PDA

View Full Version : It's enough to tick a guy off!!


Stonehenge
05-29-2003, 06:46 PM
We graded and seeded a residential lawn last Thursday. Get a call Tuesday - the buried sump line must be crushed, water spilling out at house, no water draining to end of pipe. Since we were grading, it seemed like a possibility, so we went out to have a look.

Stuck a tape measure into the open end of the pipe and sure enough, got stuck at around 22'. So we dig to find the pipe and repair it. The stuff was only buried 4-5" in one part, and well over a foot in another. I'm beginning to have my doubts as to whether we did ALL the damage to this 4" sewer pipe, because we just don't have the weight to do that.

But I said we'd fix it, so we begin to do that. We run into another 4" sewer pipe line that appears to be coming from a downspout at the front of the house. Only problem is, there is no 'T' or 'Y'. The line gets close to the sump line, turns at a 22 degree elbow, then just stops. We though maybe we obliterated the Y or T. Nope. Nowhere to be found.

When I told the client about it, I said, 'jeez, if whoever did this was going to half-ass it, why run the pipe all the way out to the sump line? Just drop 2' into the ground and call it good.

The open, underground end had about 6" of clay and rock stuffed into it. So we fixed all of it, and I told the customer that we likely repaired well more than any damage we may have done, but 'in for a penny, in for a pound.' I had to force a smile when I said it.

:rrr:

dan deutekom
05-29-2003, 08:08 PM
Things like that can really piss you off. The good thing is that you now probably have a client for life because you solved a problem for him without grumbling or making excuses. Best PR you can do and it will come back to you in referrals many times over.:)

PSUscaper
06-08-2003, 09:19 PM
Nice to know I'm not the only one.

Had a similiar situation last year. Peopl had a sump pump and leader drains going out a 4 inch pipe around the driveway. During construction, We had a lot of equipment driving over it and a lot of trucks....

While planting a tree, one of my guys hit it with a backhoe. When we were fixing it, we noticed it filled with dirt. Sure enough the whole thing was crushed.

The thing is, the pipe was bone dry, and so was the dirt in it.

We had heavy rains during the project, so if we had caused the damage, I know it would be still wet.

I turned out the guy who installed it did it in a heavy downpour. I'm sure they buried it with mud and then drove all over it. Though I'm positive I did not cause all the damage, I replaced it anyway.

steve