Crap Week

[Mpsafranski]

In order of magnitude which coincidentally is the order of events!

First, my PS4 bricked 60 minutes into The Last of Us 2. I bought the thing 2 years ago just to play the first one (always been an Xbox guy) and kept it to play the sequel.

2. Yesterday got the news I was passed up for a promotion. One I wasn’t sure I was ready for anyway, but was pushed to apply for. Still have a great job but the raise sure would have helped because:

3. Torrential rain tonight and as I type the basement is flooding.Rather slowly now, but the basement window well is full so it eill Even though there’s a drain, the sump pump just keeps kicking the water Back up and it’s so saturated there’s nowhere for it to go. That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve slowed it but there is literally nothing else to be done at this moment.

Tomorrow is going to be...well it’s not going to be fun.
Good news is none of my gear is down there!!!! Always a bright side.

 

[ryanosaur]

Ouch.
I feel you man.

At least, perhaps, you won't have a county-wide evacuation for wildfires anytime soon, along with near state-wide power grid shutdowns to help prevent said fires.



@NorCalRP , what say you? How are we looking this year?

Regardless, I hope yor situation fares better than you advertise. A lot of adversity in life right now.

Cheers!
R

 

[Danzilla31]

Brother I feel your pain hang in there the universe can't keep sh$!#:ing on u forever

 

[shadyJ]

How is your homeowner's insurance for flooding?

 

[Mpsafranski]

@ryanosaur seriously, even though the situation here sucks, trust me, when I went to bed I counted ALL the blessings. The baby slept through the whole thing, house is still standing, nobody has COVID, it’s only money. I know I probably shouldn’t complain. Can’t imagine living in fire or hurricane country.

@shadyJ We did add sump pump coverage. Thing is it didn’t technically fail. It’s going to take some figuring out, there may be a blockage somewhere. We may see what insurance will cover depending on the extent of the issue

going to need to look this weekend.

THANKFULLY the visible water in the basement today is not all that bad. And not nearly as bad as it was 3 years ago when we bought the house, and immediately had something similar happen, although that time we had all the gutters replaced which was recommended, and this is the first issue since. The worry is, how many times did this happen before we lived here, and what’s behind the drywall down there

 

[Midwesthonky]

2. Yesterday got the news I was passed up for a promotion. One I wasn’t sure I was ready for anyway, but was pushed to apply for. Still have a great job but the raise sure would have helped because:

3. Torrential rain tonight and as I type the basement is flooding.Rather slowly now, but the basement window well is full so it eill Even though there’s a drain, the sump pump just keeps kicking the water Back up and it’s so saturated there’s nowhere for it to go. That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve slowed it but there is literally nothing else to be done at this moment.

Sucks losing out on a promotion. I've been there before. Lost out on one because one guy felt I was "too aggressive" meaning he didn't want his European team being shown up by the American team that I was interviewing to lead. When his team stole the work we did and published it, I walked.

Oh the old rain in the basement... Been through that a couple of times and recently too. Check your window wells to make sure they are not clogged. Mine were both clogged with leaves and crap so the water wasn't draining through the stones in the bottom. Basically, I had a giant fish bowl until the wood window frame rotted out. Latest one had us in the basement when the tornado sirens went off. Was watching news in the basement when I heard water running... looked at the the boss with a WTF look. Oh yeah, water pouring in through the other window. Mad scramble at 10:30 pm. I was outside in the pouring rain and lightening. The downspout extension had gotten knocked off so the water was following the slope...which ran right to the window well. Fixed the extension that night to stop the water flow in. Then a hours cleaning up the mess. Fixed the slope the next day and bought a new window.

My house really needs another course of cinderblock in the basement so I can properly slope the yard to keep water away. But cheap bastard built the place. There is a reason the builder went out of business shortly after the subdivision was built. Just make sure all dirt slopes away. Use downspout extensions, etc. Good luck! Hang in there! 2020 sucks.

 

[TLS Guy]

How is your homeowner's insurance for flooding?

Home owners insurance does not cover flooding at all, only sewer back up. You can only get flood insurance form the Federally subsidized flood insurance program. They do not cover basements for flooding, only the electric panel, water heater and furnace if it is below ground, as these can not be removed.

I sympathize as I have had basement trouble in every home I have had. In Canada we had a ground water flood, that was not too bad. Then we moved to the Red River Valley, and had a basement flood almost up to the floor joist just 3 months after moving in.

Then we had the the Great Red River Flood of 1997. I built a massive dike all round the house. It nearly got topped. We had pumps everywhere. We got away with minimal water damage. I organized a massive community project in my neighborhood. The daft city engineer made fun of me on the radio! We only lost two homes. One because the owner did nothing and laughed at us. He had severe damage, and we lost a basement because a floor drain plug came out.

Then the hospital decided to hire the idiot city engineer. As clinic building chairman that was a real thorn in my side. Dealing with someone pig dribble stupid who lacks judgement is really tedious.

Then at the lake we only had about two feet of the back of the house below ground, and we still had trouble. Before the frost came out of the ground each year the snow run off would seep into one corner. I ended up having to go a big sump project with a pump.

So I made absolutely sure I built this house without a basement! I think with heavy rain fall events everywhere, basements should be against code in new construction now.

So I really do sympathize with you Mpsafranski. I know what you are going through. It is not fun at all.

 

[panteragstk]

Good news is none of my gear is down there!!!! Always a bright side.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Sorry everyone. I feel for you all. I'm hoping it all works out in the end for you guys.

Okay, I'll add to some heartbreak. I lost my job after almost 14 years with the same company. We got bought out last year and the new company that came in was already in the red when they bought us. Turns out, they're still in the red this year, big time.

It'll get better. I hope.

 

[TLS Guy]

Sorry everyone. I feel for you all. I'm hoping it all works out in the end for you guys.

Okay, I'll add to some heartbreak. I lost my job after almost 14 years with the same company. We got bought out last year and the new company that came in was already in the red when they bought us. Turns out, they're still in the red this year, big time.

It'll get better. I hope.

I am really sorry. That is not good news, especially at a time like this! What is your line of work, may I ask? Unfortunately there has been a lot of corporate stupidity rampant for years. Now with Covid 19 the chickens are really coming home to roost. An awful lot of these over paid CEOs appear not very bright to me. Anyhow wishing you the best of luck in your job search.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

I am really sorry. That is not good news, especially at a time like this! What is your line of work, may I ask? Unfortunately there has been a lot of corporate stupidity rampant for years. Now with Covid 19 the chickens are really coming home to roost. An awful lot of these over paid CEOs appear not very bright to me. Anyhow wishing you the best of luck in your job search.

Thank you sir! I am in IT. Yes, I agree, some of those CEOs out there are pathetic. I believe I'm unemployed because of one. The behavior of a lot of large companies out there is acquire, acquire, acquire. Then worry about the consequences later. But what about the possible layoffs of good people in those acquisitions? That doesn't matter, they're just a number to the monolithic empire.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thank you sir! I am in IT. Yes, I agree, some of those CEOs out there are pathetic. I believe I'm unemployed because of one. The behavior of a lot of large companies out there is acquire, acquire, acquire. Then worry about the consequences later. But what about the possible layoffs of good people in those acquisitions? That doesn't matter, they're just a number to the monolithic empire.

Well, I think you should take some comfort from the fact that you likely have highly marketable skills, now likely to be in very high demand.

I have a couple of sons in this. One is the chief software engineer for Lumi. They specialize in large secure meetings, especially annual share holder meetings, which traditionally have been in person meetings. When this Covid balloon went up, his boss told him the company would likely go out of business due to travel restrictions. So my son went to work and wrote software day and night for virtual meetings. Now they are doing a year's business every week! He ran the AMA house of delegates meeting always held in Chicago. It was the weekend of the George Floyd protests and the venue would not have been accessible any way. It was not only held virtually but all AMA members could register and watch but only delegates take part. They did hold a virtual town hall meeting afterwards which members could take part in. I have never attended a national House of Delegates meeting before, but was able to this time. My son kept it all running smoothly from his basement in Richfield.

My other son is a senior electronic engineer for Broadcom. He says business has gone crazy of late for requests for all kinds of specialist chips.

I sense this pandemic is changing the world profoundly in ways we will only later come to understand. In ways never before imagined there will be winners and loosers coming out of this crisis, but on a scale never seen before.

So your job now is to pick the winning team.

 

[Mpsafranski]

Man, @TLS Guy that is SOME history you’ve got with water. I can’t imagine water up to the joists.
We have already settled on moving in the next few years because we just had our first kid and the school district here (Racine, WI) is...not good. LOL there’s a sentence I never would have believed I’d utter a few years ago.

I’m not going to lie...reason #1 I’m pushing for building vs buying is I want a real deal HT room, and on the first floor to boot. Whether there’s a basement or not...unsure.

 

[panteragstk]

I am really sorry. That is not good news, especially at a time like this! What is your line of work, may I ask? Unfortunately there has been a lot of corporate stupidity rampant for years. Now with Covid 19 the chickens are really coming home to roost. An awful lot of these over paid CEOs appear not very bright to me. Anyhow wishing you the best of luck in your job search.

It amazes me how many companies were apparently hanging on by a thread. So many long standing companies have filed for bankruptcy.

At the same time, there are a lot of companies either cutting employee wages, or laying them off while still giving high level corporate executives bonuses. Really is starting to show what companies are good, and which ones aren't. I know of a few that won't be getting my business again.

 

[highfigh]

In order of magnitude which coincidentally is the order of events!

First, my PS4 bricked 60 minutes into The Last of Us 2. I bought the thing 2 years ago just to play the first one (always been an Xbox guy) and kept it to play the sequel.

2. Yesterday got the news I was passed up for a promotion. One I wasn’t sure I was ready for anyway, but was pushed to apply for. Still have a great job but the raise sure would have helped because:

3. Torrential rain tonight and as I type the basement is flooding.Rather slowly now, but the basement window well is full so it eill Even though there’s a drain, the sump pump just keeps kicking the water Back up and it’s so saturated there’s nowhere for it to go. That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve slowed it but there is literally nothing else to be done at this moment.

Tomorrow is going to be...well it’s not going to be fun.
Good news is none of my gear is down there!!!! Always a bright side.

Sump pump isn't supposed to go into a drain.

Install a French drain or dry sump/rain garden in the yard and make sure the water can't drain toward the foundation. Put covers on the window wells, too.

I'm in the MKE area, too- unfortunately, the city I'm in planted Silver Maples after the Elm trees died and now, my gutters fill with leaves and those stupid seeds. I have a screen at the downspout but that clogs, so they block the water. I was standing at my kitchen sink during a storm and heard water splashing, so I looked out the window- it was pouring over the gutter, right over the window well which wasn't covered. I went to the basement and saw that the window well was half full and over the level of the dryer vent, so it was coming into the basement. I ripped the vent off and destroyed the plastic louvers, so I could stick the hose from my ShopVac through and suck the water out. I then went up to clean the gutter on my Mini Giant knock-off ladder. During a thunderstorm. As fast as I could.

 

[highfigh]

I am really sorry. That is not good news, especially at a time like this! What is your line of work, may I ask? Unfortunately there has been a lot of corporate stupidity rampant for years. Now with Covid 19 the chickens are really coming home to roost. An awful lot of these over paid CEOs appear not very bright to me. Anyhow wishing you the best of luck in your job search.

Too much is done with a nod and a wink between people who are connected. While that's great on the surface (it's always nice to work with friends & relatives, right?), ineptitude and greed rear their ugly heads when we need those least.

It's time to clear out Congress and get someone who not only understands spending limits and balanced budgets, they'll abide by them. Spending Monopoly money is no way to run a government or whole industries.

YouTube has some videos of Putin and in one, he talks about the US operating on constant debt. It's interesting

 

[highfigh]

It amazes me how many companies were apparently hanging on by a thread. So many long standing companies have filed for bankruptcy.

At the same time, there are a lot of companies either cutting employee wages, or laying them off while still giving high level corporate executives bonuses. Really is starting to show what companies are good, and which ones aren't. I know of a few that won't be getting my business again.

Clinton never should have signed the move to give China favored trading partner status and businesses should have reconsidered using one country as their only source for manufacturing but when people say 'Buy American", they're called all kinds of names and told to shut up. It's probably good that our parents and grandparents aren't here- the BS going on would have killed them.

 

[highfigh]

Home owners insurance does not cover flooding at all, only sewer back up. You can only get flood insurance form the Federally subsidized flood insurance program. They do not cover basements for flooding, only the electric panel, water heater and furnace if it is below ground, as these can not be removed.

I sympathize as I have had basement trouble in every home I have had. In Canada we had a ground water flood, that was not too bad. Then we moved to the Red River Valley, and had a basement flood almost up to the floor joist just 3 months after moving in.

Then we had the the Great Red River Flood of 1997. I built a massive dike all round the house. It nearly got topped. We had pumps everywhere. We got away with minimal water damage. I organized a massive community project in my neighborhood. The daft city engineer made fun of me on the radio! We only lost two homes. One because the owner did nothing and laughed at us. He had severe damage, and we lost a basement because a floor drain plug came out.

Then the hospital decided to hire the idiot city engineer. As clinic building chairman that was a real thorn in my side. Dealing with someone pig dribble stupid who lacks judgement is really tedious.

Then at the lake we only had about two feet of the back of the house below ground, and we still had trouble. Before the frost came out of the ground each year the snow run off would seep into one corner. I ended up having to go a big sump project with a pump.

So I made absolutely sure I built this house without a basement! I think with heavy rain fall events everywhere, basements should be against code in new construction now.

So I really do sympathize with you Mpsafranski. I know what you are going through. It is not fun at all.

Here (which is near Msafranski), insurance will cover floor drain and sump pump backup but, as I learned when I had water in my basement in 2010, they don't want to cover the damage if it comes from both. I fail to see how I could be responsible for floor drain overflow unless I poured something in that clogged it, or planted a tree with a taproot over it- the city did that and I did have roots in the tile that caused another backup unrelated to a storm. My former insurance company told me they probably wouldn't cover the flood damage and I dumped them soon after receiving the settlement check.

Poured basements can help, but the main problem is poor drainage. The old saying "Build on high ground" has been forgotten and New Orleans should be allowed to flood, so the rest of the country doesn't have to pay for their flood damage and relocation of people who will cause problems wherever they were sent.

 

[Midwesthonky]

Clinton never should have signed the move to give China favored trading partner status and businesses should have reconsidered using one country as their only source for manufacturing but when people say 'Buy American", they're called all kinds of names and told to shut up. It's probably good that our parents and grandparents aren't here- the BS going on would have killed them.

I have to laugh at how people are just no looking at China as a supply chain source. I was leery of China 20 years ago. As an engineer, we would design parts such that we had to have the tooling made in the US. 20 years ago, if you had your tooling made in China (injection molding, stamping, or other), there would be 3 molds made. You got the worst one. The other 2 would get sold off to Chinese companies who specialize in knock-off parts. Plus the tooling you got was less expensive because it was made from mild steel and just flame surface hardened. It would never hold up in the long run like a US made tool.

Another company I worked for had a product manager pushing for a new product to be made in China due to the pricing. The fact that demand is highly variable (very low for weeks and weeks, then a sudden need for a bunch to be shipped out within a day or two type demand), means if it's made in China, you have to sit on a warehouse full of product to meet demand spikes. Or you could make it in Mexico or the US and not need the warehouse because you can flex people in or out as demand changes. Or you can air freight a shipment over from China eliminating the cost savings for the year.

Always hated the "china is cheaper" mindset because the long lead time for shipping means you are committing to product demand a lot more in advance than if you were in the US, Mexico, or Canada. Plus if you find a quality issue, your ability to react and get good product in is greatly hampered. Like when we switched to a new vendor with a factory in China. Product evaluation went great, go into production. After 6 months or so, suddenly there are problems. Yeah...a key component was molded and had a specific temperature/time cure profile. It's China. Turns out the mold had over 300 cavities in it. The operator had quit and they put a new guy on. Labor was cheap so instead of more expensive tooling to auto eject the parts, they paid a Chinese guy to use a long rod to manually remove every part. New guy was slow so the tool cooled down a lot more and the parts didn't cure properly. So we had warranty issues... Gotta love it!

 

[Mpsafranski]

The sump doesn’t pump into a drain. It pumps up and out into a drainage line that is supposed to run down into the culvert. There’s a clog somewhere so it was backing up and just dumping water where it comes up from the basement and right back into the window well which is covered but that is beside the point as that’s not how the water was getting in.

pain in the ass trying to get someone out to redo the drainage line so end around is a 10 foot pipe running into the yard bypassing the drainage line.

as for New Orleans and its residents...really??? Wow. However one feels about the idiocy of building a city that size below sea level, there’s absolutely no need to go there. Just, wow.