plumbing woes

Thankfully I do my own Plumbing, Electrical and Carpentry work. I SEE what my friends and neighbors go through and how much it costs them. I Do help them out when I can.

I have told many a teenager who did not know what they wanted to be - - - get into the Trades - when peoples homes are filling up with water, their heat or ac doesn't work, they never ask "how much"!
 
Rustyt1953 said:
It's still right where you left it.
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Imagine owning that much land between Galbraith Rd, and Compton Rd. I think he sold off a lot.

When I worked there Evergreen was old man Myers mansion, and the section on Constitution Dr. wasn't there. There wasn't any fast food or other shops there either.

i-tWcpGnp-XL.jpg
 
I too do all my own plumbing, electrical and construction. The only thing I don't do are large concrete jobs like driveways, furnace and AC installs, and exterior bricks. I rewired most my own home and two rentals, I completely replaced all the plumbing from main water to waste outlet in at least 4 houses, along with all the repairs. I really don't mind it, it just takes me longer to get it done. I can solder, glue cut cast, and install plastic but the most fun is PEX.

I have was always getting by as a teacher so learning to do everything was a necessity. I also have a wife that works right alongside me which really helps as she is the materials compiler and math.genius. Just don't be afraid of things has been my motto. I always said, some person did this before, surely I can do it with all these modern materials.
 
As a retired industrial contractor who did residential electrical work
for preferred clients, I could not believe the horror stories of terrible
contractors. No shows, no call back, ect. If you are a contractor reading
this be honest with your customers, if you are backed up tell them, it will
be couple weeks or call someone else, do not be the that guy.
I know a contractor that over booked and stated: some people will be
mad today and tomorrow, ect. Crazy !!
A lot of people used to thank me for just calling them back.
 
When my second son was stationed at USMC HQ Quantico, one of his friends' dad was and electrical contractor in Richmond, Va. The three computer Nerds learned to wire a complete tract home in a good day!

There is a serious hazard to all contractors working in the South: "Sweet Tea!" My son is now 40 an needs a 12 step program from good sweet tea!

Ivan
 
chief38 said:
Thankfully I do my own Plumbing, Electrical and Carpentry work. I SEE what my friends and neighbors go through and how much it costs them. I Do help them out when I can.

I have told many a teenager who did not know what they wanted to be - - - get into the Trades - when peoples homes are filling up with water, their heat or ac doesn't work, they never ask "how much"!
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You are correct on that. My son went into the A/C trade instead of college and is making some decent money these days. He will never run out of work in Florida fixing and installing A/C.
 
I left the plumbing trade in 1984 to work for my dad in the insurance business. I was in the plumbing trade for 8 years and it has saved me a lot of money doing my own repairs and plumbing. I also learned a lot about how to do other trades on residential jobs and have used that to save myself time and money as well.
 
The good news is that PEX has revolutionized plumbing. I'm not good with manual stuff, and even I can do PEX with push-fit fittings. Just finished converting an unused bedroom into a big bathroom with large shower, deep bathtub, dual lavatory, and toilet. Not one minute of contractor help, and I have no leaks, no troubles.
 
biku324 said:
The good news is that PEX has revolutionized plumbing. I'm not good with manual stuff, and even I can do PEX with push-fit fittings. Just finished converting an unused bedroom into a big bathroom with large shower, deep bathtub, dual lavatory, and toilet. Not one minute of contractor help, and I have no leaks, no troubles.
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Plumbing has changed a lot since I left the trade in 1984. Many of my old tools like irons used on lead joints and benders for supply tubes are no longer needed. They have made a lot of stuff easier for the homer to do the work like replacing toilets, faucets and sinks but many still screw it up and cause more problems than they had when they started the job. Also like anything knowing the tricks of the trade still make for a cleaner faster job on those things that the homeowner can do with the help of the helpful hardware man.
 
YouTube has revolutionized DIY for me. My dad was an Engineer so he taught me the basics of home repair.

You tube has expanded my willingness to take on electronics etc. Just take a look at some videos and then you know if it is in your wheelhouse, beyond your capabilities or in the I don't want the hassle category.

Sometimes I do things myself because it is less hassle than chasing someone down to do it.
 
Let me say this about that--Any home job I attempt has a 50% chance of going right and a 100% chance of going wrong.

I had two house jobs to do: replace a pressure switch on my old water pump now used for lawn sprinklers, and replace an outside faucet with a new ball valve faucet.

The pump switch--of course--required a trip to HD. Got it replaced and the pump still did not cycle right. Seems the pressure tank had gone bad. That's a task for another day.

Shut the water off at the meter and unscrewed the old faucet from the PVC fitting. The new one would not screw in straight. Decided the heck with it and reinstalled the old one. Drip . . . drip . . . drip. Being it's a Friday afternoon, I decide to wait until Monday to call a plumber before I make things worse. Sunday AM the drip has become a light spray. The fitting is beginning to crack. Ironically, when the city hooked my house up to the meter, the same fitting split ten minutes after they left.

$395 dollars later, the section of PVC pipe is now copper and both the faucet and main shut-off valve are ball valves.

I'm getting to the point I don't want to even change a light bulb anymore. And the pressure tank cost $159.
 
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I learned a lot of stuff from my Dad. Who was a do it all. In 1979 I tore down a house and moved all the salvagable lumber to my new home sight where I lived in a moble home. Stacked it by size. We dug the foundation with a backhoe as it was red clay. Dad and I poured the foundation and laid the blocks and pillars. Diagonal measuring showed we were only 1/4 inch out of square. We built the house(had free help from friends). 2x6 rafters 16 in OC sheeted with 5/8 in plywood strong roof and solid as a rock I did all the wiring and plumbing. I installed the heat/ac unit and the duct work. Only 2 things I hired done was the fireplace/chimney and the carpet on the floor. Did it 1980. Still live in the house. Have done most all of the of the repair work since. Never had any formal training on carpentry/plumbing or electrical. just picked up on it as I went along.
 
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I now understand why Home Depot and other home centers have help desks. The average American,, while capable of following directions, will always think they know better and "Just needed to see it to know what to do!" Then turn around and destroy the new item, every piece connected to the old item, and just a few more pieces just for spite!

I once offered to replace the Hot Water shut off under the kitchen sink for a friend. He insisted he could do it! I WARNED HIM TO PUT A BACK UP WRENCH ON THE SUPPLY PIPE! or he would break it off back to the next fitting! 8 trips to the farm supply and 34 foot of copper pipe he called me on Sunday afternoon, "Just what is a "Back Up Wrench?"

Ivan
 
grover99 said:
Need a new whole house water filter unit. The old one leaks and about impossible to unscrew and replace filter. The PVC pipes are glued to old filter so need plumber to cut out old filter and install new one. I am afraid that if I tried it I could screw some thing up and be without water until got plumber out to fix it.
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Glue joints are easier for a novice than solder joints. Check YouTube for videos on how it’s done.👍🏻
 
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