Goofy/Shoddy Home repairs

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski Why didn't FIL hook it up after doing all that work and getting it inspected?

One of the great "unknowables" of life, I suppose. DW and I put in our 2 cents worth as in ("if you expect us to visit you here, you better at least connect the toilet.) But, to no avail as it never happened. One thing that may have intervened is that they eventually bought a fairly decent travel trailer which had its own toilet. Sometimes they would drive it to the cottage and live out of the trailer. Seemed odd to us but then you had to know them. YMMV

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar I saw your post - after I posted. Could be the same builder! Who does these things - I'm wondering the same thing. How can something like that happen - at least twice? I did my own plumbing - cpvc supply and pvc waste/ vent. I have to admit that I did something similar. I finished the supply lines and turned on the water to check for leaks. Heard a loud gushing noise - I forgot to glue two fittings together. I must have gently put them together to check measurements to the next fitting and forgot to glue them. Luckily I caught this immediately and only had a gallon or 2 of water to clean up in the basement.

small world, I bet the builder is moving west he is probably in California now.

[akck]

At my oldest son's house that he bought a couple years ago.:



For some reason the photo loads sideways, but who would use so many couplers to attach the hot water tank? I know, the same person who installed this:



I'll let you guess what's wrong with it.

[AutumnElf]

We've had some problems with our houses, but the crappiest previous owner job was in our house we just sold. We bought it as a (in good condition) foreclosure but the bak wouldn't agree to fix this problem. We figured we could fix it easily but it sat for years until my husband devised a nice solution.

What it was was a very fat vent hose piping air and heat to the living room. None of the neighborhood houses had central air or heat (baseboards for heat). So someone put in a weak ac unit. One of the things that made it weaker was this big fat hose. It came out of the.ceiling, dropped down and went back in to the side of the other wall. It was an exposed greenish-brown plastic eyesore for years. Very badly installed. It not only looked ugly but the ac was a whisper of air down in the living room.

Finally, we decided to sell and had to do something about it. My husband finally carefully crafted and angled some light plasterboard around it, added some trim and then painted the whole thing plus the walls. It looked great!

I know sometimes my husband does jury-rigged junk sometimes too, but I sure was proud of him for that bit of admirable work!

[target2019]

In previous home, we had some drywall work done on the lower level. Several years later I heard a psst, and a water pipe was peeing on the inside of wall. Sure enough, drywall guy drilled a crew in a copper supply pipe. It takes a few years, but the dissimilar metals re-act, and you will get a nice mess.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck ....For some reason the photo loads sideways, but who would use so many couplers to attach the hot water tank? ....

They probably didn't use that many couplings originally. But the house has probably had the water heater replaced several times. Each time, the plumber cuts the pipe to get the water heater out, then adds another coupling when he puts the new one in.

[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar They probably didn't use that many couplings originally. But the house has probably had the water heater replaced several times. Each time, the plumber cuts the pipe to get the water heater out, then adds another coupling when he puts the new one in.

Where I live they use flexible couplings from the supply pipes to the water heater, so you just need to unscrew the coupling to change the water heater. I am surprised that plumbers don't do that on any water heaters that don.t have such a feature.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meierlde Where I live they use flexible couplings from the supply pipes to the water heater, so you just need to unscrew the coupling to change the water heater. I am surprised that plumbers don't do that on any water heaters that don.t have such a feature.

I know - those flexible couplings are the best.

[ChiliPepr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman I think you're right about their meaning polybutyl pipe was being used. ... Pex is what just about all the new houses are using. It's easy to work with, much more labor saving (over PVC or copper) and it swells without breaking if the water in Pex freezes.

+1

The new Pex is the best thing since sliced bread. It makes plumbing work much quicker and easier. I did major plumbing replacements in my current home with it and it was much quicker and easier than using copper. The only issue I have found with it is that a sheet rock screw will puncture it easier than copper.

[Philliefan33]

One of the goofiest things I saw was in a neighbor's house, soon after they moved in. This is even worse than painting over switch plates.

The previous owner had pointed the master BR to freshen it up before putting the house on the market. Nice, except they left the bedroom door open when they painted and just painted around the open door. When the door was closed there was a rectangle of the old paint color still left on the wall.

[Revlefty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philliefan33 One of the goofiest things I saw was in a neighbor's house, soon after they moved in. This is even worse than painting over switch plates. The previous owner had pointed the master BR to freshen it up before putting the house on the market. Nice, except they left the bedroom door open when they painted and just painted around the open door. When the door was closed there was a rectangle of the old paint color still left on the wall.

Now that's funny.... I don't care who you are!

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck At my oldest son's house that he bought a couple years ago.: For some reason the photo loads sideways, but who would use so many couplers to attach the hot water tank? I know, the same person who installed this: I'll let you guess what's wrong with it.

Practicing sweating copper joints?

The second one took me a few seconds, looks like ~ 1 1/2" PVC for a waste drain, going to the inner circumference of the flange, rather than 3" (or 4"?) with the flange fitting inside the drain pipe?

The proper way also eliminates an edge into the flow of effluent (what a nice word!). The combo must have meant many clogged toilets, or they only used it as a urinal.

-ERD50

[SteveNU]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck At my oldest son's house that he bought a couple years ago.: For some reason the photo loads sideways, but who would use so many couplers to attach the hot water tank? I know, the same person who installed this: I'll let you guess what's wrong with it.

I kinda like the way the wire snakes out from behind the wall board to the heater.

And that toilet flange, no problem just put the toilet back in but rotate it 90 degrees....😀

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman My lake house has copper pipes, and pinholes appear from time to time--requiring repairs. Wrap the leak in an old bicycle innertube and put a screw clamp on it--and you're good to go.

or get some small brass screws and power drive them into the hole? It worked until the copper needed replacing at 30 years old. Man that was a big job!

[MRG]

We rented a place that was new. Nice little patio home, landlords down the street. When we looked at it he apologized for the spare bedroom.

The plumbing crew installed the toilet with a clean out valve pointed the wrong way(180°), then the drywall folks came by, couldn't attach the drywall cause the valve was too far past the studs. They were smart and just cut around it.

[GalaxyBoy]

Am I the only one who keeps seeing Green Acres and Oliver Douglas climbing the pole to make a phone call to yell at the Monroe Brothers?

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar They probably didn't use that many couplings originally. But the house has probably had the water heater replaced several times. Each time, the plumber cuts the pipe to get the water heater out, then adds another coupling when he puts the new one in.

Kinda like counting the rings on a tree!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveNU ... And that toilet flange, no problem just put the toilet back in but rotate it 90 degrees....😀

Oh, I missed that. Is that the problem? The toilet bolts go in the elongated key-hole slots right? But it looks like they got the toilet on anyhow (judging from the caulk/dirt line)?

-ERD50

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Kinda like counting the rings on a tree! Oh, I missed that. Is that the problem? The toilet bolts go in the elongated key-hole slots right? But it looks like they got the toilet on anyhow (judging from the caulk/dirt line)? -ERD50

Looks like they drilled their own slots when they found the problem.

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucethebroker We have owned 2 different homes where prior owners painted over wallpaper. What a pain that is to remove!

I would rather rip off the drywall and put up new drywall than try to strip painted wallpaper. I'm dead serious.

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveNU I kinda like the way the wire snakes out from behind the wall board to the heater. And that toilet flange, no problem just put the toilet back in but rotate it 90 degrees....😀

That was exactly the solution my plumber son said. The only question is should the tank face the tub or the vanity.