Truth in Plumbing

[rusty]

If plumbing contractors told the truth....

[Donny B.]

The last plumber to do a job for me was pretty high priced .........and I don't think he even had one of those wrenches.

[Papaw]

Last time I paid a plumber was 30 years ago, and he had plenty of those. I since learned to do my own, from city service to the house and inside too.
So much plastic and pvc these days, you seldom need a wrench in the house. Last time I needed a pipe wrench, I used an H D Smith Perfect handle 10 inch.

[RedVise]

Have only called a plumber once, but he earned his money, no begrudging him the dollars he earned.
I pick my spots, there is a time to call in the pros, doesnt matter whether it is autos, electrical or plumbing.


Brian L.

[bonneyman]

...I pick my spots, there is a time to call in the pros, doesnt matter whether it is autos, electrical or plumbing.
Brian L.

+1 on that! Plumbing is too messy, and the wife's car has gotten too electronic for me to work on. Plus, I'm beat after a day fixing A/C's on people's roofs. You've gotta pick your battles.

[scottg]

Plumbing Rocks!
I used to go out with $12000 in carpenter/cabinet tools and could easy wreck something and waste whatever profit I had made, in one moment's time.

  When I went to plumbing I could show up with a small box that I could accidentally back over in the driveway and hardly hurt anything! And even if I did, I could replace most all of it in one trip to the swap meet for 50 bucks of less.

Plus, you build a piece of furniture or a deck and people will lay on the ground underneath and look for scratches and hem and haw, and anything at all they can do to haggle you down on the price,
   and then be real slow to pay whatever is agreed on.
 
  But, when they haven't had a toilet or hot water in 3 or 4 days, Buddy, they have their money ready when you get there, and serve you lunch to boot!
 
There is a big big difference between what people merely want and what people need.
I will never again be engaged in something people only want.   
  yours Scott

[Branson]

I used to go out with $12000 in carpenter/cabinet tools and could easy wreck something and waste whatever profit I had made, in one moment's time.
  yours Scott

Boy, does that sound familiar!  And the closer you are to finishing, the greater the chance of something getting wrecked.   And don't forget the
change-orders while the project is underway!   

[Donny B.]

Plumbing Rocks!...........................

....................... when they haven't had a toilet or hot water in 3 or 4 days, Buddy, they have their money ready when you get there, and serve you lunch to boot!
 

I heard that plumbers only have to know two things;........ that s**t flows down hill and the way to the bank.

[herbie]

My father did his own plumbing.  He never tried to teach me and I learned by watching.  I've done all my own plumbing (the house we live in had none when we moved in 40 years ago).  I never went out of my way to teach my daughters but apparently my older daughter watched.  She does her own plumbing and when she gets stuck she calls me to pass her ideas.  She's great at drywall finishing also.  On the other hand, her sister knows only how to use the telephone to get plumbing or for that matter anything handy done.  Must be genetic. 

There was a short episode on TV a few weeks ago about plumbers.  The TV guy fixed a water heater to leak at a union just above the heater and then called a plumber.  The plumber was left alone to fix it.  The plumbers they showed all went into the room, looked at the problem, waited 15 or so minutes and then told the lady of the house that a new water heater was required.  One even said that there was a risk of explosion (electric heater) if it wasn't replaced right away.  When confronted by the TV guy each plumber defended the need for a new heater.  The TV guy didn't say how many plumbers fixed the leak but then good plumbers probably don't make good TV.

Herbie   

[scottg]

I heard that plumbers only have to know two things;........ that s**t flows down hill and the way to the bank.
[/quote]

Not true!!  There is so much more!

Hot is on the left
Sh-t don't flow --uphill--
Don't lick your fingers
  heehehehehhehe

Water heaters barely last 10 years anymore. Any plumber will expect to change out anything nearing that age, because they know that in a week or 2 months it'll pop and the customer will be blaming you sure as sh-t. Some are just looking for the hustle, its true, but most are practicing self preservation.
That said, I keep plenty of extra used thermostats from leaking tanks, because if it doesn't spring a leak and it doesn't work, thermo is the number one reason why.  They nearly always swap right on between brands too.

   I will rebuild any faucet rather than put on a new one.  No matter how much hype Delta and Kohler put on their $900 dumb yuppie specials,  a 1950's Imperial or Chicago weights twice as much. 
Bath faucets especially. I see guys often ripping out the wall, a setup for weeks of misery,  when a few minutes and the right tools and parts will make it work just like new again.
Parts are getting harder to find though.
The Big Plastic Borg Boxes hardly stock parts at all.  People are so stupid and they've bought into the replacement theory so bad, the parts market is dying.

The last time my own bath faucet needed it, from the time I shut off the main to the time I turned it back on again, was 20 minutes. I timed it. Total rebuild with every moving part, and seats too, new handles and bushings, 20 minutes. I bet I could change just the washers in 10 minutes right now.
  If you secure your own parts in advance and never-seize all fasteners the last time you did it,  it's a piece of cake.

  The number one secret of successful plumbing at your own house is never-seize, btw.
Taking the few seconds of extra time to lube the fasteners makes all the difference in the world, when you need to go back in.  And you -will- be going back in someday, so don't be a fool.   
    yours Scott