Reply to: Plumbing

[expat]

In my case, I don't mind paying as long as the job is done, it's just that the guy's hourly rate (£ 100/45=2.22 x 60 = 133.33), worked out a lot more than mine!

Can he regularly find and fit in just enough of these jobs to do an 8-hour day every day, with no other time spent buying stuff, travelling to and frob jobs, etc? If not, maybe you calculation is missing some bits.

[gingerjedi]

Top plumbing tip:

'Tech Spray' for blocked sinks, just tried it... works a treat.

[FiveTimes]

I'll do it, like every good plumber I will be able to leave the job with guaranteed running water.

HTH

[SueEllen]

Most Asian taxi drivers don't speak English well enough to run a business, yet they can drive you - you just need a dispatch service that takes orders etc.

The ones where I live do. You can have proper conversations with them about anything and everything. Some of them speak 3 or 4 languages but that's normally the Iraqis.

The Polish plumbers myself and my mates have used either are working for someone else, or get via word of mouth from someone who speaks English. It's even been another Pole but more commonly it's an antipodean.

[gingerjedi]

Can't find any Polish plumbers. All the plumbers in the phone book are English and drive £70K cars.

Become a Polish plumber pimp?... Boomed!

[BoredBloke]

I live next to a family of plumbers.

They are not raking in as much cash as you think they are.

So its costs £100 for a 45 min visit. He'll probably spend close to that going to the next job.

That is why they like cash jobs! So they are making quite a bit but not as far as hector is concerned.

[Dow Jones]

Plan B

You'll probably find that in a recession plumbers, electricians, etc may also suffer just as much. Already DIY stores have reported a downturn in sales/profits due to unstable house prices. Lots of people (as DP demonstrated above) know what to do, it's just that they can't be bothered sometimes. In my case, I don't mind paying as long as the job is done, it's just that the guy's hourly rate (£ 100/45=2.22 x 60 = 133.33), worked out a lot more than mine! Supply and demand laws I guess, fair play!

[Archangel]

The unit is fixed from the bottom. To take it out means disconnecting the pipes (water feed and overflow). Removing the cistern from the wall and toilet it connects to. Turning it upside down to release the flush mechanism. Taking all the bits out. Finding a unit that fits. Fitting it, adjusting it. Putting the cistern back on, refitting the pipes and testing it.

Yeah right. I'm not even going to think about it.

Drag and drop I can handle.

Usually no need to remove the toilet, just disconnect from the cistern (usually wingnuts). I did mine recently, took about 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to go to B&Q and back for the bits.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I have a mate and colleague who does plumbing as his plan B. He's full time on PeopleSoft at present though.

[Turion]

The unit is fixed from the bottom. To take it out means disconnecting the pipes (water feed and overflow). Removing the cistern from the wall and toilet it connects to. Turning it upside down to release the flush mechanism. Taking all the bits out. Finding a unit that fits. Fitting it, adjusting it. Putting the cistern back on, refitting the pipes and testing it.

Yeah right. I'm not even going to think about it.

Drag and drop I can handle.

You understand what you need to do. You're already half way there! Yes there is some dismantling and it will take a good 2-3 hours for an amateur. If you have a another WC in the house you have nothing to lose in trying. If you feck it up you still have somewhere to go.

[DimPrawn]

It's very simple to fit new flushing mechanism to a toilet. Maybe cost £10. Any DIY store will sell what you need together with instructions.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2repairtoilet

I can't see you lasting 6 months. I'd be getting desperate after a day or so.

As a last resort, there's probably a benched contractor who would fix it cheap.

The unit is fixed from the bottom. To take it out means disconnecting the pipes (water feed and overflow). Removing the cistern from the wall and toilet it connects to. Turning it upside down to release the flush mechanism. Taking all the bits out. Finding a unit that fits. Fitting it, adjusting it. Putting the cistern back on, refitting the pipes and testing it.

Yeah right. I'm not even going to think about it.

Drag and drop I can handle.

[AtW]

Lots of Polish plumbers don't speak English well enough to run a business.

Most Asian taxi drivers don't speak English well enough to run a business, yet they can drive you - you just need a dispatch service that takes orders etc.

[Turion]

I think it's time for those on the bench to re-consider taking up plumbing.

Have called around for a plumber to fix a toilet with a dodgy flush mechanism. No one is interested. Too busy. Call back in 6 months. Will fix it for a grand.

Can't find any Polish plumbers. All the plumbers in the phone book are English and drive £70K cars.

Boomed!

It's very simple to fit new flushing mechanism to a toilet. Maybe cost £10. Any DIY store will sell what you need together with instructions.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2repairtoilet

I can't see you lasting 6 months. I'd be getting desperate after a day or so.

As a last resort, there's probably a benched contractor who would fix it cheap.

[threaded]

No, it's cheaper for me to invoice large and pay someone else to do it.

That's OK I guess. I enjoy spending my free-time doing such stuff. Although, saying that, when I let a house to the battered wives and they kept blocking the waste pipe, the third time with the rods made even me wonder if there might be a reason they were battered, it was that bad.

So when I felt it started to loosen up I let my bro' take over and catch the back blast..

[DimPrawn]

Dunno, are you all flipping hopeless, can't you fix it yourself? Even if it's your first time and you have to buy all the tools, and end up buying a whole new toilet, it's cheaper.

I am banned from DIY. Always ends up like an old episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em.