yourself.

[Suzie-Q]

-> ->

-> >My plumbing pipes run in the crawl space under my house. Recently

-> >a pipe broke and flooded the crawl space. I turned off the water

-> >and pumped out the crawl space. I also put a fan down there to help

-> >(albeit not much) to dry the space out. The pipe that burst is at

-> >the far end of the house, about as far from the access "hole" as

-> >you can get. It's under the kitchen.

-> >

-> >Meanwhile, the plumbers keep telling me it's too muddy for them to

-> >fix the pipe. I said, "part of the job, getting muddy." They said

-> >it's too muddy for them to do whatever they have to do to fix the

-> >pipe, implying that the tools or whatever would slip or sink or

-> >something.

-> >

-> >I'm hoping someone here can tell me if they're really being honest

-> >with me or they're just putting me off. They've already told me they're

-> >very busy -- they've had to fire a couple of guys. And my repair won't

-> >be a high-profit job.

-> >

->

-> What difference does it make? If they don't feel like doing it,

-> they're not going to do it. You could always do it yourself.

Well, that was helpful.

[Suzie-Q]

-> Suzie-Q wrote:

-> > My plumbing pipes run in the crawl space under my house. Recently

-> > a pipe broke and flooded the crawl space. I turned off the water

-> > and pumped out the crawl space. I also put a fan down there to help

-> > (albeit not much) to dry the space out. The pipe that burst is at

-> > the far end of the house, about as far from the access "hole" as

-> > you can get. It's under the kitchen.

-> >

-> > Meanwhile, the plumbers keep telling me it's too muddy for them to

-> > fix the pipe. I said, "part of the job, getting muddy." They said

-> > it's too muddy for them to do whatever they have to do to fix the

-> > pipe, implying that the tools or whatever would slip or sink or

-> > something.

-> >

-> > I'm hoping someone here can tell me if they're really being honest

-> > with me or they're just putting me off. They've already told me they're

-> > very busy -- they've had to fire a couple of guys. And my repair won't

-> > be a high-profit job.

-> >

-> > Timeline:

-> > --Water turned off completely on Thursday

-> > --Crawlspace pumped out on Friday (done about 6 p.m.)

-> > --Crawlspace drying out (with weak fan) Saturday-Tuesday

-> > --Tuesday afternoon I was told it was still too muddy

-> >

-> > Should I look for another plumber? Are the guys being honest with me?

-> >

-> > Going without water this long has been a minor nightmare, as you can

-> > imagine!

-> >

-> > Thanks in advance,

-> Sounds like there is no vapor barrier on the floor of the crawl space.

-> See if you can find someone to put that down.

If you mean plastic sheeting, yes, there is some down there. I don't know how much or how much area it covers.

-> You don't say how high the crawl space is.

-> That might have been a concern too.

Not very high. About 18 inches.

[Toller]

an 18" muddy crawl space. and they are not rushing to get down there. snakes and broken glass probably also?

[Pat]

Cut a hole in the kitchen floor?

[Suzie-Q]

-> Cut a hole in the kitchen floor?

->

->

I've thought about that!!

[Suzie-Q]

-> > -> >

-> > -> Suzie-Q wrote:

-> > -> > My plumbing pipes run in the crawl space under my house. Recently

-> > -> > a pipe broke and flooded the crawl space. I turned off the water

-> > -> > and pumped out the crawl space. I also put a fan down there to help

-> > -> > (albeit not much) to dry the space out. The pipe that burst is at

-> > -> > the far end of the house, about as far from the access "hole" as

-> > -> > you can get. It's under the kitchen.

-> > -> >

-> > -> > Meanwhile, the plumbers keep telling me it's too muddy for them to

-> > -> > fix the pipe. I said, "part of the job, getting muddy." They said

-> > -> > it's too muddy for them to do whatever they have to do to fix the

-> > -> > pipe, implying that the tools or whatever would slip or sink or

-> > -> > something.

-> > -> >

-> > -> > I'm hoping someone here can tell me if they're really being honest

-> > -> > with me or they're just putting me off. They've already told me

-> > they're

-> > -> > very busy -- they've had to fire a couple of guys. And my repair

-> > won't

-> > -> > be a high-profit job.

-> > -> >

-> > -> > Timeline:

-> > -> > --Water turned off completely on Thursday

-> > -> > --Crawlspace pumped out on Friday (done about 6 p.m.)

-> > -> > --Crawlspace drying out (with weak fan) Saturday-Tuesday

-> > -> > --Tuesday afternoon I was told it was still too muddy

-> > -> >

-> > -> > Should I look for another plumber? Are the guys being honest with me?

-> > -> >

-> > -> > Going without water this long has been a minor nightmare, as you can

-> > -> > imagine!

-> > -> >

-> > -> > Thanks in advance,

-> >

-> >

-> > -> Sounds like there is no vapor barrier on the floor of the crawl space.

-> > -> See if you can find someone to put that down.

-> >

-> > If you mean plastic sheeting, yes, there is some down there. I don't

-> > know how much or how much area it covers.

-> >

-> > -> You don't say how high the crawl space is.

-> > -> That might have been a concern too.

-> >

-> > Not very high. About 18 inches.

-> > --

-> an 18" muddy crawl space. and they are not rushing to get down there.

-> snakes and broken glass probably also?

->

-> Well, the snakes probably left when the crawlspace flooded. Broken glass? I don't know why there'd be any down there.

[<aemeijers]

Low-profit, high-hassle job. They are stalling, hoping you go elsewhere. Work in a crawl is miserable under good conditions- 18" crawl is &#39;Great Escape&#39; category even when dry, muddy only compounds it. Is there a closet near kitchen where you can add an access hatch? Is it a real foundation, or is house on piers with just a decorative perimeter where you could add another outside hatch on that end of house?

Good example of why I crossed off crawlspace-only houses while house shopping. This place does have a crawl under addition, but it is dry and 48" headroom- a pain, but livable. And only a couple pipes go through there.

aem sends...