OT: Electronics help debouncing a float switch

[JRouche]

forcing the issue would cost more than just seeing what we can agree. In an ideal world he'd come back and just sort it....but evidence shows that's not the world that I live in.

Isnt that right? My street is not that old, yet. My Mom is and they tried to cut the roots with a "special" root cutter. It did work for most if not all. Some 4" roots were cut. Specifically for roots though, no dirt. JR

[Cenedd]

Hard to believe no records of sewer piping. I would have expected more in the UK. Sorry.

You're not wrong. I'd love to laud it over you how much better we've done things but I suspect that this may have been part of post-war rebuilding (the dates are about right) and either corners were cut or perhaps just with the passing of years things didn't get transferred from blueprints files who-knows-where onto modern systems. It's still a bit shoddy though.

Have you considered ground mapping radar, or something of that sort?

Fortunately I think we're further along than that now. Whether the drain about-turns and goes back out the front or continues towards the back (but separate) or goes to a soakaway doesn't change the fact that we must disconnect from it. At least, having found the manhole we can infer the route of the drain from the soil stack as a straight line between the two.

I don't know all the details but the builder of the housing development where I live routed some drainage plumbing under private yards when they should have been on the development's common property. One of the lines broke and the resulting leak ended up badly flooding someone's house. The local government maps were of no use. They ended up doing some sort of pipe detection on the surface to find the leak. The builder ended up paying for everything including detecting the leak, rerouting the pipes that went through several yards, and flood damage.

Sonde was definitely an option but it would have been costly. Technically I'm sure that it is possible to force all of the cost on the original builder....but unless he volunteers that, forcing the issue would cost more than just seeing what we can agree. In an ideal world he'd come back and just sort it....but evidence shows that's not the world that I live in and especially at the moment with all the delays of Covid and the extra materials costs from Brexit (whether really justified or just opportunistic) he's going to be trying to minimise his outgoings as much as the rest of us.

[genea]

Have you considered ground mapping radar, or something of that sort?

I don't know all the details but the builder of the housing development where I live routed some drainage plumbing under private yards when they should have been on the development's common property. One of the lines broke and the resulting leak ended up badly flooding someone's house. The local government maps were of no use. They ended up doing some sort of pipe detection on the surface to find the leak. The builder ended up paying for everything including detecting the leak, rerouting the pipes that went through several yards, and flood damage.

[wmgeorge]

Bob Engelhardt They're quite unusual here when you're anywhere near a grid. Not unheard of but given the main sewer is on-grid it seems more likely that it's a separate rain water service....that we've been polluting. Were there proper maps kept we obviously would not have.

wmgeorge Maybe but it's more a last resort here. It's costly up front, you stand to lose ("I did it in good faith and there were no maps") and even if we win we might just break even. Most likely effect is having to live with it for far longer than if we just got on with it. Sad but true unfortunately.

Hard to believe no records of sewer piping. I would have expected more in the UK. Sorry.

[Cenedd]

Bob Engelhardt They're quite unusual here when you're anywhere near a grid. Not unheard of but given the main sewer is on-grid it seems more likely that it's a separate rain water service....that we've been polluting. Were there proper maps kept we obviously would not have.

wmgeorge Maybe but it's more a last resort here. It's costly up front, you stand to lose ("I did it in good faith and there were no maps") and even if we win we might just break even. Most likely effect is having to live with it for far longer than if we just got on with it. Sad but true unfortunately.

[wmgeorge]

Sounds like you need to find a lawyer, yes the builder is liable unless you signed something otherwise.

[Bob Engelhardt]

Maybe you have a septic tank! My Dad lived in a house for 40 years before he got a plugged drain line. When they snaked it, the line didn't go to the street, but to a septic tank under the front porch! He never had any idea that it was there.

[Cenedd]

You must have numpties for plumbers.

The builder who did it originally, yes I'd agree with you. The plumbers however are trying to do me a favour. The camera they use does have sonde capability but they don't have the detector and it's a skill to interpret the signal well. The guy who does that is about $700 so if we don't have to do that, frankly it's a bonus!
That said, we can't get the camera down the line we're connected to (and can't clear the block) so we couldn't trace it beyond where we know it goes anyway. However, it's kind of academic since we know where it doesn't go and that is to the only place it is permissible for to to go - so anywhere it does go is off-limit. We do know where the line from stack to manhole is now that we have found the manhole - a string line should give us that quite accurately and we can dig to meet it and join it. So on paper, it's all easy....it's just getting it done and negotiating who should pay for it. My theory is that it shouldn't be me as it wasn't me who did it wrong in the first place. The builder will want to charge for it despite being responsible for it. However, I suspect that the result will end up somewhere in between. As long as it's less than getting someone else to do it - and it'll be less than taking it legal, regardless. I should caveat that by saying that I want him to do the digging and making good but the actual plumbing part of it ....not so much!

[J Tiers]

Well, we've had a camera down the manhole now. Four pipes coming in and even found what appears to be one joining after the manhole. Guess which pipe my toilet is connected to..... that's right, none of them. So it's looking very much like the combined service we have isn't combined at all.
So now negotiations for the costs of digging begin. *Sigh*

You must have numpties for plumbers.

When we had the sewers lined here, the plumber put down the camera, BUT he also had a sensor unit.... he walked around outside with that, and was able not only to find the pipe and discover where it went, but also was able to determine how far down it is.

Seems like your folks should have been able to do that from your house.. Find one who is. Otherwise there may be a "treasure hunt" all over the place.

In the US, there would have to be a "stack", a vertical vent pipe from the toilet pipe. That would have a "cleanout port", and the camera with sensor compatible head would be fed down that, to follow the drain, and be tracked with the hand-held sensor.

That would probably answer a lot of questions in a "non-invasive" manner. At this point it may be your best path forward, if that is available where you are.

[reggie_obe]

Don't give my wife ideas! .....although, more space for a workshop that isn't a cupboard would be nice...

That's the greatest benefit of relocating. Go house shopping while the ball 'n' chain is on a conference call. Find a place where she could have a home office (tiny) in exchange for you having a spacious shop.

[Cenedd]

Sell your house.......during a spell of sunny weather.

Don't give my wife ideas! .....although, more space for a workshop that isn't a cupboard would be nice...

[reggie_obe]

Well, we've had a camera down the manhole now. Four pipes coming in and even found what appears to be one joining after the manhole. Guess which pipe my toilet is connected to..... that's right, none of them. So it's looking very much like the combined service we have isn't combined at all.
So now negotiations for the costs of digging begin. *Sigh*

Sell your house.......during a spell of sunny weather.

[psomero]

555 timer or build your own one-shot trigger circuit. It will charge a cap, then dump it when the switch is closed, energizing the relay coil, and you can size it such that it will hold the relay energized for some amount of time.

[Cenedd]

Well, we've had a camera down the manhole now. Four pipes coming in and even found what appears to be one joining after the manhole. Guess which pipe my toilet is connected to..... that's right, none of them. So it's looking very much like the combined service we have isn't combined at all.
So now negotiations for the costs of digging begin. *Sigh*

[JRouche]

I have a small float switch

and it bounces for a while.

Many thanks,
Gareth

The floaty might be too light. Id strap some weight on the float arm to slow it down. Slow the float down some maybe. JR