Waste water from neighbor's laundry
Q: We live in a rural neighborhood, with septic systems rather than sewers. Nearly everyone here drains their laundry into a backyard sump pit to prevent detergents from damaging their septics. Recently, we noticed water draining under our back fence and into our garden. To our dismay, we discovered a PVC pipe that drains our neighbor's laundry water into our yard - detergent, lint, and all. We left a note on their front door, asking them to call us, but we received no response. Someone needs to teach them a lesson about common consideration. How do you suggest we resolve this problem?
A: This is not officially recommended, but the "Lucille Ball" approach would be to install a cap on the end of the pipe at the back fence. The resultant overflow in the neighbor's laundry room would most likely draw an immediate response. However, this would probably incite a unneighborly feud: amusing fair for a TV sitcom, but not a formula for community coexistence.
A more practical approach would be to discuss the matter face-to-face with the neighbors (assuming they are inclined to cordiality) and to ask that they relocate the open end of the drainpipe. If friendly persuasion is not effective, you can report the matter to the local health department, building department or equivalent agencies. In most areas, draining gray water onto exposed ground surfaces is illegal and is particularly egregious when disposal occurs on someone else's property. In short, take the good guy approach. If that doesn't work, let the government be the bad guy. They've had more practice.
Q. A friend suggested I replace the ungrounded outlets in my bathroom with GFCI outlets for added safety. He explained that GFCI outlets can prevent electric shock when appliances are used near water. Another friend disagrees. He says GFCI outlets will not work with my old wiring system because there are no ground wires. Is there any way to add GFCI protection to my bathroom outlets without having to upgrade the wiring?
A. Grounding is not necessary for the proper function of a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). The way GFCI outlets work is by detecting differences in amperage between the hot and neutral wires. When the amp levels are not equal, the GFCI device responds by disconnecting the power.
A GFCI outlet requires hot and neutral wires only. In older homes, where ground wires are not installed, GFCI outlets can significantly improve the electrical safety at minimal cost. Adding GFCI protection is a good idea, not only at the bathroom outlets, but anywhere that electricity is likely to be used near water, such as kitchens, laundry sinks, wet bars, garages, pools and spas.
• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.
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