The Ox in the Mire...

This is what it looked like once the water
got shut off...lots and lots of muck and mire!

My 7-year-old woke me up very early this morning to tell me: "Daddy, there's a man at the door who said there's a flood in our front yard."

Of course I got up, even though I didn't want to and went to check it out.  Turns out the man was one of my neighbors and I did have a flood.

My house is four years old.  We've lived in it for a year.  You don't think this stuff happens when you have a relatively new house.  But I'm living proof that it can.

Here are some tips on how to survive if you ever have to shut off your water for an extended period of time:

1.  Be Prepared and Don't Panic.

You should know where the water shut off valves for your house (or dwelling) are located.  My house has 3 main ones:  the one at the curb that shuts of EVERYTHING.  This is the most important one.

I don't think anyone has ever actually touched the whole house water shut-off valve in the four years since our house was built.  That made shutting it off a pain in the neck!  I had to get a wrench to get enough leverage to get it to budge.

Then next most important valve is the shut off for the whole house.  Ours is located in the garage.

The Whole House Shut Off is the yellow lever on the right...
Notice how it's in the "OFF" Position

Then there is the shut-off for the sprinklers.  Ours is located on the side of the house.

Anyway, make sure you get that turned off so that you stop the bleeding.  If you know where those are located ahead of time, you'll be a lot better off and you won't have to panic.

Whenever I think about NOT panicking, I think of that great Vince Vaughn quote from "Couples Retreat" where he screams: "He said not to panic, He said NOT to panic!"  (it's at 1 minute 5 seconds of the video...)

(That reminds me that I need to show J. where all of those things are....)

2.  It Takes A Village.

Even though there was little they could do except feel bad for me, I was heartened by having so many neighbors come over and offer to help.  Some offered to let me borrow tools (helpful because many of mine are still packed even though we moved over a year ago!); others offered to let us shower at their house (I took a neighbor up on that one); and one let me actually use his outside hose.  

He's the real lifesaver and we've been using that all day.  If I could, I'd run that hose right in my kitchen window!  We never would have survived without it!

3.  The Bucket Brigade.

Break out the buckets and water bottles!  If you put one in the bathroom and kitchen it will make your life easier.  If you didn't have the foresight to have either, a quick trip to Walmart will solve the problem pretty cheaply (so long as there isn't some sort of natural disaster in your area).

I shamefully admit that I had to buy a couple of extra buckets and the water bottles pictured below.

Your neighbor's borrowed outdoor hose will come in handy as you fill those bad boys up.

Your fancy dishwasher won't work without water, but don't worry...
...the photographer doubles as a dishwasher!  :-)

You never really realize how dependent we are on water until you turn the tap and nothing comes out.

I'm grateful for our modern water supply!

Having this in the bathroom will make brushing your teeth a snap!

Put those buckets to work "re-loading" your toilets!

 4.  Dig Yourself Out Of A Hole or Don't Be Afraid to Get Your Hands Dirty.


Fixing a broken water line is not as tricky as it sounds.  I've actually done it several times.  Many times if you count broken sprinkler lines.  The more you do yourself, the more you can save yourself financially speaking.  I can't imagine what a plumber would have charged to come out today (on a Sunday) and get started on this!!

First, you need to try and find the break in the pipe.  In this case, water was gushing from the hole on the right and cascading down my yard into the gutter.

Note how the force of the water pushed up the concrete slab.

You will need to break out the shovels.  I had three different ones, depending on where I was trying to dig and what I was trying to dig through.

I had to dig through chunks of concrete construction debris, tree roots, clay, muck, mire, pebbles, and mud.

WARNING: Don't try this if you care about how your hands and nails look. My nails are scuffed and torn from digging and reaching through clay, stones, and concrete.  I have scratches all over my arms and hands.

I was able to dig the break out and stick my arm down the hole to try and find the break.  I got all the way to my arm pit, but still couldn't touch the pipe.

Unfortunately that means that I will have to "demo" the sidewalk slab to get to the break.

I just hope that our demolition work is limited to one slab and that I don't have to tear up the driveway.

Those are sprinkler pipes (not leaking)...
...I'm still looking for the main line (which is leaking)!

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, it reminds me of one famous family Thanksgiving where the main water line to my parent's house broke on Thanksgiving Day.

We spent all of Thanksgiving Day digging a huge hole in our neighbor's yard where the break in our pipe had occurred.  Somehow my mom managed to make Thanksgiving dinner with no running water because she had dozens upon dozens of 2-liter bottles of water that she had stored.  That was a memorable Thanksgiving for sure!

Be sure to pile the dirt out of the way--like the driveway.

5.  Have A Sense of Humor!

I suspect that I'm going to need it when I get the bill following demolition tomorrow!

J. told me that she thinks that I've been a star today for having such a good attitude, but it has been stressful.  It's no fun to have to ration toilet flushes or to carry water upstairs in the bucket brigade so that you can keep the bathrooms "civilized."  (I'll spare you any further details...)

I think that the kids also deserve a star because they have been really good.  E. kept on coming out to check on me and wanted to help so much.  She is so adorable that it's hard to be grouchy or bugged when she is so cute.

For example, I came in tonight to find that the kids (who couldn't really run around or get dirty today--and never had a bath) had set this up to entertain themselves.

Seeing my kids play brought back a lot of memories...

...of making forts and structures like this
and playing with my brothers and sisters.

It was really cute to see them playing together like that.

Even though we are still in the midst of this crisis, we are blessed with so much.  It helps to remember that and to remember that "this too shall pass."  Let's just hope it's tomorrow!!