This week I had the chore of playing plumber again, twice actually. Once to help my friend replace a toilet (oh joy) and secondly to unclog a shower drain. Both were loaded with substances that no human should be required to touch. As you might guess, what appeared to be a 10-minute job turned into several hours of grumbling, bending over, with even a little cursing added on for good measure.
The interesting thing about doing plumbing work is that regardless of which repair you are performing, the same truths remain:
- Every wrench in your toolbox is either too big or too small
- Your arms are too short or your hands are too big
- Once apart, you will very likely see stuff that no one should see, ever
- No matter how old or new the fixture is, they no longer make that style
- Once you finish repairing/replacing the fixture it has a very good chance to leak
It should also be noted that plumbing manufacturers are sorely behind the times with regard to manufacturing and distribution of products. While most other household products can cross reference a product by its part or model number, it is not so with plumbing. If you need to purchase a replacement part for a plumbing fixture you need to know the name of the “style” or “gallery”. Is it the Elite Series? How about the Inspiration Series? Perhaps you have the Icon Gallery with European trim? Which part did you need again? “Oh that one is no longer available, we have a universal replacement but it only comes in gold.”
Now you know why the plumber walks in the door, says “you need a whole new fixture”, and then adds “you might as well replace them all while I am here”. They are probably right.
Nothing is worse than 3 hours of facing a plumbers crack, except facing the bill.
For more words of wisdom and other assorted real estate tips, visit my real estate blog at: From the Outside Looking In
Comments (10)Subscribe to CommentsComment