Todays residential repairmen, Suck !!

[JJEH]

So far we had to call two different people, an electrician and a plumber and both did good.

 

[delcrossv]

You can read my HVAC rant here:

Weil McLain Ultra Series repair

Had a Supervising Electrician's license in Chicago for a number of years, so no one touches wires around here but me.

Same with plumbers. I do all that too.

Getting older so I'm training up the kids- now I just have to instruct and point the fickle finger of fate to do projects .

 

[snubbyfan]

I worked as a maintenance tech at the Rubbermaid Commercial Products factory for a while and learned lots about fixin' stuff.
I do our electrical, plumbing and furnace repairs. If ever I need to operate a forklift or an overhead crane, I'm certified in that too.

 

[tlawler]

Our trade is full of crooks, but good god almighty they will run you over to get there first.

Glad I never got into the residential and light commercial side of it. You wouldn't believe some of the stories I've heard and the things I've seen just doing side jobs for friends and family.

 

[ggibson511960]

As a retired mechanical engineer I claim a bit more savvy at tackling home plumbing and electrical work, and enjoy doing so. It's easy and rewarding these days what with YouTube guidance (always fun) and the easy availability of cheap, homeowner grade tools online and from big box home stores. I know enough to not tackle what I shouldn't, and have the same problem finding plumbers and especially electricians. I asked an electrical supply store operator why there were so few good electricians and he gave me the simple answer. They have been run out of business by cheap, un-licensed foreign competition that will work for 1/2 the rate of a good licensed electrician. I'm not blaming illegal immigration as some might, but perception can be reality with a young person contemplating a career in a high skilled trade.

I love the horror stories of homeowner Bubba wiring. I live in an un-incorporated area that has no building, plumbing or electrical code, adjacent to a large city with full blown codes and inspection. The worst and most dangerous code infractions I have seen were inside the city jurisdiction where intrepid homeowners had a bash at wiring jobs to save money and avoid pesky electrical inspectors, all too easy with a nearby Lowe's full of tools and supplies.

 

[ggibson511960]

I find most electricians hate those who wire short. If it was to the reset above the elements it was factory. Too many factories run wire nearly tight as they can safe a fraction of a cent on 100 water heaters a day.
One of the reasons for an electrical box is to have a surplus of wire for a connection.

I worked as a sewer and drain cleaner in my teens, a diesel mechanic in my early 20's, a gas appliance service and meter specialist for 40 years and do most of my own work. I have been asked to hang a shingle out many times after helping a few friends but will never consider it. Too many checks bounce, too long of a wait for parts, too many other side jobs are wanting done.
In my career I watched furnaces go from being made to last as long as the house. [coal hot air furnaces], to gas lasting 40-50 years, down to the current 10-15 year and hope their might be parts available. Other appliances have suffered the same death rate. Most of it is in the "improvement" of efficiency and modernization.
We live in a time where most of us can buy food, shelter and have some left over. It seems like manufacturers want what is left over.

My first house 50 years ago was tract built by a mass builder. I was happy to have it as my first house. When I went to add an electrical outlet in the garage the wiring was pulled so tight to existing boxes it would spring back when disconnected. Intermediate junction boxes and extensions solved the problem, but it was an eye opener to mass builder cost saving techniques.

My grandfather built a house well over 100 years ago with a new fangled coal burning furnace in its basement. It was converted to gas somewhere along the way and is working today. The whole thing is built like an anvil. The heat exchanger looks like something out of a 19th century locomotive, heavy walled cast iron, likely not very efficient but working for many decades without rusting through.