Causing a bit of a stink.

All our pipes are smelly on Opportunity Farm today. The kitchen grey water pipe has backed up with an incomplete blockage. The water takes minutes to drain from the kitchen sink only to rise with 'bits' in the hand washbasin. Just when you think our plumbing cannot get more deficient the water coming through the taps is 'a bit whiffy'. I noticed it first as I was taking a shower. No it was not the backed up laundry tub and No, there was no torpedo shaped objects left floating in the toilet bowl. It was definitely our lovely farm fresh rain water. But how? Our tanks were all sealed. Our house having been renovated by a pedant.
So next day, after waking with a dodgy tummy, we went on the search for the source of the stink. The  house and shed tanks were closed up like Fort Knox so it had to be the header tanks. Up the hill at the back of the house with stilsons, screwdriver, ladder and net. First tank was fine. The second tank had obviously suffered from a fallen branch and there was a hole in the top. Not huge, but big enough. The smell could certainly escape.
Matthew gingerly unscrewed the lid and holding his breath peered inside. .....
We had the trifecta. Two dead possums in advanced state of decay with accompanying maggots. Mathew managed to net out 95% of one possum. We isolated the tank and unscrewed the stop cock. We would ask our friendly neighbourhood septic pumper to see if he could get rid of the rest.
Next smelly job was in closer quarters. Matthew crawled into the small cavity beneath the house to access the grey water pipes. Luckily there were some access points, but Matthew had to crawl on his tummy to get to them.  Then with careful manoeuvring he managed  to blast water using a high pressure cleaner minus the gun down the pipe. He did about four metres before he retired soggy to blast again another day, probably tomorrow. So our water still whiffs and we are boiling it and the drain is still partially blocked but there is always tomorrow and the septic cleaning guy.

 

'Selfie' after Mudbath