Rant of the Day v2.

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Rwy in Sight
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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2221 Post by Rwy in Sight » Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:03 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:17 pm
Re: plumbers
There are few trades which have an excuse for poor timekeeping, but plumbing is one.
Having recently replaced my entire supply, vent and drain system, one really doesn't know what might need doing before one starts a job. It's also common to find that replacement parts are just the ones you don't have, since there's a wide variety. It's also a job that one usually can't suspend halfway through (for customer health reasons) and come back later, or where it is easy to accept or place a call (think of what the environment is, working in a dark, wet basement for example). None of this is as bad for, say, electricians or general builders.
I never schedule a time for plumbers. I tell them to come round when they are free, and I usually get a discount as a result.

That said, many people become tradespeople because they both hate and aren't good at the kind of math involved in scheduling. The success of a business often depends on the skills of the person you can reach, usually the wife at home.
I understand the first paragraph but it is almost four and half hours since the appointment and after a voice message, two sms (one yesterday) and a missed call no communication on his part. An experienced guy would find a moment to give a call about not coming during a small break maybe. I was not asking to drop what he was doing and be on time.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2222 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:25 pm

It's not always a good excuse ;)))
Better luck tomorrow.

Unfortunately there are so few good plumbers these days, and in many places too few plumbers at all, that being uncommunicative doesn't affect their bottom line.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2223 Post by OFSO » Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:06 pm

A plumber from Leigh-on-the-Sea
Was plumbing his girl by the sea
Said she: "someone's coming"
Said he: (still plumbing)
"If anyone's coming, it's me !"

Apologies for not being on the Limericks Thread, bus seemed apposite.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2224 Post by ian16th » Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:09 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Wed Sep 11, 2019 6:45 pm


When we got married I brought va traditional Russell Hobbs stainless steel kettle into the marriage. Had had it 4 years. After 2 more years including a couple of boil dry where the plug got shot out it gave up the ghost.
Had a chromed one, it lasted years, but consumed elements and red switches.
Both were readily available and easy to replace.
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2225 Post by Pontius Navigator » Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:18 pm

Once you have found a reliable plumber hang on to them.

Got on well with our second.

Through sheer laziness British Gas left a mass of copper tubing after a job. I think they were either still public I only just private. Their gas fire installation offer included running the supply from the house meter. This was inside the garage,into a bedroom,into the loft, around the loft, out side the far wall and back down. Rather than calculate the requirement they just delivered a truck load and departed.

Our plumber raised our water tank, installed a shower, and accepted the copper for the Labour costs. Sadly he moved to France.

Then we had an emergency. One plumber never turned up, another never replied. Then we found the son of our first. He lived just up the road. Came repair ed the burst pipes and sent us the bill - 6 months later.

The next job was to fix a split pipe off a power shower. First plumber, fat gi t, said the bathroom floor would have to come up. He departed and never returned. The other worked through the ceiling which had already collapsed.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2226 Post by Rwy in Sight » Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:28 pm

I am going to wait until tomorrow and then there is a portal where plumbers can be contacted.

PN you are right about finding a good plumber and keep him.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2227 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:20 pm

The problem is architects.
They do not give the slightest toss about how the plumbing, electrical and HVAC services will need to run. It is straightforward to design the service runs at the same time as the structure so they are easily accessible for installation and maintenance, I did it on my last house and am doing it on this one, but they can't be bothered. The cost saved in service installation time alone easily outweighs the house designer's' costs on just one house. For my last house with 3.5 bathrooms, the cost was about 1/3 of a standard house cost of the same size, because the service runs were incorporated into the framing design. Not a single joist needed to be cut or drilled, only a piece of drywall need be removed to access any hidden fitting or pipe. Almost all pipe junctions can be accessed by removing push fit suspended ceiling tiles in one room. My plumber did the entire house in 7 man hours labour.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2228 Post by llondel » Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:57 pm

Most plumbing I'm reasonably happy to tackle myself now. The one exception was the leak just after the main stopcock which I considered to be above my pay grade. There's clearly some trick to doing it despite not having a way to shut off the flow as the main tap is replaced, because the chap who did it finished pretty quickly so while I'm happy with the work, his hourly rate worked out to something fairly extortionate.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2229 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 12:25 am

The next stopcock downstream is usually in the street under a small (6"-ish) metal cover. One needs a long handle to turn the stopcock at the bottom, which can be picked up at any plumbers' supply house for under $50. The cover and handle needed varies widely, but a local plumber will have what they need for the local area. It's supposed to only be done by the water utility - good luck with that. In a dire emergency they will be there in..oh, a week. Maybe. In UK, I have improvised one before by knocking up something in wood and screwing it to the end of a broom handle. Fortunately the street stopcock was easy to turn - the old one in their house having broken partly off when my friend tried to turn it off to change a tap..

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2230 Post by Boac » Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:28 am

Many years ago, living in Wiltshire, we had a pinhole leak in the mains feed pipe BEFORE our stopcock. "I'll turn off the road stopcock", quoth I to my adoring family. "Uh? Cannot find it". House slowly filling with water. It is now 2200. Call the water board ..............they cannot find it either.

Portable generator, floodlights, pneumatic drills - and by 0300 it was located - under the tarmac pavement. :))

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2231 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:04 am

5 years ago, I couldn't get gas appliances to work in a newly-rented UK office:
(Disclaimer: I was not the guy who had done the renting)
Phone letting agent: "It all worked on handover", quoth he
Phone gas utility: "We can come out, but it will be £300 if it's your fault"
"How do I know if it's my fault? None of the appliances work"
"We decide"
So, phone a local gas fitter who comes round, quite promptly, for £50.
We find no fault right the way back to the meter, and no gas.
"If you're OK with it, I'll disconnect the pipe on the street side of the meter momentarily" says he
"Go for it"
No gas.
Phone gas utility: After about 20 minutes on hold, "Oh yeah, we disconnected 13 months ago"
"So?"
"We can reconnect it, but because it's been disconnected for over 12 months, we'll need to replace all the pipework up to the meter, at your expense"
And that was just the gas, you really don't want to know about the phones and electric.
Utterly, utterly f#cked. Nothing but clowns, fraudsters and liars.
I got my electricity connected to my new home in PEI by walking in to their main office. The receptionist did it at her terminal, took less than 30 seconds from "Hello" to back out the door. I lost power for only 18 hours during the recent hurricane, but they gave me power for an hour after 12 hours, which was enough to cook a meal, chill the freezer back down, heat water, etc. They do this deliberately, if they can. It's very intelligent and thoughtful. I was told by the previous owner that the repair crews controller's mother lives just up the road from me, which may get me a teensie-bit of priority ;)))

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2232 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:30 am

In UK now it is much easier. The water meter, usually at the edge of the property, although my MiLs is in the back garden, has a small plastic tap, easy to turn and a visible indication of flow as well.

Last house our stop cock was difficult to access in the corner of the garage. When we left it was now under a raised, tiled floor, which was then under a sink unit.

No one asked and we didn't say. 😆

New house all pipe runs between floors, plastic pipes and those open metal joists. Floors all concrete covered, no access, and some of the wash basin and toilet feeds had no isolation taps. Our plumber fitted these.

Worse the outside tap, also in the wrong place, had no isolation tap. It was also fed from before the internal house stop cock. Our main stop cock was under gravel. Luckily the builder remembered where.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2233 Post by Boac » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:32 am

Beware with plastic pipes - mice do eat them.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2234 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:37 am

Years ago in Scotland when Scottish Gas was still public got a letter. They were considering installing gas on the estate if enough people wanted it.

How much? Free. Yes please.

Fitters arrived and were going to fit meter in garage right where the car door opens. Not there says I. Where then? Up there says I, above head height on the wall. And they did!

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2235 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:44 am

Sold a house in UK in 2005 after refurbishing it. Gas not supplied to that house originally, though some neighbours had had it done. Buyers asked me why I hadn't done it.
"The UK will become a gas importer next year, and prices will go through the roof - you don't want it"

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2236 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:00 am

Well, you can't get everything right. :)

Of course the Governmint has decreed the end of gas and I think even log burners, but you were too far ahead at the time.

After the PPI industry has ended the new one is the Solar panel scandal. In Scotland someone tried to enlist our house as an example of solar hot water. We would get an oversize panel. Yeah right.

Then I asked this salesman at a garden centre. He was honest and said installation would be about £4k. As my total fuel bill, gas and electric was about £800 and most of our gas went on CH hot water was never going to be free.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2237 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:13 pm

Prices did go thru the roof, but then came down again.
Professionally installed solar PV in the UK is,in most locations, madness.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2238 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:16 pm

Kind of an anti-rant:
I noted C16 was charged £403 for an exhaust gas temperature sensor replacement.
My local mechanic, working out of the traditional wooden 1-bay garage, just replaced my entire exhaust gas valve assembly (including that sensor), and feedpipe. It was rusted to f#ck so took quite a while with a blowtorch to get the old ones out. Total cost £325
He's also just dropped my fuel tank, cleaned the insides and filter sock, replaced the fuel filter, fitted two new front brake rotors and brake pads, and 1 new caliper (which are all quite hefty on a half-ton pickup). Cost £315.
As best as I can figure it (we don't do receipts ;))) ), the parts were £450 minimum and the labour £190 maximum, so I think he's charged me £20-30 per hour labour.
All work done within 36 hours of asking, and I was dropped back home after delivering the vehicle, and had the vehicle delivered back to my door - only 2 miles so no big deal, but nice all the same.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2239 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:38 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:13 pm
Prices did go thru the roof, but then came down again.
Professionally installed solar PV in the UK is,in most locations, madness.
****!!

I installed mine under the truly insane "Feed In Tariff" scheme.

I'm still getting subsidies which are paid for by the poor sods who have no land.

The poor bastards have no pitchforks and they prolly wouldn'd know where to get one if there isn't one on Amazon.

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Re: Rant of the Day v2.

#2240 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:49 pm

£25 on amazon.co.uk
Image

Spear & Jackson, for when you're serious about revolting =))


..but of course by then you'll have a bazooka or two, I expect ;)))

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