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I was called in for an emergency today at one of the schools I take care of. A terrazo floor sink had a catastrophic leak and ruined a ceiling below it. I noticed the floor drain was just a baldy, not tied into the drain line. I trapped the floor drain and tied it into the drain line. It was no-hub, so it wasn't too bad. Ran water, it leaked. I discovered the cast iron riser into the sink wasn't oakumed and leaded. Plumber's putty was used instead of oakum, and silicon caulk instead of lead. I then discovered another sink was done the same way. Cha-ching! Unfortunately, this was done by union plumbers from a local contractor. It's barely a year old. I told the building services director to send my bill to the installing contractor. Now I will probably go around to all of the newer schools and check all the mop sinks. Cha-ching.

Here it goes

Beared witness to a 1.5" gas line drilled and JB welded a 1/2" black iron nipple.

Another plumber told me of witnessing a convo from a customer to floor salesman at home depot,


Customer,

"Yeah, I just installed my propane gas water heater and it just melted the flue pipe."

Sales Associate,

"It sounds like you need a transition fitting to go from metal to pvc and that will take care of your problem"

LMFAO!!!!


The plumber heard this and you know the rest.......the homeowner installed a regular vented water heater to his existing powervented heater flue pipe.......melted it.

Neither the homeowner or the sales associate knew the seriousness of the situation, at all.

And to top it off, when the plumber interjected after hearing of this nonsense, the sales associate got huffy with the plumber saying he was wrong. WTF?

Takes all kinds... probably hooked a fernco to the partially melted pipe and moved on I bet.

Trying to make it illegal for a homeowner to buy a water heater would be impossible; the mfg's would stop that from ever happening due to the decline in sales.


They finally made that happen for furnaces/ac units........why not water heaters?

ANSWER:

politics
money

Hey guys,
I just talked about this very thing in a thread about DIYER'S last night! It's down right scary to think how many other people this guy gave "advice" to before and/or after this conversation you got involved in.I live on the Big Island and jumped into a conversation much like you did.It seems this homeowner had a bee problem behind an exterior wall.He cuts a hole in the wall with a sawzall to spray poison to kill the bees and just happens to cut the drop below the soffit from the weather head going to an old combo meter/breaker panel.

(I swear this is true!I saw the pictures he took on his picture phone)
Lucky a** to be alive but don't know it homeowner:
"I seem to of cut a big wire almost all the way thru while killing bees.Should I cut it the whole way thru and try to use big wire nuts or just wrap it with some duct tape?

Former rocket scientist turned H.D.associate:
"You should use electrical tape instead but turn off the main breaker first."

Me (wishing I was this guys sole life insurance beneficiary):

"Do you know how lucky you are!You cut into the power coming into your home from the power co.You should be dead,instead of asking this idiot for advice.Try to cut it the rest of the way and I'll be reading your obituary in the newspaper.
I proceeded to call the power co from my cell phone for this guy in the middle of H.D.
I wish I had taken pictures and wrote down stories from the last 30 years of all the crazy,dangerous s*** I have witnessed.It would probably fill a couple of books!!

LOWES Experts

I get a call from someone that bought a
normal 40 gallon gas water heater at LOWES...

they told him that he could take the fan , motor,
and electrical parts off a 93 Smith power vent
and simply scab them on the normal 40 gal gas...

Lowes even sent their water heater
installer out to the house and he actually
tried to do this change -out for the customer.!!!..


after spending most of the day fooling with this
the fellow finally gave up and left...


then he called me...and wanted me to do it....

of course I used my usual diplomatic balm..
and that they had misled him at LOWES....

he did not want to hear that either..

gave him a price, told hiim to take it all back
and get a refund.......

he was a know it all and I never heard back

I used to get involved when I've heard things like that at Home Depot. I just walk away now. I can't save everyone. Especially those that dumb enough to be lead by the dumb.

The guy with the sawzall I'd probably have saved him. Though Darwin would likely be pissed.

Tom

40 k if you are lucky

Grumpy.. dream on ........

I doubt that they pay their general manager 40 k
a year and he has to work 70 hours a week........

I got propositioned to fill in the slack for a certain county schools contract to do service work for 7 schools, countless education buildings tied to that.


I turned it down and I'll tell you why:

I wouldn't be part of the contract which is up for bid

I would be the "catch-all" which I know damn right well how that will work; I'd be the one doing the off-hours or heavily involved jobs.

There is no refusal of work either, you have to go when they call
and that would kill my repeat business I already have built over the years.

Would be spending too much time fetching parts, commercial will do that
to ya.

Having to deal with large groups of people when things go wrong << no way.

I'm small and staying small....if I had employees my ears might of perked up when I heard this, maybe.

Grumpy,
my bookie just got done with my taxes. He filed an extension, so it's cool. I actually made over 80 grand, my first full year in business. Some if it went to pay my insurance, and about 12 of it was considered a loan repayment to myself. I feel pretty good about my decision to strike out on my own. Schools is starting, lots of sloan valves and closet augers, almost all after hours on O.T. Cha-ching!

GrumpyPlumber said:

RUGGED...have a chuckle...local HD is bugging me to run their plumbing dept.
I very much doubt they could make it even close to worth my time...but for giggles I might call the GM and tell him if he wants me...this is my price, and you'll have to accept the fact that I will NOT allow freebie tutorials on dangerous work. (heck...I'll take it for 70-80K...they won't pay it, but I'll humor 'em)

Click to expand...

Grumpy, I would be shocked if they offered you $40K a year with no over time.

Hd

There WOULD be overtime, but he would be on salary and wouldn't get paid for it.

Lots Of Overtime Hj Lol!!!

Oh you can depend on that.....

they run through young men and ladies pretty
quickly....
feed them a good line of hooey about benefits,
pension and profit shareing......


they burn out fast at 40k per year

doing at least 90 hours per week,
and having to take over for kids that
dont show up for work

and delaing with a lot of stupid customers

day in and day out.......


it would drive you nuts after a very short while.


LOWES drove me nuts as a plumbing sub only after
3 months.....
you end up sinking quickly and eventually
you got to stop the bleeding.

hj said:

There WOULD be overtime, but he would be on salary and wouldn't get paid for it.

Click to expand...

EXACTLY.
I know what they pay...the local HD plumbing dept likes me..I call and as soon as they hear my voice they know who it is...one of the guys grabbed my arm and told me "You're coming with me to talk to my boss!" last week (he was semi-serious)...they're apparently looking to hire licensed guys to run the plumbing dept's.
I just told him straight up that I have a grudge with HD right now...they sell installation services for substantially lower than going rates, and then only pay the subs about half what they charge for labor, meaning the sub has to go in and work for an hourly thats little more than he'd make working in a shop..without the vehicle, tools, bennies, health, comp, or unemployment...He agreed with me fully and told me thats all the more reason I should think about it, we often talk about this topic when I'm there and he thinks I might have an influence (I highly doubt that).
Here HD is rapidly burning their reputation, the subs have been in the news a few times recently for bad work (I'll guess they cut some corners to afford their own unsurance/overhead...?).
Also they are known for going in and telling customers that there is more "necessary" work that has to be added at the last minute (it's where the subs make their money).
I couldn't work for a company thats that cut-throat and sleep well.
Not for 80K...certainly not for 40K.
At this point the only 2 reasons I go there now are the fact that I can stock for a job the night before instead of standing in line at a supplier...and the local guys there are almost friends now.