Plumbing Nightmare

[thebostonreader.livejournal.com]

So last Tuesday our toilet started making funny noises, and then suddenly we had four inches of sewage backed up into our bathtub. It was late at night by the time the plumber finally came up, and after snaking out the pipes, he decided that what we actually had was not a clog but a broken pipe.

For this to be fixed, an excavator has to dig up the street. They have to replace the entire length of pipe leading from under the house to the main sewer in the middle of the street. (We live on Willow Ave., towards the Ball Sq. end.) As it turned out, they couldn't dig last week due to the snowstorm combined with the holiday. We are now on our sixth day of being unable to shower or flush. Now they are telling us they can't excavate until Thursday because of this week's weather.

As far as I can tell (and it's NOT easy to get information), this is due to Dig Safe regulations. Meanwhile, we have another whole week of sending little to no water down the drains. Some of us are staying with friends, others are showering at the gym and putting off washing dishes. Meanwhile, there is still sewage in the bathtub since we can't wash it away. Also, they left the trap open in the basement so if it gets backed up it will at least go into the basement instead of our bathroom, but it's also letting sewer gases into the basement and from there into our apartment.

Has anyone encountered a situation like this? Do we have rights here that we aren't considering?

Comments

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I'm not actually on Willow. I'm two blocks off. The crew I'm looking at is on Leslie and Lexington, a block off Highland. Backhoe and jackhammers galore, though.

[thebostonreader.livejournal.com]

Huh, two places at once, fun! They were probably waiting for the weather to improve as well.