Now I know why plumber charge so much

[ducksterman]

I LOVE PLUMBING!!!!!! As a Handyman I get lots of calls to change kitchen and bathroom sink faucets. The conversations usually go like this:

Customer: "Do you change kitchen faucets?"

Me: "Yes, I change kitchen faucets."

Customer: "How fast can you get over here?"(Notice she didn't ask "how much.")

Me: "I'm booked thru Thursday, but can get to you on Friday morning. Is this an emergency?"

Customer: "Of course it's an emergency. My idiot husband was going to save lots of money and do this himself. Now there's water..."

Me: "Say no more, I'm on my way. Oh, and there will be an additional charge to fix whatever your husband has messed up."
Cha-Ching!



Joe

[nighthawk]

Better half never enters my work area unannounced. Especially when I am working on plumbing or cars. She is afraid of the unidentified flying objects that come hurtling out of confined spaces where I am working.

Good for you, Betty. Those things are one of the toughest home repairs there is!

[Marco]

Hey there Betty,
If you were in a line-up from which I was to pick out the lady who installed a faucet with sprayer, NO WAY would YOU be my choice. Of course, no disrespect intended. And Cary just watched ?? That tool, the basin wrench, is in fact demonic but under certain circumstances it's the only thing that'll do the job. Next time . like backwoods mentioned, pick a faucet with two large plastic wingnuts that you can almost hand tighten into position.

Mark

[Eric-WD]

Joe, roflmbo, I have thought of the handyman thing, I studied Refrigeration before going into babysitting,

Backwoods, any money I save goes into tools, AKA a local lady installs laminite on counter tops for $200 per kitchen, My router and a box of 12 bits cost me a little over that amount so I figure the router paid for itself when I installed the laminite myself.

And I get to play with the router I have used it three times since then so I figure I am money ahead

Eric

[backwoods]

money went on tools. then onto hoby like pcs or fishing.

[Flyrodde]

Putting the new ones in are easy, its taking the old ones out that get me. Try taking out an old water heater that just wont drain; a liter of water weighs a kilo; that is about 8lbs a gal; 40 gals=320lbs, plus the weight of the heater and mineral deposits and sediment; ALONE. Frozen nuts from leaks people just put a jar under. Drains they never sealed properly. Bottoms of cabinets that collapes when you are in them from water damage. The list goes on. Glad you got it working. There are some bad plumbers out their, but there are good and fair ones also.

[Joe Valencic]

Putting the new ones in are easy, its taking the old ones out that get me. Try taking out an old water heater that just wont drain; a liter of water weighs a kilo; that is about 8lbs a gal; 40 gals=320lbs, plus the weight of the heater and mineral deposits and sediment; ALONE. Frozen nuts from leaks people just put a jar under. Drains they never sealed properly. Bottoms of cabinets that collapes when you are in them from water damage. The list goes on. Glad you got it working. There are some bad plumbers out their, but there are good and fair ones also.

Been there, seen all that and more. If people would just call the repair person when the problem starts, instead of waiting for it to "fix itself," they would save themselves a lot of problems and additional cost. The smartest person is the one who know what they don't know, and calls someone who does! I don't do HVAC and don't want to learn (that's another whole truck full of tools and inventory). Also, I don't question Jeff when he comes to service my furnace & A/C because I know he's knowledgeable and fair, and until he retires he's got my work and my recommendation.

Oh, BTW, I'm good at what I do and fair in my pricing. If you don't believe me, call your car mechanic and ask what HE charges per hour.

Joe

[bdesavage]

Hey Betty,
Next time I need some plumbing done I now know who to call, it will save my vocabulary some!
Bill

[Betty Hiner]

marco,
No, no, no, Cary didn't just watch! This was to be a surprise for him ... I'd planned on having it finished before he came in and found me under the sink!! (that's normally how I do projects around here ... when he isn't aware!) When he found me, I was just about done, so he, with much begging from me, let me finish.

[Flyrodde]

Putting the new ones in are easy, its taking the old ones out that get me. Try taking out an old water heater that just wont drain; a liter of water weighs a kilo; that is about 8lbs a gal; 40 gals=320lbs, plus the weight of the heater and mineral deposits and sediment; ALONE. Frozen nuts from leaks people just put a jar under. Drains they never sealed properly. Bottoms of cabinets that collapes when you are in them from water damage. The list goes on. Glad you got it working. There are some bad plumbers out their, but there are good and fair ones also.

Been there, seen all that and more. If people would just call the repair person when the problem starts, instead of waiting for it to "fix itself," they would save themselves a lot of problems and additional cost. The smartest person is the one who know what they don't know, and calls someone who does! I don't do HVAC and don't want to learn (that's another whole truck full of tools and inventory). Also, I don't question Jeff when he comes to service my furnace & A/C because I know he's knowledgeable and fair, and until he retires he's got my work and my recommendation.

Oh, BTW, I'm good at what I do and fair in my pricing. If you don't believe me, call your car mechanic and ask what HE charges per hour.

Joe

I wasn't saying you weren't fair, just saying most aren't. But that is the same for most professions. I'm just glad I have the flexability to fish during the week sometimes. Thats the best part of my job.