For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 10, 2023

I’m with Michael on this one. Why are weeping tiles called as such? (Oh, El, your floor will be repaired ASAP.)

Is what Elly is doing “weeping”? I think she is more on the wailing side of “weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth” with all that noise.

Don’t forget with water comes mold, and that’s tricky b-stard to eradicate.

What are weeping tiles?

Any excuse for Elly to open her big mouth!!

All Elly needs to do is call her insurance company to pay for the damage.

That’s a good idea. Always have a backup! But my question is what if the backup fails FIRST! You will never have any idea you can’t depend on the backup any more!

Is this a goof? Three days ago when Michael was in the crawlspace trying o fix the sump pump, the crawlspace doors were painted white. Now with the plumber here the crawlspace door’s white paint has vanished and they are back to their wooden color?

A house is never paid for.

Never heard them called “weeping tiles”… they’re called Drain Tiles.

Back when this was written and drawn, it was a time when insurance did not cover water damage from overland water or any leak from the foundation. Thus Ellie would be weeping, now-a-days there is more coverage for this type of peril.

John must be away maybe at a dentist conference?

This sounds like a job for Mike Holmes.

Where’s Dad? Oh, must be at the office…

Weeping system with a sump pump? My house has weeping and no sump pump.

The perforated pipe is called a weeping tile (also called a drain tile or perimeter tile). When the pipe is draining, it “weeps”, or exudes liquids. It was named during a time period when drainpipes were made from terracotta tiles.

A portable sump pump will work. Just put it in the sump and attach a garden hose to the outlet to the street. Of course, you have to go out in the rain

If you are going to have to dig around the house to replace the drain tiles, then spend a little extra to waterproof the exterior basement walls.

I grew up in Minnesota, had a basement, basement had a water pump pumping water from underground, until city put in water. It rained but basement never got flooded. I know what a sump pump is, but nobody I know had one.

What Elly’s doing is wailing…that’s of Biblical proportions.

This strip makes an excellent argument for public housing.

Home ownership is highly overrated. One of the happiest days in my life was when we closed on our house and started renting. Yes, I know there are some disadvantages to renting, but overall, for me, they outweigh the disadvantages of owning a home. For example, I like the fact that renters’ insurance is much cheaper, and it even includes flood insurance.

What is the problem? John is a rich dentist, remember?

I represented a buyer and seller on the same house that had a sump pump. It was built near an underground spring. I suspect all the homes on that street had the same issues. I had a contractor dig little canal ditches under the home so the water could go into the yard and street if the water table got too high. It was in Portland, so do the math.

Meanwhile next door at Connie’s house

Greg: What’s that horrible noise?

Connie: Elly’s basement flooded again and she is screaming to solve the problem. It happens every year in the rainy season. It’s the whole reason we bought that extra sump pump that Lawrence took over to her house.

Greg: It didn’t seem to prevent the screaming.

Connie: I know, but at least this time it’s only lasting a few hours.

Call Mike Holmes

Where’s John during all of this?

Did not have a basement or need a sump pump when living in San Francisco. Have all that stuff, weeping tiles, two pumps, and lots of waterproofing and such in BC.

Great.Now I don’t know what a sump pump AND weeping tiles are!!

I thought it was because of the water that was squished out when you step on them—