Well, I talked to my husband some more about the sewers in the cities, and I told him my idea about the towels in the sinks. After he stopped laughing, he said it might work for some of the apartments on the upper floors of the high rises. For folks down nearer to street level, it could add up to a LOT of psi. The inflatable ball things are a good idea, though. Be sure to get the best one you can get, (there's a bunch to chose from???) and have one for each toilet.

He said you really don't have to get into the main sewer line, just into the trap of the toilet itself to block gases and fluid. Removing the toilet would be a big pain, not the least of which is the business of putting it back on when the coast is clear.

Husband said smartest thing to do is call a plumber & ask about your location, he/she should be able to estimate how bad a problem may erupt.

Oh, here's something; here's the url for the Do-It-Yourselfer site

http://doityourself.com/

It's a site for the home handyman, and they have catagories for all kinds of stuff, electrical, plumbing, etc. I've posted questions there a few times, and always got responses from professionals or folks who had personal experience. It might be a good place for a question like sewage backup management. Then you wouldn't have to worry that your expert might be trying to sell you something, like a home sewage disaster kit or something.

Also a good resource for home maintenance & decorating, etc. How to make your barbed wire blend into the landscaping, maybe?

-- Arewyn (nordic@northnet.net), November 09, 1998

Answers

Barbed wire can be cut. Plant berry bushes, roses or other natural sticker plants.

The sewer thing reminds me of why we strive for the house on top of the hill.

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), November 09, 1998.