Called a Plumber

Dancer373 said:
Since my husband passed away 3 years ago youtube has become my best friend. For fixes that I know aren't major I check youtube and follow step by step. It's saved me quit a bit of money and made me feel self sufficient :)
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Absolutely, I usually watch many videos, as sometimes the person doing it, is an idiot or just super lucky.
The garage door one is where a guy demonstrates how to kill yourself, but doesn't even know it.

With watching the videos I learned and did:

  1. Replaced my garage door springs when one broke.
  2. Replaced by brake pads on car.
  3. Replace O2 sensor on car
  4. Fixed the ignition switch on car so it no longer gets stuck in the off position.
Easily saved about $1,000 in just those 4 things.
 
Had a similar situation where I had been gone for 2 weeks and the day I got back, I'm watching TV and something in the toilet let go. Water everywhere...for a minute or two. (whew!)
My neighbor wasn't so lucky. Toilet let go and ran for 3 days. Four feet of water in the basement. Had to replace every wall in the house due to fear of mold. He lived in a hotel for 6 months.
 
DF was a mechanic, DM a great cook. I got my first job in a hardware store the day I turned 16, worked until I graduated from college 6 years later.

Best education I ever could have had, and has paid off handsomely over the years.

No, I wasn't Tony from Saturday Night Fever, well, maybe the inspiration.....
 
marko said:
Had a similar situation where I had been gone for 2 weeks and the day I got back, I'm watching TV and something in the toilet let go. Water everywhere...for a minute or two. (whew!)
My neighbor wasn't so lucky. Toilet let go and ran for 3 days. Four feet of water in the basement. Had to replace every wall in the house due to fear of mold. He lived in a hotel for 6 months.
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Yeah he went thru the laundry list of why the overflow tube might not work.
 
Corporateburnout said:
Keep this guy's name and contact handy. He's a keeper.

This would have been an easy $300 job around here.
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Agreed - that said, the same store that had the allen wrenches probably had a replacement fill valve. BCG could have had it fixed for 1/10th the cost, 2 days sooner, plus impressed the heck out of his mom.... just sayin' :cool:
 
euro said:
Agreed - that said, the same store that had the allen wrenches probably had a replacement fill valve. BCG could have had it fixed for 1/10th the cost, 2 days sooner, plus impressed the heck out of his mom.... just sayin' :cool:
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They had some brand "x" flush device it was 12 bucks:LOL:, I was all confident showing him the drawing for the disassembly for the shower, but was thrilled I wasnt the one doing it. Not the reason I called him, but did you see the schematic just to reattach the water divertor?
 
Blue Collar Guy said:
They had some brand "x" flush device it was 12 bucks:LOL:, I was all confident showing him the drawing for the disassembly for the shower, but was thrilled I wasnt the one doing it. Not the reason I called him, but did you see the schematic just to reattach the water divertor?
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I handle some minor repairs around the house but most of the time I call a professional. In an effort to save some money I may end up with a bigger problem. Not to mention keeping DW happy as I would not hear the end of it.......
 
Corporateburnout said:
I handle some minor repairs around the house but most of the time I call a professional. In an effort to save some money I may end up with a bigger problem. Not to mention keeping DW happy as I would not hear the end of it.......
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Thanks, I know I would have broke something. I totally forgot about the detached shower diverter, that would have went unfixed without this guy. I will now be able to tell someone who is adventurous, how to do it, and offer to help them now hahha.
 
My neighbor knows a lot of off the books tradespeople. I just had all the piping under my sink replaced including an emergency call for $50-$25 parts, and $25 labor. This guy is terrific. I have an electrician a bit more expensive, but also licensed, available and fast. A few weeks ago my main breaker blew and would not reset. It was 30 years old. and I had about $150 worth of fish and shellfish in my little freezer. Electrician came over after work Friday night, and had my power back on within 3 hours for $250. I was happy to pay.

For years I lived in the boonies and did all this stuff, never liked it. I knew the guy in the local plumbing supply better than I cared to. I was better as an electrician than as a plumber thank heavens. But the tradespeople were often drunks and not very good so even my so-so skills beat theirs, especially when the money payments were considered.

And I agree with someone above, if the job does not take highly developed skills but just time, I'll do it. Not quite ready to pay someone just because I am lazy, though I admit to being lazy. My former wife said that i could and would do anything, as long as it was not useful.

My Dad had a guy who could have built the Taj Mahal, worked cheap and was a teetotaler. All these guys are now extinct.

Ha
 
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marko said:
Had a similar situation where I had been gone for 2 weeks and the day I got back, I'm watching TV and something in the toilet let go. Water everywhere...for a minute or two. (whew!)
My neighbor wasn't so lucky. Toilet let go and ran for 3 days. Four feet of water in the basement. Had to replace every wall in the house due to fear of mold. He lived in a hotel for 6 months.
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All the more reason to turn the water off when gone for a more than a day. Also a reason to turn the valves to washing machines off when not in use.
 
meierlde said:
All the more reason to turn the water off when gone for a more than a day. Also a reason to turn the valves to washing machines off when not in use.
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The problem in New England in the winter is that the water also feeds your furnace. Furnace runs low on water and shuts off = no heat = broken pipes for sure. (and a raft of other problems)

But we always turn off the washing machine valves with each use.
 
marko said:
The problem in New England in the winter is that the water also feeds your furnace. Furnace runs low on water and shuts off = no heat = broken pipes for sure. (and a raft of other problems)

But we always turn off the washing machine valves with each use.
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I was going to ask this. You beat me to it. I never shut the washer valves, Is this something i need to do? The plumber put in some kind of electrical thing that if it senses water on the floor (I think )the valves shut off.
 
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Blue Collar Guy said:
I was going to ask this. You beat me to it. I never **** the washer valves, Is this something i need to do? The plumber put in some kind of electrical thing that if it senses water on the floor (I think )the valves shut off.
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Usually it's a set of vavles or one master valve near the washer. If those rubber hoses were to break you've got a mess. I've replaced them with stainless steel hoses but still close the valves after each use anyway
 
So I'm one month out of total knee replacement and one of my master bath faucets has gotten loose. There's no way I'm going to be able to get down there.. the Mrs asks what needs to be done and I explain how a basin wrench works.. a few days later the job is done and the faucet is tight... plumber would have been $150 minimum...

Apparently The plumbing gene is found in both male and female of the species.
 
Whenever I have to call in someone for repairs I try to watch what they are doing to determine if it is something I can do. I do this carefully since some folks do not like to work when someone is watching intently. However, my plumber and HVAC repair folks welcome me to watch, even record, and point out things that I should be able to repair myself without calling them, to save some money. Any lost wages they might have from me not needing them as much is made up from the referrals I send their way.
 
Doesn't anyone watch "Ask This Old House"? They show you how to do all of these simple (and sometimes a little less simple) repairs and upgrades.

Now, I understand, some people don't find TV shows like that entertaining. I do. But I also make time to read the repair thread, every time I see it, just for entertainment value.

jollystomper said:
Whenever I have to call in someone for repairs I try to watch what they are doing to determine if it is something I can do. I do this carefully since some folks do not like to work when someone is watching intently. However, my plumber and HVAC repair folks welcome me to watch, even record, and point out things that I should be able to repair myself without calling them, to save some money. Any lost wages they might have from me not needing them as much is made up from the referrals I send their way.
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Where there is something I'm not qualified to do, or simply don't have the supporting tools and equipment, I usually call the independent (not the big chain). For instance, I've done a bunch of HVAC stuff, but don't have the equipment and am not approved to handle "freon". But I like to watch and learn.

In all cases in my experience, the tech was happy to have someone interested in them and in their expertise.
 
Blue Collar Guy said:
....I said "OK Sir whats the damage?" He said yesterday would have been time and a half, and since I kept you waiting Ill give you a new customer special. I get $139 plus tax for the call, I get 25 plus tax for the fluidmaster. The shower even though it took me longer than the bowl ill throw it in. I said sure thank you, is cash ok? He tells me $140 and we are even. Wow, BCG got a bargain, thats a rare event.
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Wow! Around here it is $75 just for them to show up.
 
Backpacker said:
Bought a foreclosure once, and found that someone had "dropped a duece" in the tank instead of in the bowl. Yuck!
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My kids told me once that was a not-uncommon occurrence at a local watering hole. It was called an "upper-decker". Must've been magical to be the janitor there!
 
rayinpenn said:
So I'm one month out of total knee replacement and one of my master bath faucets has gotten loose. There's no way I'm going to be able to get down there.. the Mrs asks what needs to be done and I explain how a basin wrench works.. a few days later the job is done and the faucet is tight... plumber would have been $150 minimum...

Apparently The plumbing gene is found in both male and female of the species.
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Ray now you tell us about your plumber teaching skills!. I would gladly have given you my number and let you talk me through this. If I get stuck on my back however , I would need you to call the fire dept to help get me up:LOL:
 
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