Oh dear what a mess!

[Winston]

This evening have been called to have a look at a leak, the customer has in the past to do some plumbing Flexis everywhere and I mean every where. Under rads under concrete floor flexis attached to flexis.

Have told the guy its going to take time to cutint floor and rip it out and replace, anyone got a good easy way of chipping into a concrete floor? I can feel my bolsters and heavy mallet being in use for a day or so.

 

[REDSAW]

hey, screwfix titan 6kg breaker with kit / chisels etc.
i paid £60 for mine last year and still going strong to my suprise.
charge it to the customer and get to take it home after.

 

[Hugh]

rock breaker make life easy!!

 

[Puddle]

hey, screwfix titan 6kg breaker with kit / chisels etc.
i paid £60 for mine last year and still going strong to my suprise.
charge it to the customer and get to take it home after.

As Redsaw says get a cheap breaker,will pay for it self straight away,I am surprised how good the cheap ones are and how long they last,I only paid £59.90 for mine so think Redsaw was ripped off at bit,just shows you ,shop around...think I got a free fleese with mine as well

Anyway ,Winston,how come you are getting all the good jobs !!

 

[REDSAW]

As Redsaw says get a cheap breaker,will pay for it self straight away,I am surprised how good the cheap ones are and how long they last,I only paid £59.90 for mine so think Redsaw was ripped off at bit,just shows you ,shop around...think I got a free fleese with mine as well

Anyway ,Winston,how come you are getting all the good jobs !!

eh? only got 2 pencils with mine!

 

[Winston]

I wouldnt consider it a good job have a feeling its going to be hard work, but at least its a job and at day rate. reckon with all the other work ie fit 7 trv to rads as well as modify the pipework ro rads 4 days including the leak under the floor.

But I do have to ask why oh why does someone think its ok to put flexis under a floor

 

[newbie1]

flexis are used because any idiot can push 3 bits of plastic together

 

[Winston]

Well just going to start breaking the floor up but at £200 a day plus materials it will be worth it

Well flexis out copper in However from what I could see all were not leaking, but the stopcock was and hopefully this was the cause of my customers leak. replaced with a quarter turn ball valve, and hopes that solves it.

Today has been hard though decided to go the delicate route of getting them out of the concrete floor hammer and small bolster less distrubitive to the floor.

Nightmare though 28mm Gate valve broke so had to relpace and was a pig to do so called upon my dear friend the TS plumber. How do they make it look so easy?

Anyway now got to drain CH down put new trvs and lockshilds in place, which I am not looking forward to dont like micro bore

Been very hard left there at 5.30 and two more jobs do to one toilet valve replace stopcock. Then unblock a soil pipe. Not often I can say I work from 8.30 till 9 at night

 

[Robtheplumb]

Not often I can say I work from 8.30 till 9 at night

You can round this way mate! Now looking at second van as I have just employed someone to spread the load

 

[Winston]

How long have you been trading Robtheplumb? And has anyone got a idiots guide to posting pictures so I can show the offending flexis!

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Save the pictures somewhere you know, ie desktop or my documents

Then if you click on 'add reply' at the bottom of the thread you will load a new page up.

click on the paper clip icon then browse and open the file you want to do

Simples

would love to see these, always makes me chuckle seeing Mr DIY having a go

 

[dontknowitall]

Often wondered how to do that - It's the Go Advanced button then instructions as per above.

Many thanks Plumbstar

 

[Winston]

Oh dear maybe got my first insurance claim .

When I went to the airing cupboard with the customer upon opening it I said you have a leak. Pointed out where it was coming from. The shower pump! which he installed.

Now during my work there I had to change a gate valve as siezed up, so got a new quarter turn lever valve. Got my bucket towls dust sheets and as I had expected a little water from the cold feed to the hot water cylinder.

But in doing so customer wife then said got a in the living room, rushed downstairs and a drip Now they are saying I caused the damage even though I had pointed out the damage in the airing cupboard from the shower pump.

Fortunatley I have taken pictures but think this guy is trying it on. Anyway today customer tried to bully me into doing all the rad work on the house which I have said no to as there wasnt time to complete in the time. And I certainley wasnt going to leave them without hot water or heating. However I have been paid but I dont want to do anymore work for him.

 

[secret squirrel]

Maybe its the weather or something but in the past couple of weeks there appears to be quite a few plumbers on this forum going through this farce. I suppose its the job really but I'm a bit cheesed off with it. Just reading posts from customers, is this right? am I being ripped off? etc.

Winston, this job seemed like a nightmare from the start, hopefully, you've got pictures of all the flexi hoses and the pump etc. Just to show his incompetence If so, then fight them, don't give in. He probably installed the pump himself and knew it was leaking and your just a good target for his inept plumbing skills.

I'd rather poke my eyes out with red hot pins than step back into his house, so, I agree with you there.

 

[Winston]

Thanks mate yer I have pictures just need to find my cable for the cam will post up for you all to see. I wouldnt mind but I would actually put my hands up if I had caused the damage

 

[dontknowitall]

Stick to your guns, Winston. From what you've been posting in the past it's clear you're not a rogue but only someone trying to earn an honest living and treating customers as we'd all like to be treated ourselves.

The house plumbing does not sound as if it's installed professionally and as for this leak how can they prove it was "your leak" or, alternatively, how can you prove it was "their leak"? I suspect that even a forensic scientist would have problem.

If they paid you, many would say you can interpret this that they were happy enough that it was not you that damaged the ceiling.

If I was in your shoes, I'd take notes and not go back, put it down to experience and move on. One day you'll look back and laugh at it.

Just as a shopkeeper can throw out anyone he/she wants to at any time, you don't have to work for people you don't want to. They can't make you return.

Good luck.

 

[Winston]

Thanks for the support really begining to doubt my abilities, I hope once I get the pictures up it will indicate what I was up against. What really baffled me though as I was leaving the customer asked where the vinyl was that I ripped up to chop out the concrete floor! I did however explain that you couldnt put it down again, but it does make me wonder.

He reckoned he could get another plumber in to remove the flexis, modify rad pipework, fit 7 new trv and lockshilds in half a day and hang a new rad. My reply was that I would be very concerned if that was the case.

Maybe I am slow I allow myself a hour a rad for changing trv and lockshiel and a bit of pipe modification if required. But I do feel I wont be rushed to cut corners it cant and shouldnt be done.

I wonder as he has now got the trvs and lockshields and the new rad if he is going to have a go himself, I do hope not.

 

[newbie1]

tell him to get the other speedy plumber then

 

[secret squirrel]

"He reckoned he could get another plumber in to remove the flexis, modify rad pipework, fit 7 new trv and lockshilds in half a day and hang a new rad. My reply was that I would be very concerned if that was the case."

Really, I'd love to see that, I wouldn't (difficult I know) doubt your ability. I think most people aren't interested in speed just quality of work. I'm quite a slow worker (getting quicker with each job as confidence grows) If he'd got the job done properly in the first place none of this would be an issue. Like yourself I'd like to get it done properly once than get constant call backs.

What hurts with customers like this is you try hard to do a good job and you can't get your head around their mentality, I hope he does do it himself and floods the place or get some muppet in who does it all in 10 minutes uses flexibles everywhere and rad extensions and it looks cr&*.

On a happier note long live LSX......

 

[andekoch]

He reckoned he could get another plumber in to remove the flexis, modify rad pipework, fit 7 new trv and lockshilds in half a day and hang a new rad. My reply was that I would be very concerned if that was the case.

Seems like he should get speedy in then. I think your 1 hour is quick a there is also the drian time and clean up. I allow myself 2 hrs to replace the trv and lockshield plus some pipe mods.

Did a leak repair in a CH system the other day and expected to be done in 3-4 hours. In the end it took 3.5 hours to drain the system as there was no drain point to be found so had to crack a connection to a rad and use a bucket (also big house). Ended up taking all day but fitted a drain point while at it.

 

[Plucky]

Did a leak repair in a CH system the other day and expected to be done in 3-4 hours. In the end it took 3.5 hours to drain the system as there was no drain point to be found so had to crack a connection to a rad and use a bucket (also big house). Ended up taking all day but fitted a drain point while at it.

You drained a heating system with a bucket lol

Take a rad off and connect onto rad valve?!

 

[helpsy]

Hi winston
I have read most of your posts and I don't know you personally but from what I've seen of the nature of your posts ( concern and questioning).You should hold your head up high and be proud of the quality of service and professionalism you bring to the trade.
You often hear about negative things to do with trades ( cowboys etc), but there is the counter to that of the positive people there are out there.
Don't forget there are rogue customers out there as well.
Don't let these p***takers knock you down,hang in there mate you're better than that.

 

[Mushybees]

Did a leak repair in a CH system the other day and expected to be done in 3-4 hours. In the end it took 3.5 hours to drain the system as there was no drain point to be found so had to crack a connection to a rad and use a bucket (also big house). Ended up taking all day but fitted a drain point while at it.

In future rig up a device to connect onto the rad valve and connect this to the hose.
Whack it on and open the rad valve.

 

[Robtheplumb]

4 Years, My company policy is simple, and I think this has helped me get started. Do your work to the reg,(should be obviouse but you would be supprised how much isn't) be honest with the customer, tell the customer if something is not done properly, if you don't know tell them, do the best you can and protect the customers house/property. 40% of my work is from new customers now who have got my number from someone who has had me in to do somthing, 40% from returning customers,10% is from a heating engineer who gets all the problem installs and has to put right other peoples cockups and the final 10% is new customers.

I don't do boiler servicing, no gas work but I do do oil installs and unvented cylinders, now looking at solar.

 

[Winston]

Are the pictures here

No but anyone interested I have managed to put into my picture album.