A Plumber Entered a Crawl Space Under a California Home and Went Missing...

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According to an article appearing in The Sacramento Bee, a concerned homeowner called the fire department for help when a fifty-year-old plumber wasn't seen for three hours after entering a three-foot-high crawl space under a 65-year-old, 2,100-square-foot home in Northridge, California. After arriving on the scene, the fire department spotted the plumber and used chainsaws to cut two holes in the floor to get him out. The plumber had been sleeping, but was awakened by the saws and was able to crawl out on his own without injury. Was he actually trapped under there, was it a case of narcolepsy, or was the plumber just catching a few Z's while still on the clock?

My first job in the plumbing industry was as an apprentice for my father-in-law. He was old school, and I spent the first five months working for him, handing him tools, picking up parts at the supply house, and going to the dump with old water heaters. I wasn't happy being excluded from the actual work, but I tried to remain patient and positive, hoping my time would come soon…

Then, one day, we arrived at a job site, and I did what I had always done, I carried the tools into the basement through the bulkhead, this time to where Irv was standing just outside of a dirt crawlspace. I was preparing to hand Irv tools and watch him work, when all of a sudden, he surprised me and said, "Okay, Vin, climb in!"

I was so happy I was finally getting a chance to do the work. The entrance to the crawlspace was a jagged-cut opening in an existing concrete foundation about four and a half feet off the cellar floor. There were less than three feet between the dirt floor and the bottom of the floor joists in the crawl space. I was young, just 24 years old, ambitious, and up for the challenge…

I climbed up a four-foot step ladder and slid my body into the crawl space, head first, on my back. As looked to my left, on the dirt, there were several dead mice lying in traps, and when I looked to my right, it was pretty much the same, dead mice. At that moment, I knew exactly why Irv was so willing to give up this job and reduce his role to handing me the tools. In addition to avoiding the nasty crawl space lined with dead mice, he was preparing me for a career in the plumbing industry, which most certainly includes working in crawl spaces.

As the years passed, I found myself in a lot of crawl spaces, unlit dirt ones, and others with concrete floors and lights, which were a lot better. Before I'd slide into any crawl space, I'd shine my flashlight in and look around first. My rule was if there were eyes looking back at me or, the sound of animals scurrying about, I was out of there. I was out even quicker if I saw a snake, even a harmless garter.

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I've been in some really bad crawl spaces, but none worse than an unlit dirt one under a small ranch-style home in Sharon owned by one of my regular customers. 

I had to remove a small rectangular window (24" wide x 16" high) and crawl into this one through the small opening once it was removed. The first part of the crawl space was only about two feet high, so I crawled on my belly about fifteen feet until I reached an area that was dug out and could stand up. There was the smell of moist dirt and mold and one other smell I didn't immediately recognize. Then I saw a dishwasher drain hose that was hanging out of a hole in the floor and not connected to a drain. It just dumped onto the dirt floor. Then I looked over to where the cast iron drain tied into the toilet, and the pipe was cracked, leaking raw sewage, and it had to be replaced. 

Apparently, another "reputable" plumber installed the dishwasher, and instead of connecting it under the kitchen sink, which is the norm, he just pushed the plastic drain hose into the crawl space, wrote a bill, got paid, and was on his way. What a POS!

I crawled out and told the homeowner what I found and that it was gonna take close to a full day to fix both problems. She told me to "go ahead and fix everything…"

I had to crawl in several times, the first time with my Ridgid chain-type ratcheting soil pipe cutter, a pretty heavy (25 lbs.) and cumbersome tool to drag in. Then I crawled in several more times with parts and more tools. It was a real bitch.

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After removing the toilet from the floor upstairs, I snapped the three-inch cast iron pipe in the crawl space and then re-piped the toilet drain using 3" PVC. It was frustrating and difficult, and when I finally crawled out, I was covered with dirt, and all I could smell was the dishwasher waste, which definitely attracted critters. It was probably like V8 Juice to them… I reset the toilet after I finished installing the 3" drain piping and a new toilet flange. That took all morning plus an hour or so in the afternoon. There's nothing quick about working in a crawl space…

When I was finished with that portion of the job, I went upstairs and redid the drain under the kitchen sink, cutting in a branch tailpiece for the dishwasher. I stuffed some steel wool in the existing hole in the bottom of the sink cabinet and screwed a piece of plywood over the hole so none of the now-hungry critters could crawl up into the customer's house looking for food. I spent almost the entire day there and left a bill for my time and the materials I used. 

Four weeks passed, and I hadn't received payment, so I sent a late bill, which included a late fee… Two weeks passed, and I still hadn't received payment or heard from the woman. The music had long since stopped, and she hadn't paid the piper, in this case, the plumber…

When the music's over…

I decided to call and speak to the woman, who was quick to say I "overcharged" her. After I broke down the bill, it was hard to deny that it was anything but "more than reasonable", but she continued heckling me and was still unwilling to pay… 

I explained to her that if she called a TV repairman and after he arrived, he realized he would have to crawl through a small window opening and into an unlit dirt crawl space on his belly, with tools, to repair the TV, I'm pretty sure his price would go up, or he would've refused to do the job and left in a hurry. I explained that I stayed and did the job and charged her my regular rate, and I expected full payment within two weeks; if I didn't get paid, I'd take her to court. She said, "TV repairmen don't normally go into crawl spaces, but plumbers do it all the time." I responded, "most plumbers I know would've walked away from this one…"

I finally received a check in the full amount just a couple of days before the two weeks were up. Once the check cleared, I sent her a letter telling her that I was dropping her as a customer and not to call me again. I remember signing it, "Best of luck, Your Former Plumber".

Even four-foot crawl spaces that are concrete and well-lit are difficult to work in, but shallow, unlit dirt ones are by far the worst. Could I have fallen asleep in that one? No fucking way!

In the comments, let me hear about some of your experiences in crawl spaces…