Tunnel Rat

If you are considering buying an older, lived-in house I recommend that while you are in the option period, you spend the money and have a hydrostatic test performed.  It is a lot cheaper to pay $350 to gain valuable information about the house now, while it is still thiers, rather than drop as much as $15,000 after it becomes yours.  If the lines fail and do not hold pressure you will have a powerful bargaining chip to renegotiate a lower sales price.

A hydrostatic test is one in which a professional leak detection company gains access to the sewer pipes under the slab with a high tech pipe camera.  It is much like a sewer snake with an eye ball on its head.  They go in through the clean out.  If the house you are interested in buying is like many older homes and has no clean out, then they will remove the toilet or go in through a roof vent.  Once into the sewer system they will plug it off and fill all the pipes with water.  If it does not hold water pressure then the system fails.

At this point you are either rejoicing or sweating bullets depending on whether or not you have already closed.  Now comes isolation testing where they plug, test and repair their way one section at a time from upstream all the way to the city tie in.  The pipe snake has a trasmitter on it for mapping and locating root intrusions, major breakages and improper sloping.

Once a break is located they must get to it.  This is where the cost escalates because remember, it is under the slab.  If it is just one break in the middle of the house they can jack hammer a hole in the concrete for access, but most often there are several breaks on these old houses.  So they tunnel and tunnel and tunnel.  It kind of reminds me of the Vietnam tunnel rat stories.  The tunnels have to be large enough for a small man to walk in hunched over.  They will rip out the corroded, gunk-filled cast iron pipes and replace them with new schedule 40 pvp pipes.

As of this writing in April, 2009 I have a crew at work on a rehab in the Meyerland subdivision of Houston, Texas which is notorious for foundation and under-slab plumbing problems.  I thought I would have my cheap foundation man do the digging for the hydrostatic guys and save some money.  A package deal.  Heck, he just put in 58 piers.  NOT!  After things kept getting more and more complicated I threw in the towel and had Avalon do the whole job, tunneling and all.  And I’m sure glad I did.  Managing that little underground project would have cost me more than his $8,000 fee and been one big headache.

So let this be a lesson for you.  Learn from my mistake and get a hydrostatic test on the under-slab plumbing before you buy.  If you already own a house in Houston with these problems and don’t want the grief and hassel of repairing them before you sell, or you don’t have the money to repair them, give me a click http://www.we-buy-houses-houston.com.   I will make you a fair offer and close quickly.

About the Author:

Chuck Hoskins is part of a Houston based, family-runned real estate buisness. They buy houses that others won’t. Others buy the good, Chuck buys the bad and the ugly. He even buys houses with cracked foundations and under-slab broken pipes. To contact Chuck click We buy houses in Houston.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Buying an Older Pre-Owned House? Beware of Potential Under-Slab Plumbing Issues

With his background working as long as hunting dogs, a Border Terrier still retains many of the same hunting instincts as their ancestors. While they have become adaptable to current obedience and agility trials, dogs really succeed in earthdog trials. Consequently, more Border Terriers have won the American Kennel Club earthdog trials than any other breed of dog. If an owner is looking for a way to participate in competitions and exercises with your dog, earthdog trials are an ideal activity.

Unlike field trials or hunting, earthdog test events are a synthesis in which the dog and the dam is completely safe due a controlled environment. The Border Terrier must maneuver through a series of underground tunnels after the smell of a rat, which is kept safely in a cage. Once the dog locates the rat, due to bark, dig or scratch to prove his instincts are well honed hunting.

Earthdog trials are hosted by the AKC, the American Terrier Partnership Working and various other clubs around the U.S. and some parts of Europe. While there are some small differences in trials sponsored by the AKC earthdog and AWTA, this article focuses on those offered by the AKC, which provides owners with an idea of what it is. In AKC earthdog sponsored trials, there are four kinds of evidence offered. The novice or beginners class is called Introduction to the quarry, and any dog can be made regardless of experience or class. With the assistance of a judge, a beginner, participate and discover their hunting skills in a short 10-meter tunnel.

The second class called Junior earthdog, which is a necessary step for those looking for a trophy or a title. The Border Terrier should negotiate tunnel 30 meters with three shifts. To succeed, the dog must leave the arms of the owners, locate the beginning of the tunnel and continue until the end where the dog is digging, the leg or to show the rat cortex has been found. The skill level of the day, is formulated around the same premise, but the dog should show a greater knowledge. In the Senior earthdog trial, the dog must find the subway tunnel with odor, after finding the rat, the dog must quickly return to the head after being removed from the tunnel by a judge show. For the last level, Master earthdog trial, the dog must locate the correct path to the rat and side tunnels can be used as a form of distraction. For the most difficult test, a driver must remove the dog from the tunnels.

Dog breeds that are eligible to participate in earthdog tests include Miniature Schnauzers, Dachshunds and Terrier breeds most others. The main difference between an AKC AWTA and tennis is that most of the races are allowed into the events AWTA. The AWTA also offers employment certificates, and the hunting of foxes, raccoons, rats and snipe. These dogs can become successful hunters, flushing out game that includes rabbits and poultry.

Whether you seek to introduce her Border Terrier hunting, or simply prefer to enjoy a bonding time outdoors, earthdog trials are a great way to participate in an activity that you and your dog will love. For those interested in more information about earthdog trials, contact the club or AKC AWTA should produce a large amount of information.

About the Author:

This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com. For more information on the Border Terrier, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Border_Terrier/.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Showing A Border Terrier In The Earthdog Trials