Plumbing Tips, Tricks and Stories

Tips

1. Get the plumber to go through and replace all of the washers in the prop. when they are called out. Our plumber charges $ 65 to arrive, and $ 3 per tap washer changeout – so get him to do the lot. One call out fee is worth 22 changeouts !!

2. If you are there and have some time available and are physically able, dig the trench for him (once you know where he wants it to go) so he can efficiently go about laying the lines and doing the actual plumbing. I don’t consider $ 60 / hr for a fully qualified plumber to be digging sand money well spent…hey I’m not that rich yet…plus it’s good exercise, gets you off your bum and out there sweating.

3. Get chummy with a plumber who does both normal plumbing and gas fitting, to keep consistency amongst your trusted tradesmen.

4. Pay their bill pronto. You never know when you are going to really need him. I reckon calling him at 3am to fix an emergency and save thousands of dollars worth of damage….as he sits up out of bed, your payment history will most likely cross his mind and determine whether he flops back down or gets out of bed.

5. Offer him a cup of tea when on the job site. They are all human and appreciate being treated nicely.

Disaster stories

I’ve got one from the ol’ School of Mines student days up in Kalgoorlie when we were renting a house from a dodgy Indian Landlord. It involved a small sewerage breather pipe in both the bathroom and kitchen !!! It ain’t pleasant and probably not suitable for this forum, but suffice to say when you pull the plug on the bath and the septic system is full, somethings gotta give.

Cheers,

Darryl Moore

“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”

Near disaster Story

Had a case with a newly let property and the tenants got a couple of nasty electric shocks off the taps !!

It was a faulty earth as it turned out.

Tip

Keep an eye out for the earth peg and ajacent plumming.

Shawn

Here’s my contribution to plumbing stories:
1) Young plumber turns up.I question if he needs to be shown where the water mains are,he says “No need.Wont need to turn it off”. I thought this very odd,considering he was installing a new loo.But,stupidly figured he being the tradie,he would know best.Next I hear the horrible sound of gushing water, & swearing plumber….(& swearing me…).Only after much frantic fumbling in the bushes did plumber realise the house was so old,that there was NO MAINS TAP to turn off! Pipe ran straight into house.So,while my toilet & hallway flooded,plumber frantically dug up my front lawn to cut the pipe to seal it off…then installed a mains tap..for free.Needless to say i struck him off my list.Moral of the story? Insist on showing them mains before job.Make sure you check they are insured.Trust your instincts,dont just assume a tradie knows best/all.
2) Another house…bobcat digs up water line…
Lines are apparently fixed.Tradie goes home.Taps inside get turned on..nothing but spluttering & mud.Moral of the story? Plumber was angry at ME (go figure) for calling him to rectify problem.Begrudingly returned to clean filters & flush the lines.
Moral of the story? Make sure you check the job, in front of tradie BEFORE THEY LEAVE, whether they like it or not.
I would also recommend taking befor & after shots when work is to be done.It takes 10 seconds on a ph or digital camera, & could be the proof needed to save a lengthy dispute.
Other tips:
1) Lurke around when they are working (but dont get in ther way). You may learn how to do something that will save you having to call them another time.
2) Treat them accordingly.If they are nice, offer them cuppa,etc. But if they are rude….[angry2]
3) Limit your chit-chat. You will be suprised how many will charge you for time they just spent chatting![angry2]
4) Advice from plumbing storesman is offered freely, & will give you an idea of what you may need.This may help stop you being ripped off, or to be spoken to like you are a bimbo.[angry2]
As a final comment, I have now been waiting on a plumber to go & fix a problem he has willingly admitted is his fault (loose pipe) for aprox 4 months now.[angry2] After many,many calls & promises of “Tomorrow…sorry,i forgot…next Monday (Oh yeh, & pls be there to let me in…)etc I have given up on him.I bet if it was a job he would get paid well for he’s find the time!
Anyway,that’s my big bitch session.Hope it helps someone avoid the same.[biggrin]

Misty,if you are in victoria,rin gthe PIC,and they will sort him out quick smart.

Tools

You have to feel sorry for the plumber.They have one of the most dangerous trades of all household tradesmen.
The sparks(electrician)will wire up his work to the first copper pipe he sets his sights on.(He uses the plumbing as earthing).
If you poor plumber isn’t “awake”- zap!!!! He’s dead.

Just my thoughts.
bruham.

Re the September newsletter, I looked at an old property yesterday. The land was very dry except for lovely green clover growing out the front!Luckily, the owner had left the “open house” (private sale) so I had the chance to talk to the tenant and find out the problems.(What an opportunity!)
Plumbing seemed to be a major issue. The tenant also pointed out the green grass (where the pipes ran!), the water in the toilet could be heard to be leaking,there was poor pressure in the taps and the tenant happily pointed out the water leak marks in the kitchen upper wall (the roof was badly leaking).This house also had the old galvanised pipes.(Its probably had no maintenance in 40 years!)
Another issue when looking at old weatherboard houses has been rotten weatherboards outside the kitchen or bathroom. For one house, the tenant confirmed that there had been a leak in the bathroom. This must have gone on for years, to rot the weatherboards.
To summarise:
1.See the Sept 05 newsletter!
2.Watch for rotting weatherboards and rotting window sills in bathroom/kitchen areas
3.Ask the tenant are there any water problems
4.Poor roofing will lead to leaks, as well as poor guttering leading to the water escaping, maybe hitting the exterior walls.
I have found in most cases so far the fact that there is old plunbing/electrical etc has usually indicated not that the old stuff has lasted, but that it has passed its due date but its needed replacement has been ignored.

TFRYAN

Go down to your local and have a punt/drink/watch the footy and chat to the other locals there. Throw out the yellow pages as you’ll meet all the tradies you ever need, buy em a beer or a few and prices will drop again.

Cheers,
Jacob.

‘Stay Happy and you’ll be Perfectly Fine’ – Jack

I’ve seen the following in several properties recently.

Leaking pipes in bathroom walls may not show up on the bathroom side if the tiles have been applied properly or repaired recently. But can show up on the other side of the wall. Puffy rendering or plaster is where I saw it first. Like the early stages of salt damp on kitchen walls behind the shower is more common than I would like. Poor quality or old tiling is the usual reason but leaking pipes can also cause this.

Also, went to one open inspection a couple of months ago where leaking pipe behind the toilet cistern was so loud. Yet the agent had not noticed. Fairly easy to fix but this wasn’t the only reason I declined this property. I only remember the incident because of the attitude of the agent.

Does anyone else check for water hammer these days?

Yes water hammer is a problem. If you find it, first check if washing machine taps have been turned off.
This is a common cause. Turn the washing machine taps off, and try again.
This is why I have water hammer, but I am too lazy to remember to turn them off…one day I am going to flood the place.(Having a flick mixer tap doesn’t help matters either.
Cheers,
Sue

“Be careful not to step on the flowers when you’re reaching for the stars”

Wtf