Sunday Repairs

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I "repair" things like that in a pinch.

I always note "temp repair" on the invoice and quote for a new service.
 
emahler said:
if it lasts till he sells the house, you gave him one heck of a deal, and short changed yourself a lot...if it goes out in 6 months and he makes you replace it on your dime (or has someone else do it, and tells everyone he knows how bad you are) then you lost even more and he'll feel you overcharged him...

i'm with Brian John...got you running today, we'll be back tomorrow to replace it...
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So much for the miracle of interchangable parts. When you replace a cooked receptacle, do you also replace the box & circuit with new?

I've long held the belief that modern techniques and time saving innovations, computers, all of the benefits that mankind has invented over the decades has actually accomplished the opposite of what they were invisioned and promoted for. You are living proof of this.

Americans are now working harder, longer and for less reward than ever before.
 
emahler said:
in this particular case, and i am not trying to bag on frisbee by any means, what if the jaw is just a little loose? 6 months from now it burns up again?
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I make it a point only to save and use the best parts in cherry condition.

Which leads me to another thought. Used circuit breakers.

There is a company here that takes old circuit breakers and bench tests them for re-sale. What are your thoughts on that.

FPE and Zinsco I will not pull from a box or from the bottom of the breaker pile for installation unless I get them new or from this company.

http://www.oregonbreakers.com/
 
frizbeedog said:
I make it a point only to save and use the best parts in cherry condition.

Which leads me to another thought. Used circuit breakers.

There is a company here that takes old circuit breakers and bench tests them for re-sale. What are your thoughts on that.

FPE and Zinsco I will not pull from a box or from the bottom of the breaker pile for installation unless I get them new or from this company.

http://www.oregonbreakers.com/
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i think it's great...they test them and certify them...it transfers your liability to them...

had you been able to buy the jaw new, go ahead and replace it...

don't get me wrong, we keep a warehouse full of odd, obsolete and hard to find parts for emergency installs....but they are temp. and strictly to get us by until we can get the proper parts...

i mean, you carry GL insurance...maybe $1mil with a $1mil umbrella...how far do you think that will go if there is a fire and a death that can be attributed back to this work?

i know it sounds doom and gloom...but it's not beyond the realm of possibility...we face risks every day, but why increase the odds?
 
mdshunk said:
...in New Jersey.
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ain't that the truth...i stubbed my toe on my couch today and 5 mins later my phone rang...it was an attorney asking me if i wanted to sue myself for putting my couch in the way...:shrug:
 
emahler said:
....don't get me wrong, we keep a warehouse full of odd, obsolete and hard to find parts for emergency installs....but they are temp. and strictly to get us by until we can get the proper parts...
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This was the exact same part number. Good condition. I will not loose sleep over it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz :)

The repair I did I don't consider temorary at all. It is fixed. And it will last. But you have given me food for thought. Always much appreciated, which is why I tune in here. :)
 
frizbeedog said:
This was the exact same part number. Good condition. I will not loose sleep over it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz :)

The repair I did I don't consider temorary at all. It is fixed. And it will last. But you have given me food for thought. Always much appreciated, which is why I tune in here. :)
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no problem...good luck...but i still say you should have charged him 2x as much for dragging you out on a sunday:D
 
frizbeedog said:
This was the exact same part number. Good condition. I will not loose sleep over it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz :)

The repair I did I don't consider temorary at all. It is fixed. And it will last. But you have given me food for thought. Always much appreciated, which is why I tune in here. :)
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From the pics It looks great. i keep meter bases new in my shop to replace in emergency cases, A little more time and the whole base could have been changed, But what you did looks good to me. Our POCO supplies Bases for free so...

Edit: I see the flush mount now, not an easy replacement.
 
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frizbeedog said:
The repair I did I don't consider temorary at all. It is fixed. And it will last. But you have given me food for thought. Always much appreciated, which is why I tune in here. :)
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I have fixed many of them my self and I have never worried either. But, and there is always a "but" from what I have herd locally the power companies are starting to get an attitude about repairing old meter sockets. The last one I did they hooked it back up because it was a Sunday but the linemen said they had herd rumors. I has to do with the new digital meters. They say they are damaged easily.
 
nice work and kudos on your work but personally I would have just replaced the whole meter pan. I would sleep better at night knowing hes got a new pan in place and another 30-40 years on it with no problems. Plus to get me out on a sunday would have cost a bit more than what you charged. Im sure that if you tell him now that he should have it replaced he probably wont see it as necassary.
 
tonyou812 said:
nice work and kudos on your work but personally I would have just replaced the whole meter pan. I would sleep better at night knowing hes got a new pan in place and another 30-40 years on it with no problems. Plus to get me out on a sunday would have cost a bit more than what you charged. Im sure that if you tell him now that he should have it replaced he probably wont see it as necassary.
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Thanks for the kudos, but Oregon is not seeing recession like other areas, and we are still busy. Not hurting for work so no need to sell them on a full blown replacement. He's been a good customer in the past so no need to milk him. He did try to take the work in trade though. He has a Christmas tree farm, but I told him that since Christmas was so far away there would be considerable intrest on the debt. :cool:
 
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bikeindy said:
neither does frizbeedog, or some of the others here including me.
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this is a great point...and leads to a question...

what if frizbee had given the guy the option to replace? and the guy made an educated decision based on his circumstances to replace, instead of repair...would that have been wrong? would frisbee have ripped the guy off?

what if he never even gave the guy the option to replace, and just repaired?

what if he talked the guy out of a replacement, sold him on a repair, and it fails again in a month?

would you guys who thing the repair is fine, think that a replacement would be unnecessary and just someone overselling to make more money?

i ask these questions seriously...and would love to know your honest thoughts...
 
emahler said:
this is a great point...and leads to a question...

what if frizbee had given the guy the option to replace? and the guy made an educated decision based on his circumstances to replace, instead of repair...would that have been wrong? would frisbee have ripped the guy off?

what if he never even gave the guy the option to replace, and just repaired?

what if he talked the guy out of a replacement, sold him on a repair, and it fails again in a month?

would you guys who thing the repair is fine, think that a replacement would be unnecessary and just someone overselling to make more money?

i ask these questions seriously...and would love to know your honest thoughts...
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I would have given the guy all the options myself, explained that the meter base was old and it could fail again if just repaired, but if I thought from seeing it first hand that the repair would last, I would point him in that direction. I stated in a earlier post that i would replace it out right if it wasn't much more work, but that thing from the looks of the photos could be a real pain, again I only see the pics not the job so i give frizbee the benifit that he made the best call for him and the customer. When you go out as the owner you know your customer and have a feel for what they want, you make a call based on all the info at hand and make good money while your at it. It could be that selling a replacement was overselling.
 
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