Duct Tape
The other morning our plumbing backed up. Since this has happened more than once, we assumed we had a blockage - and since our little burg doesn’t have a plumber (and our fiduciary situation was tight anyway) I plunged right in (pun intended).
Fortunately, we have a clean out plug under the trailer, so I pulled back the lower panels and unscrewed the plug. Sure enough, the line was full of toilet paper and, er, sludge.
So I got out our trusty “snake,” a 100ft long flat piece of steel about an inch wide, and started plunging. Of course, I got sewer water in my mouth (phippdt!) while kneeling in an inch of shit water as it poured out of the hole. Before long, I had it all over me. My wife asked if I was having problems, I sputtered that I was having trouble getting the snake through the hole. She said that I always did have problems with holes.
Low blow! Low blow!
She was lucky I didn’t throw some crap at her. I pushed and I pulled and twisted the snake, a couple of times it snapped back at me, knocking my cap off and splashing me with more shit water. I finally figured out that the clog was from the plug to the alley, but I wasn’t making much progress. The snake had a “head” the shape of a ball, which would have helped, but it was too big for the plug hole. I was using the other end, which was sliding through the clog.
In an unusual fit of serendipity, I used duct tape around the “tail” end, wrapping it around a piece of foam I had in my tool shed. It fit the hole (no more wifely comments). I shoved the thing through the pipe almost the whole length of the snake. It worked. We flowed again.
Another use for that wonder of modern technology, duct tape!
I was so (bleeping) tired though. I can imagine the sight of a 72 year old man bent over under the trailer covered in shit must have been a sight. Luckily my wife didn’t have her camera phone, I would have been a hit on YouTube.
Originally Posted by midnightpoet
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