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I now know why PLUMBERS get $60.00/HR

Isn't it ironic how benign the pic of Mr. Toilet is. And the mechanics of it seem so simple too. Let OMI's lesson be apparent to us all.

Mr. Toilet is the Black Hole of plumbing.
 
OMI said:
Did I also mention that I had NO idea what a "SPUD WRENCH" was.... BUT I own one now!!!!! Hmmmmm

Now how much would a plumber have charged me and how long would it have taken for a PROFESSIONAL to have done this job?????

Hmmmmmmm

:scratch2:
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One of the reasons the plumber charges so much is the sheer number of specialty tools and spare parts he has to carry. It is really easy to get a huge inventory tied up in only one service truck, and the number of tools I have that are only good for ONE particular job is ridiculous.

Time to pull a commode, replace tank-to-bowl, and reset? Less than an hour, and that is counting the time to repair the leaky shut-off valve. Those damn things always seem to leak around the stem if they haven't been used in while. If it is just a tank-to-bowl leak, I wouldn't even pull the commode or take the waterline loose. (Unless the water is connected with an older chromed copper tube, then a poly supply would be mandatory.)
 
Over the years I have learned there are two household chores I hate: Hangin drapes and plumbing repairs. I will hang a drape but anything other than the most simple plumbing repair, I call the man. We are on a first name basis.

If I had attempted the same repair as OMI and had the same problems I would have been forced to throw the damn thing out the window. The comforting part is if I would have even looked like I might have attempted that repair my wife would have stepped in and had the plumber here before I could get started.:D

Terry
 
Hmmmm Something about the CHALLENGE in it all...
Can I do it.....
Will it work...
Will it leak.....

WILL THE WIFE KILL ME!!!!!

Good point ozmoid and TW:)


Hmmmm Next time I will let the Pros have at it.... BUT... Then the wife may start to ask burning questions such as...."WHY DID IT TAKE YOU 4 DAYS AND HIM ONE HOUR!!!!".... or.... "Why did you spend $70.00 for parts and stuff AND 4 days yet the Plumber only billed us $60.00 and he got it all done in one hour?????"

THE PAIN..... THE PAIN...:)
 
Generally it is the shutoff valves that give you greif. As has been noted they will leak around the stem when you go to shut them off. The nickle plated copper tube that goes to the bowl is to be avoided like the plague, they are so thin-walled anymore that if you over-tighten the olive nut you will never stop the leak. Most of the problems with plumbing nowadays are due to the "Country of origin", seems that the high quality made in NorAm products are a thing of the past. We might have been able to buy them at the local plumbimng shop but the big box stores (and our own culpability) has put them out of business. I recall a Canadian shirt manufacturer whose motto was "No one ever regretted buying quality". Amen to that but wher can you find it?

Rob
 
merrylander said:
Generally it is the shutoff valves that give you greif. As has been noted they will leak around the stem when you go to shut them off. The nickle plated copper tube that goes to the bowl is to be avoided like the plague, they are so thin-walled anymore that if you over-tighten the olive nut you will never stop the leak. Most of the problems with plumbing nowadays are due to the "Country of origin", seems that the high quality made in NorAm products are a thing of the past. We might have been able to buy them at the local plumbimng shop but the big box stores (and our own culpability) has put them out of business. I recall a Canadian shirt manufacturer whose motto was "No one ever regretted buying quality". Amen to that but wher can you find it?

Rob
Click to expand...

I work for one of the big box hardware stores... and when I b*tched to the VP of Rough Plumbing about the lousy quality of copper product his answer was that they stocked American copper for years but the price difference was so great (from the suppliers) that customers simply didn't buy the better built stuff, opting for cheap imports. To the point where it wasn't cost effective to waste the selling space stocking it.

We shoot our own foot when we sacrifice quality for money....
 
Behold... I reveal to you the secrets of the crummy way contractors bid houses, and the shoddy way they purchase product to build them.

Contractors very often bid on a project using a pricing scale that incorporates the highest quality materials, then they complete the actual construction using whatever they can find that will pass code inspection. This has alot to do with why people buying a house are paying $150 - $175 a square foot, for chip-board or MDF underlayment, type M foreign copper, mexican built fiberglass tubs, 3/8" sheet-rock, and (forgive my bluntness) half-assed, untrained construction crews that can't spell quality, much less build it into a new house.

Sorry, this is super sore subject with me. Until consumers refuse to remain ignorant about how they're being ripped off, they'll continue to be. People spend more time buying their clothes than they do their homes. Do the research, haunt the job-sites, make your contractor do his JOB! He may have ripped off the guy before you, he may rip off the guy after you, but don't let him rip you off!
 
The trouble is that unless you know where the contractors go to buy "good" stuff, the made in Lower Slobbovia junk is about all you can find.
 
Amen, Fotno! Also check with your local BBB, and make sure your contractor/plumbing service company is: LICENSED AND INSURED. In the plumbing industry, it is particularly easy to get away with being "a guy with a wrench" DIY plumber working for commercial rates. When you hire these guys, YOU lose if the job goes bad. Hiring a Licensed, insured professional will usually get you a warranty on the installation/repair as well. YMMV.
 
As a guy who likes to fix things, I have learned long ago that there is a god in charge of repair. The god demands an offer of skin or blood periodically. So beware, you all who attempts DIY.
 
SolderIron said:
As a guy who likes to fix things, I have learned long ago that there is a god in charge of repair. The god demands an offer of skin or blood periodically. So beware, you all who attempts DIY.
Click to expand...
:lmao: Wise, wise words.
 
Well I had to unclog the bathroom sink today!I had to take apart the trap clean out all of the wet hair(yechh!)and use my snake to clean out the drain in the wall!Luckily the operation was sucessful and swearing was kept to a minnimum!
 
fotno said:
Behold... I reveal to you the secrets of the crummy way contractors bid houses, and the shoddy way they purchase product to build them.

Contractors very often bid on a project using a pricing scale that incorporates the highest quality materials, then they complete the actual construction using whatever they can find that will pass code inspection. This has alot to do with why people buying a house are paying $150 - $175 a square foot, for chip-board or MDF underlayment, type M foreign copper, mexican built fiberglass tubs, 3/8" sheet-rock, and (forgive my bluntness) half-assed, untrained construction crews that can't spell quality, much less build it into a new house.

Sorry, this is super sore subject with me. Until consumers refuse to remain ignorant about how they're being ripped off, they'll continue to be. People spend more time buying their clothes than they do their homes. Do the research, haunt the job-sites, make your contractor do his JOB! He may have ripped off the guy before you, he may rip off the guy after you, but don't let him rip you off!
Click to expand...


indeed. my cousin paid $150k for one of those cookie cutter McMansions, and I can't stand it. The entire house looks "nice" but the doors are light and flimsy, and it general feels like a cheap cardboard house. I'd much rather live downtown in an older building, or a nice house in one of the decent neighborhoods where you can tell the houses apart. Urban sprawl is becoming more of a problem here and it's driving me insane. I hate seeing big boxes, shopping centers, and housing developments springing up everywhere. You used to be able to see green, and trees, 15 minutes out of town. Not anymore. Damn rich people are too good to drive into town and shop...
 
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