The logistics of water and sewer

Very confusing working with the Municipio workers via the bungalow owner on the corner who also works for the Municipio and two lot owners who are not here via email. We heard at the last minute that if we buy the pipe they will run sewer up the road in front of the lots. This is just as I'm ready to call in a backhoe to dig for a water line. So we get the 8" sewer pipe and the water project goes on hold because you can't have two ditches on the road. 

Saturday was supposed to be the last day the workers could be there so a few people were getting frantic. That was simply bad info from the bungalow owner because when I showed up on Saturday the news was they will work until the work is finished. Now that makes sense!

Friday we were there to mark the water line and mark off the lot for the backhoe who might be able to trench for the wall foundation. We were just about finished when the workers showed up and started digging a registro in the middle of the intersection. I told the bungalow owner we could pull our cars out now so we could leave when we wanted and he just shrugged he shoulders and we were trapped for 2.5 hours. I finally asked the backhoe driver to smooth a path for us to one side and he did. Now we just wait until the sewer is finished and work on the water later

Incoming 12" sewer line

Registro on the corner

Us waiting in our trapped position

Trying to get city water

The picture is a little more than half of the 60 meters we need to run a water pipe. Friends have two lots to the left under that large tree and I'm trying to get water there before construction starts in November. It seems that if you don't have a 2" mainline in front of your property you have to install that as well. A water contract with San Patricio is 1800 pesos but only includes 6 meters of 1/2" pipe. The 60 meter run is going to cost about 2500 pesos for material, 1200 for a backhoe and whatever a plumber charges to lay the 2" pipe.

The biggest problem is communication with the lot owners. The Canadians are very slow on email responses and Ron left San Miguel for Seattle about a week ago and I haven't heard from him. I assume Ron drove but maybe they flew and will rent a car. The two hangups so far are money and full sized (legal) copies of all the lot papers. So I wait to see what they can do for copies if they have them all and for some money deposited to my account.

Mystified

I awoke this morning to find the outside sink had fallen off the wall. I first thought of a person in the middle of the night but you don't accomplish anything by standing on the sink. I also wondered why I didn't hear it as it's not far from my bedroom door that has a screen in it. All I can think of is my cat or it fell off of it's own weight. Simple white sinks are not expensive and only part of the drain pipe broke.

Bought a new sink for $240 pesos (basic white) but think I'll change everything including the handles/faucet., drain, wall fastener and larger screws to hold it on the wall.

Oops !!

The other is my tinaco is suddenly overflowing.  I climb up and find the float overextended in the up position and the tank full.  I lower the water level  and I can not over extend the float manually. We have moderate street pressure today so I'm eliminating possibilities.

The mystery float

My unnecessary "don't drop them in the tinaco trick"

Hugo came over while I made the school run and figured out the water was not coming from from above at the float valve shut off but from the bottom of the tank. I knew with this strange system that could happen but it never has in 3 years. My plumber thought with the good street pressure we have much of the time, why not have street pressure in the house rather than just gravity from tinaco.  So he installs these check valves that will change with pressure levels. Problem is the valves get stuck and this one usually gets stuck where tinaco pressure is not enough to open it so I bang on it to get water again.This time it got stuck in the opposite direction so that street water was enters the bottom of the tank.

Check valve - valvula check

Obviously something has to be done someday but I'm afraid it's gonna take pipe cutting, rearranging and even turning the tinaco to give more room for adjustments now and in the future.   In the meantime a couple whacks with a hammer or large wrench fixes the valve.

Water fix, sugarcane falls and the stars

So much to do and so little time around the house.   Just kidding

I've been watching this water leak for a few months. I thought a leak and others thought just from a drip from the filters above.  It finally had a little stream of water even if ever so slightly.   The ground here swallows water very fast so very easy to miss a small leak.  I vaguely remember the ridged black pipe we were using was just a little short and not flexible for a turn like this.   It lasted a couple years but eventually decided to disconnect. May have been effected (was effected) by settling under the water spout.  

A two day project and more digging than I want.   Had to decide on the flexible hose to make that connection because the rigid black pipe is not flexible and basically brain dead.  20 pesos a meter for the clear stuff, very flexible and as strong as the black stuff.  The weak part are the hose clamps that corrode and become useless. Have a soldered copper solution before or after you install. 

Heard it earlier today but didn't see the sugar cane fall on my banana plant.   Almost time for the sugar cane to go and the banana is OK for awhile

Finally found that my cheap camera on AUTO will try to light adjust and do a time lapse of the stars.   No way can hold steady for 2 seconds or more .... so what these were I don't know.

Google Earth view of my repair 

Cane on my banana

Looking up at Google Earth Sat