Originally posted by VoiceOfReason <-- it is really crappy.
I'd hate to be the repair plumber on that job!
Once about 20 years ago I was on site having a septic tank concrete lid removed so we could install new lines to the 750 gallon tank. The guy with the backhoe had a helper with a shovel to help keep the lid balanced as he lifted it off on a chain. It was a big heavy kid and he was new..and a little clumsy at what he was doing. I kept telling him to stand back from the sloping ground around the tank....but he didn't, and he went in head first. I had all the water cut off at the main and he had to wait several minutes until we could get a water hose on him...I bet it felt like forever.
Nasty work...a part I don't miss!
Some plumbers around here use the "EPA" tactic on sewage line leaks under homes. Telling the homeowner they must go in using EPA and Fed safety standards...jacking up the price by well over an additional $500. for a simple disconnected or cracked line.
I never did that, but I did figure in the loss of all my clothes including my underwear and my boots. I used old clothes and boots.....when I could, to minimize the loss and the cost. A couple of bags of lime on the ground and a bath in strong bleach water when finished and I never caught any deadly disease......but I think I was just very lucky. You could sometimes walk away after a days work under there with over $1K clear...but you damn sure earned it.
It's one of those things where "Somebody's gotta do it".