I have a strange situation. I live just north of Boston and it's been really cold the last month.
Two weeks ago, our water service line froze up. It was the city's problem, so they came out, dug out the shutoff in my lawn and ran a thaw machine back to free it up. We were two weeks without water, but we finally have it back.
The city told me to leave a faucet on a trickle so that it doesn't freeze back up, because the frost is down around the service line in the street.
But, my house was built in 1958 and I have a cesspool. I actually have two. One in the backyard that's for my washing machine and kitchen sink, and one that is in the side yard, and that's everything else.
I'm afraid to have my faucet trickle so I don't flood the system, but I have to or else I won't have water. Right now I've been switching tanks daily. 24 hours on the kitchen sink (back cesspool), 24 hours on the side cesspool (bathroom sink).
I am running about 1 gallon every 9-10 minutes, so 6-8 gallons (roughly) per hour.
Does anyone have any alternatives? Basically I need to keep water running, but where I'm not on public sewer, I'm trying to find out if anyone has been in this situation before, and what alternatives you may have used.
Or, do you think I'm OK with alternating tanks and I don't flood our system? I have spoken to two local plumbers who believe I won't flood my system, and the system will drain where it's such a slow trickle
I might have to do this for a few weeks. It's 6 degrees as I type this. The city work said 5-7 days of above freezing temperatures not only during the day, but at night. That might be end of March here!
Thanks for any advice!!!!
Two weeks ago, our water service line froze up. It was the city's problem, so they came out, dug out the shutoff in my lawn and ran a thaw machine back to free it up. We were two weeks without water, but we finally have it back.
The city told me to leave a faucet on a trickle so that it doesn't freeze back up, because the frost is down around the service line in the street.
But, my house was built in 1958 and I have a cesspool. I actually have two. One in the backyard that's for my washing machine and kitchen sink, and one that is in the side yard, and that's everything else.
I'm afraid to have my faucet trickle so I don't flood the system, but I have to or else I won't have water. Right now I've been switching tanks daily. 24 hours on the kitchen sink (back cesspool), 24 hours on the side cesspool (bathroom sink).
I am running about 1 gallon every 9-10 minutes, so 6-8 gallons (roughly) per hour.
Does anyone have any alternatives? Basically I need to keep water running, but where I'm not on public sewer, I'm trying to find out if anyone has been in this situation before, and what alternatives you may have used.
Or, do you think I'm OK with alternating tanks and I don't flood our system? I have spoken to two local plumbers who believe I won't flood my system, and the system will drain where it's such a slow trickle
I might have to do this for a few weeks. It's 6 degrees as I type this. The city work said 5-7 days of above freezing temperatures not only during the day, but at night. That might be end of March here!
Thanks for any advice!!!!