Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Burying a Propane Tank Means Plumbing Issues Happen - The Law of Unintended Consequences Illustrated

I had a feeling this would "end badly" and it seems to have.

We have been "battle hardening" this property against hurricanes since we moved in here in 2006.   At this point we're doing well.

We've replaced the roof, the air conditioning for a more efficient model, appliances are more efficient as they get replaced like the refrigerator and dishwasher.  The stove is Propane gas instead of electric so that we can cook while power is out.  Hot water is supplied by a super efficient unit that is smaller than a suitcase and that runs on Propane.

We've gotten a generator sufficient to power the air conditioning and the refrigerator at the same time since this is Florida after all, and it is dual fuel.  It runs on Propane as well as Gasoline.

Were we to run the Propane tank empty, we could start to use the gasoline out of the Jeep.

The next step was to get a larger Propane tank and relocate it underground and away from the house.   It was "per code" when it got installed back in the Bad Old Days, but code got smarter and having a 100 gallon tank of Propane next to the electrical panels next to the house could end badly.

Can we say "Boom" children?

A side benefit is all this efficiency lowers the "Carbon Footprint" and lowers the cost of running the house on a normal basis.  On a square foot (Meter) basis, we use less energy than the neighbors do.

Finally after getting all the appropriate permitting done and finding a competent installer, we accepted delivery of the monster tank that is getting buried.  We don't try to "get away with any funny business" because I count the Mayor, some of the City Commission, and multiple officers on the Police Force here in this town as personal friends.  Friends will watch over you.  I was told there was an outside chance we will hear from Code Enforcement today but not guaranteed.

So we keep it all legal.

Except.  When homes were built in Florida during "That Era" the material used in some of the construction was weak and will degrade.  Standards have changed, and we have learned here.  That is what happened to the sewer outflow from the house.  The pipe was rendered as thin as tissue paper by years of normal use and as the hole was dug to bury the Propane tank, the pipe disintegrated and collapsed.

I'm waiting on a plumber to reconnect us to the sewer system right now.  It is rigged to accept a light flow so as long as we don't do too much at the same time, it's safe for a shower at this point.  I just checked.

I won't say "Golden" because in this context that means a different thing!

Give Us Strength!

So here we go.  Whether this is "TMI" and too much info, I don't know.  It's all a matter of public record anyway. 

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