peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
If I get the guts, I will post some pics of some of the plumbing work I've been doing recently. If you want to know why I'm doing plumbing, well, don't ask..... 
It's official, I'm a hack
- Thread starter peter d
- Start date
- Status
physis
Senior Member
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
I wont do plumbing because every time I see a plumber that's finished, turn the water back on, he's not finished.
Me, on the other hand, I don't have any problem with electricity springing leaks.
Water simply wants to do things you don't want it to.
I wont do plumbing because every time I see a plumber that's finished, turn the water back on, he's not finished.
Me, on the other hand, I don't have any problem with electricity springing leaks.
Water simply wants to do things you don't want it to.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
My nickname is Manny Leeks.
My nickname is Manny Leeks.
jimwalker
Senior Member
- Location
- TAMPA FLORIDA
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
I can and have done plumbing,actually i have built from ground up 19 houses in last 26 years.No way in h--- i would do it every day.Of all the trades out there it has got to be the dirtiest,hardest job.I will only do my own and probably for the same reason your doing it.To be honest i could not afford myself to do wiring.
I can and have done plumbing,actually i have built from ground up 19 houses in last 26 years.No way in h--- i would do it every day.Of all the trades out there it has got to be the dirtiest,hardest job.I will only do my own and probably for the same reason your doing it.To be honest i could not afford myself to do wiring.
electricmanscott
Senior Member
- Location
- Boston, MA
- Occupation
- Massachusetts Master Electrician, one man show.
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Originally posted by peter d:
If I get the guts, I will post some pics of some of the plumbing work I've been doing recently. If you want to know why I'm doing plumbing, well, don't ask.....
paul
Senior Member
- Location
- Snohomish, WA
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
There's a joke in here somewhere that I will let be.Originally posted by physis:
Not even Peter?
kbsparky
Senior Member
- Location
- Delmarva, USA
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Just today, we went back to a recently finished job to add some lights under a house. The finals have been done, and occupancy granted. The owners have moved in.
So here we are working, and I had to use the bathroom. Before I use any bathroom in such circumstances, I always flush once to ensure that the commode is working properly. I don't want to be accused of stopping anything up if I didn't put anything in there in the first place
After that "first flush" I hear yelling coming from under the house, something about water leaking into the insulation .... eeeee! So, I tell my colleague not to worry, nothing but water in that batch, I will go use the other restroom.
First flush in there, and he hears more water dripping onto the insulation too! Sheesh ...
[ December 01, 2005, 11:23 PM: Message edited by: kbsparky ]
Just today, we went back to a recently finished job to add some lights under a house. The finals have been done, and occupancy granted. The owners have moved in.
So here we are working, and I had to use the bathroom. Before I use any bathroom in such circumstances, I always flush once to ensure that the commode is working properly. I don't want to be accused of stopping anything up if I didn't put anything in there in the first place
After that "first flush" I hear yelling coming from under the house, something about water leaking into the insulation .... eeeee! So, I tell my colleague not to worry, nothing but water in that batch, I will go use the other restroom.
First flush in there, and he hears more water dripping onto the insulation too! Sheesh ...
[ December 01, 2005, 11:23 PM: Message edited by: kbsparky ]
allenwayne
Senior Member
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
What is the address I want o know wht not to buy
What is the address I want o know wht not to buy
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2023
- Occupation
- Hospital Master Electrician
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Originally posted by electricmanscott: No diy's in this forum!
sandsnow
Senior Member
- Location
- Southern California
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Originally posted by charlie b:
Can we tell stories about how we screwed it up and had to call the right tradesperson in to fix it??? Not that anything like that has ever happened to meOriginally posted by electricmanscott: No diy's in this forum!
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Tell you what, Larry. If you don't tell me about your bad plumbing experiences, I'll not tell you about the number of times I was on my back in the cold wet mud under the house (in Virginia) in winter, trying to do a solder repair on the water pipe that had frozen and had broken. I'll also not tell you about the time I set the house on fire by not having adequate protection behind the pipe I was blasting with a hand-held torch. And since I'm not going to have to tell you that story, I won't have to say that the fire was out in about five seconds, and that like any good conservative engineer I sprayed water into the area for another twenty minutes, just to make sure.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
I've done plenty of copper sweating, and the only leak I ever had was from a defective fitting. For repair work, there's always compression couplings.
Where, Charlie??? I'm in Richmond.
I've done plenty of copper sweating, and the only leak I ever had was from a defective fitting. For repair work, there's always compression couplings.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
As I recall, the house in Chesapeake was on a "slab" foundation. That meant that there was just enough room between the concrete floor slab and the dirt below it for the winter wind to freeze pipes, and just enough room for a novice DIY plumber to crawl around on his back.
By the way, the hardest part of that job was keeping the pipes dry until you could complete the sweating and soldering. There was always this drip drip, and the pipe would not heat up enough to melt the solder. So it took forever, lying on my back in the cold, to finish the job. It wasn't until after I moved to Chicago that someone told me the secret. I'll pass it on now to you other novice DIY plumbers. Insert a piece of bread into the pipe. That will block the drip drip long enough for you to finish the sweating. Then, when you turn on the water, the bread will dissolve away.
During my Navy days, I lived in Virginia Beach and then in Chesapeake. I moved to Chicago in 1984, and then to Seattle in 2000.
As I recall, the house in Chesapeake was on a "slab" foundation. That meant that there was just enough room between the concrete floor slab and the dirt below it for the winter wind to freeze pipes, and just enough room for a novice DIY plumber to crawl around on his back.
By the way, the hardest part of that job was keeping the pipes dry until you could complete the sweating and soldering. There was always this drip drip, and the pipe would not heat up enough to melt the solder. So it took forever, lying on my back in the cold, to finish the job. It wasn't until after I moved to Chicago that someone told me the secret. I'll pass it on now to you other novice DIY plumbers. Insert a piece of bread into the pipe. That will block the drip drip long enough for you to finish the sweating. Then, when you turn on the water, the bread will dissolve away.
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
That is the trick all the old-timers use.Throw away the propane torch and buy a mapp gas tank and torch, it will sweat pipe with a small drip and in half the time of propane.Hope no one is offended by the old-timer reference.
That is the trick all the old-timers use.Throw away the propane torch and buy a mapp gas tank and torch, it will sweat pipe with a small drip and in half the time of propane.Hope no one is offended by the old-timer reference.
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
Charlie - the old bread trick has pretty much been replaced by water based glycerine plugs. Available at plumbing supply houses just stick em in the pipe and solder away.
Why I'm not a plumber - Years ago I had a problem with my septic tank. I called the septic guy and he wanted $500 to dig up and replace a plugged outflow pipe. Now I'm smart enough know that I can dig a hole and stick in a piece of PVC so I decided to DIY it. By the time I finished I threw my tools, boots, pants and gloves in the hole as I backfilled it (in my skivvies). Had the septic guy been there I would have payed him a grand to finish the job. The only positive was that I didn't puke. That's why I'm not a plumber.
Charlie - the old bread trick has pretty much been replaced by water based glycerine plugs. Available at plumbing supply houses just stick em in the pipe and solder away.
Why I'm not a plumber - Years ago I had a problem with my septic tank. I called the septic guy and he wanted $500 to dig up and replace a plugged outflow pipe. Now I'm smart enough know that I can dig a hole and stick in a piece of PVC so I decided to DIY it. By the time I finished I threw my tools, boots, pants and gloves in the hole as I backfilled it (in my skivvies). Had the septic guy been there I would have payed him a grand to finish the job. The only positive was that I didn't puke. That's why I'm not a plumber.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
I'm not offended. I'm just an old timer who was a young whipper/snapper when I did my last plumbing job, and who (at the time) wished I knew a old timer who was willing to share a few trade secrets.
jimwalker
Senior Member
- Location
- TAMPA FLORIDA
Re: It's official, I'm a hack
I learned an easier trick.Use CPVC.Will out last copper and far cheaper too.
I learned an easier trick.Use CPVC.Will out last copper and far cheaper too.
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