A blessing and a curse!

[12poundbass]

We get home tonight and the wife is doing her end of night thing in the bathroom and the sink clogs like nobody’s business! Well I was a plumber for two years so here I go to try and fix the problem. After 45 minutes of plunging and everything to try and release the clog, I’m to the point of giving up! I throw on gloves and take apart the trap. Anyone who’s done this knows it’s not fun. Long story short there’s a hair crimp stuck and collecting everything! Needless to say it cleared things out and I wasn’t impressed because It’s pro bono. 
 

Two years ago at the old house it was the hot surface igniter at 11 at night that I fixed pro bono. It saves a ton of money, but what a pain! 
 

Rant over. Lol 

[Guitarfish]

You are not alone.  I have back to back bathrooms.  I finally went to home depot and bought the Ridgid snake set up.

 

Pulled a giant rat ball of hair out, 10 feet from the p-trap.  $41 for the tool & hours of free labor.

[Sam]

12, you did good!!!!!!

 

Glad to read you still have the knowledge and skill you learned in the plumbing trades.

 

My knock on public education is that we don't teach kids today basic automotive maintenance and care; basic woodworking; basic plumbing; basic electrical skills; basic small engine repairs; outboard motor maintenance and repairs; and the like.

 

The only one votech class in my high school was a woodworking class where we built bird houses.

 

And Guitar, good thinking regarding the snake set up. The last time I cleaned my wife's clogged sink I used a plunger along with a strong drain cleaner I bought at the grocery store to start the process. I then dropped a rope from the bathroom window to the deck below, tied the hose to it, pulled it into the bathroom, and turned it on to flush out the drain.

 

It worked. So far, so good. Will have to duplicate the process once again in a few months.

[Guitarfish]

Sam,  I get away with the hose end pressure tool from Home Depot for months at a time.  The drain was slow for a few weeks before it said 'no more sucker'.

[N Florida Mike]

I changed my hot water heater before.  Hooked it up and it leaked pretty good at the fittings. A little extra thread tape and we were good .

One of my sons is a plumber by trade so he keeps ours in good shape nowdays.

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

I changed my hot water heater before.  Hooked it up and it leaked pretty good at the fittings. A little extra thread tape and we were good .

One of my sons is a plumber by trade so he keeps ours in good shape nowdays.

I remember when I had to replace ours. Idiots who installed the previous one did a couple bone-head things.

1) Hard soldered the pipes to the heater - I had to cut those out and install couplings.

2) No shut-off for the natural-gas line at the heater - turned off the main and installed a compression-fitting valve at the heater.

 

Yes, I soldered the new couplings in - dad taught me basic plumbing, electrical and carpentry when I was growing up. Finer wood-working - ran my own part-time cabinet making business back in the 90s.

[slonezp]

So what you're saying is that you're a man?

 

@Sam makes some good points. Gone are the days of common sense education in high school...and common sense education from male role models. Every father should teach their male offspring basic maintenance. Lots of kids are being raised without a male influence. So sad.

[A-Jay]

Good on you @12poundbass

Not knowing or being unwilling to 'learn' how to rectify minor house hold challenges,

can make owning a home quite a bit more worry some & costly.

For me much of it was learn on the fly.

My ace in the hole is my Dad 'loved' taking stuff apart.

Growing up I was always right there getting a super useful contact high.

Unfortunately in the past few decades, much of that gear is obsolete.

A man's gotta know his limitations and mine revolve around 'lecticity' and Natural Gas.

#jackofalltrdesmasterofnone

A-Jay

 

 

 

[flyfisher]

13 hours ago, Sam said:

12, you did good!!!!!!

 

Glad to read you still have the knowledge and skill you learned in the plumbing trades.

 

My knock on public education is that we don't teach kids today basic automotive maintenance and care; basic woodworking; basic plumbing; basic electrical skills; basic small engine repairs; outboard motor maintenance and repairs; and the like.

 

The only one votech class in my high school was a woodworking class where we built bird houses.

 

And Guitar, good thinking regarding the snake set up. The last time I cleaned my wife's clogged sink I used a plunger along with a strong drain cleaner I bought at the grocery store to start the process. I then dropped a rope from the bathroom window to the deck below, tied the hose to it, pulled it into the bathroom, and turned it on to flush out the drain.

 

It worked. So far, so good. Will have to duplicate the process once again in a few months.

Not the schools job to do that.  Learn that at home or go to a tech high school or just learn on your own online as there are a ton of resources available.  

now as far as saving money goes doing your own maintenance and repairs, it helps a lot.  I know on our last house I built the deck out back when it needed replacing.  Since i was the labor, we ended up being able to have a deck that was probably twice as large and much nicer materials than if i paid someone.  I will pretty much try anything but i also grew up with my dad who was an electrician and did residential construction in the summer up through college.

[12poundbass]

20 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Good on you @12poundbass

Not knowing or being unwilling to 'learn' how to rectify minor house hold challenges,

can make owning a home quite a bit more worry some & costly.

For me much of it was learn on the fly.

My ace in the hole is my Dad 'loved' taking stuff apart.

Growing up I was always right there getting a super useful contact high.

Unfortunately in the past few decades, much of that gear is obsolete.

A man's gotta know his limitations and mine revolve around 'lecticity' and Natural Gas.

#jackofalltrdesmasterofnone

A-Jay

 

 

 

Electricity scares the crap out of me. Even when the breaker is off when I’m doing work I’m still nervous thinking it might be on. Lol

Doing my job for 10 years I’ve seen some memorable things that has given me a healthy respect for electricity and natural gas. A hit gas main that’s blowing and tossing rocks and dirt 20 feet in the air will give you a bit of a pucker factor. 

27 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Not the schools job to do that.  Learn that at home or go to a tech high school or just learn on your own online as there are a ton of resources available.  

now as far as saving money goes doing your own maintenance and repairs, it helps a lot.  I know on our last house I built the deck out back when it needed replacing.  Since i was the labor, we ended up being able to have a deck that was probably twice as large and much nicer materials than if i paid someone.  I will pretty much try anything but i also grew up with my dad who was an electrician and did residential construction in the summer up through college.

It’s nice to save money doing these simple things. Our house we bought last winter needed the front resided, which I did and saved a ton doing it. I did a lot in my short life, which gives me enough knowledge to save money and be a little dangerous too. 

[flyfisher]

Yeah i am just wondering why the money i saved never makes it to the fishing budget lol

[12poundbass]

1 minute ago, flyfisher said:

Yeah i am just wondering why the money i saved never makes it to the fishing budget lol

I’ve sent the wife plenty of bills over the years but they always go unpaid. 

[Sam]

2 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Not the schools job to do that.  Learn that at home or go to a tech high school or just learn on your own online as there are a ton of resources available.  

now as far as saving money goes doing your own maintenance and repairs, it helps a lot.  I know on our last house I built the deck out back when it needed replacing.  Since i was the labor, we ended up being able to have a deck that was probably twice as large and much nicer materials than if i paid someone.  I will pretty much try anything but i also grew up with my dad who was an electrician and did residential construction in the summer up through college.

Fly, living in Virginia you should know that in Virginia the high schools have fantastic votech programs where you can learn some valuable trades; build a storage shed; learn outboard motors (Hanover County Schools offered this program in the past); be an electrician; work on plumbing; learn auto mechanics; learn auto engine repairs; be a mason;work on cars; learn to cook; learn about being an electrician; be a hairstylist or barber; learn to be a nursing assistant; and other programs. 

 

Check out this link for what your county school board is offering the students. 

http://hcps.us/parents_students/program_of_studies/high_school_courses/high_school_courses_guides/specialized_high_school_courses

 

Lots of kids can't learn at home as they don't have the parents, grandparents or other relatives/neighbors/friends to help them learn. I guess we are fortunate to have these programs in our Virginia high schools. Wish they had some of them when I was in high school.

 

Virginia city and county school boards offer these votech classes so the kids who are not going on to college will have a good base to start a great career. The kids who do get to go to college can also learn skill sets that they can use after they graduate high school and college.

 

My wife was not allowed to get her drivers' license until her father saw her remove a flat tire and put on the spare. At the time my beautiful wife weighed around 110 pounds but she did it and got her license. All by herself with her three brothers watching and laughing at her.

 

Take care and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having in central Virginia.

[slonezp]

9 minutes ago, Sam said:

Fly, living in Virginia you should know that in Virginia the high schools have fantastic votech programs where you can learn some valuable trades; build a storage shed; learn outboard motors (Hanover County Schools offered this program in the past); be an electrician; work on plumbing; learn auto mechanics; learn auto engine repairs; be a mason;work on cars; learn to cook; learn about being an electrician; be a hairstylist or barber; learn to be a nursing assistant; and other programs. 

 

Check out this link for what your county school board is offering the students. 

http://hcps.us/parents_students/program_of_studies/high_school_courses/high_school_courses_guides/specialized_high_school_courses

 

Lots of kids can't learn at home as they don't have the parents, grandparents or other relatives/neighbors/friends to help them learn. I guess we are fortunate to have these programs in our Virginia high schools. Wish they had some of them when I was in high school.

 

Virginia city and county school boards offer these votech classes so the kids who are not going on to college will have a good base to start a great career. The kids who do get to go to college can also learn skill sets that they can use after they graduate high school and college.

 

My wife was not allowed to get her drivers' license until her father saw her remove a flat tire and put on the spare. At the time my beautiful wife weighed around 110 pounds but she did it and got her license. All by herself with her three brothers watching and laughing at her.

 

Take care and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having in central Virginia.

Back in the stone ages when I was in high school, they taught auto shop and wood shop. 40 Years later my mother still uses the cutting board that I made for her in wood shop.

I have no idea what classes are available today. I do know when I was a child, there were a lot less broken homes. If at any time we need the basics taught, it is now.

[Scott F]

Didn’t have any shop classes at my high school, 4 years of math, & science. I was lucky that I learned about electrical, plumbing and heating systems on the job. I’ve repaired my furnace, replaced disposal, hot water heater, kitchen faucets, and light fixtures. Added ceiling fans upstairs and electrical outlets in the basement. My on the job training and tools also allowed me to do all the electrical work on my boats over the years. It sure is nice not having to rely on outside contractors to do all the minor repairs around the house that creep up.

[Sam]

23 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Didn’t have any shop classes at my high school, 4 years of math, & science. I was lucky that I learned about electrical, plumbing and heating systems on the job. I’ve repaired my furnace, replaced disposal, hot water heater, kitchen faucets, and light fixtures. Added ceiling fans upstairs and electrical outlets in the basement. My on the job training and tools also allowed me to do all the electrical work on my boats over the years. It sure is nice not having to rely on outside contractors to do all the minor repairs around the house that creep up.

Fantastic.

 

All I have learned after all these years after high school is: you can't control electricity or water.

 

So I call the plumber and electrician to do all the work around my house and our rental house.

 

Lucky for me and my wife we have a a friend who is an electrician; another fishing friend who is an excellent auto service guy at our local BP station; and a super guy who is a HVAC guy who does the plumbing work for us.

 

Glad you had the opportunity to learn some trades.

 

 

[Scott F]

6 minutes ago, Sam said:

Fantastic.

 

All I have learned after all these years after high school is: you can't control electricity or water.

 

So I call the plumber and electrician to do all the work around my house and our rental house.

 

Lucky for me and my wife we have a a friend who is an electrician; another fishing friend who is an excellent auto service guy at our local BP station; and a super guy who is a HVAC guy who does the plumbing work for us.

 

Glad you had the opportunity to learn some trades.

 

 

The funny thing is that my wife of 40 years is still surprised that I fix can anything. Even though I fixed stuff for a living every day for 36 years.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Scott F said:

The funny thing is that my wife of 40 years is still surprised that I fix can anything. Even though I fixed stuff for a living every day for 36 years.

Since I do all the routine maintenance around the house, my wife of almost 30 years isn't too surprised. She even got me a refrigerator magnet that says "The Incredible Mr. Fixit Lives Here."

[Log Catcher]

4 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I’ve sent the wife plenty of bills over the years but they always go unpaid. 

Maybe she thought you were being paid by getting to sleep in the house instead of the dog house.

[12poundbass]

38 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

Maybe she thought you were being paid by getting to sleep in the house instead of the dog house.

Sounds like her. 

[N Florida Mike]

17 hours ago, A-Jay said:

A man's gotta know his limitations and mine revolve around 'lecticity' and Natural Gas.

Same here.

[TnRiver46]

I used to pour drano and never had any luck. My uncle said why not just remove the clog with a coat hanger? It works every time but sometimes I wish it wouldn’t.... the things I’ve seen and smelled ........ even found a toothbrush in the bathroom sink drain pipe in the house I bought. 

[lo n slo]

On 3/21/2020 at 12:38 AM, 12poundbass said:

We get home tonight and the wife is doing her end of night thing in the bathroom and the sink clogs like nobody’s business! Well I was a plumber for two years so here I go to try and fix the problem. After 45 minutes of plunging and everything to try and release the clog, I’m to the point of giving up! I throw on gloves and take apart the trap. Anyone who’s done this knows it’s not fun. Long story short there’s a hair crimp stuck and collecting everything! Needless to say it cleared things out and I wasn’t impressed because It’s pro bono. 
 

Two years ago at the old house it was the hot surface igniter at 11 at night that I fixed pro bono. It saves a ton of money, but what a pain! 
 

Rant over. Lol 

i have to do this to our bathroom vanity about every two months. i got it down to an art now. wimmen folk, smh

[Mobasser]

I've done a lot of this stuff over the years for myself, and other people. Hot water tanks, disposals, faucets, sinks, carpentry of all kinds. You can save a lot of money, especially on plumbing repairs. At 62 now, I usually stiff leg it to the coffee maker each morning at 5:30, log on to Bass Resource, and read some threads before I get ready to go. I've got a few aches and pains from doing these things for so long. They go away after an hour or so, so I'm still able to work and go fishing. That's about all I do anymore

[Bankbeater]

One of the worst Saturday mornings I ever had was when one of the blades fell off of my electric razor and went down the drain.  This was the bathroom that both of my then teen girls used. 

It took roughly 20 minutes to get the trap off, emptied, and reconnected.  Another 30 minutes to get that little round blade clean.