Jobs You Won't Do Or You're Considering Not Doing Anymore

[WaterTight]

Leaking pan connector on existing installed toilet.

Did one today. It's the most perfect combination of fiddly, frustrating and filthy.

I made good money from it. But I feel like I need ten showers and some therapy.

 

[WaterTight]

Also, the potential with that job to make you tear your hair out is enormous. Flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak. Put tools away, tidy up, check joints, look down..... One, tiny, evil droplet of water has appeared...

 

[SimonG]

Saniflo repairs.
Drains.

 

[freeman1986]

try doing 3 of them, in an abused pub toilet in the middle of bristol, at 12 PM, and still getting the same rate as working in the day. now thats fresh

 

[tweakyboy]

Also, the potential with that job to make you tear your hair out is enormous. Flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak. Put tools away, tidy up, check joints, look down..... One, tiny, evil droplet of water has appeared...

I hate that with a passion

 

[WaterTight]

I hate that with a passion

Yes. Passionate hatred would sum up my feelings too.

 

[tamz]

I'll do anything if the money is right.........unless i can't be rsed :smile:

 

[Guest123]

Plumbing

 

[Rickster123]

I don't do anything drainage! Just haven't got the stomach for it! I wouldn't even clear my own let alone anyone else's.
remember starting work for a company in Southampton and they asked me to clear blocked urinals... That was a quick exit!!

 

[moony]

i will do anything - but the price goes up with the jobs i hate - that way if i get the job its worth it - if not i don't mind.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

i have no problem changing pan connectors (thick bleach down first )

DO NOT DO - unblocking toilets or anything to do with blocked 4" pipework

hate lofts and rockwall -hate it

hate staying home and having no work

 

[Best]

Leaking pan connector on existing installed toilet.

Did one today. It's the most perfect combination of fiddly, frustrating and filthy.

I made good money from it. But I feel like I need ten showers and some therapy.

If you don't want to get too involved with renewing the pan connectors - especially if some idiot has tiled the floor around the pot, then try this if pan connector is accessible,-
Wear disposable gloves,
Use something, rags etc, to catch any water,
Push two flat blade screwdrivers between connector & pan spigot an inch or two apart & clean + dry as best you can in the gap fully around the spigot.
Use a clear sealant -preferably a polymer type that hardens even if under water. Keep the nozzle well into the gap, put plenty sealant in & move nozzle around the connector. Wipe excess of outside of connector.
Job done & always works. 10 minute job.

 

[GQuigley67]

saniflo or toilet blockages i do but charge accordingly, hate them and always feel physically sick, need some bleach and if there are any decent masks on the market would be good to have one !

hate working in lofts, now wear the disposable overalls and mask the lot, hate the stuff

hate installing cheap crap sinks from the likes of ikea which seems to be alot these days

also hate drain testing, everytime you pull the bung out you get a nice suprise

 

[Guest123]

Best, are you using Plumbers Gold as a sealant for this?

 

[jase158]

If you don't want to get too involved with renewing the pan connectors - especially if some idiot has tiled the floor around the pot, then try this if pan connector is accessible,-
Wear disposable gloves,
Use something, rags etc, to catch any water,
Push two flat blade screwdrivers between connector & pan spigot an inch or two apart & clean + dry as best you can in the gap fully around the spigot.
Use a clear sealant -preferably a polymer type that hardens even if under water. Keep the nozzle well into the gap, put plenty sealant in & move nozzle around the connector. Wipe excess of outside of connector.
Job done & always works. 10 minute job.

I just wear gloves, take old one off, replace with new one, nearly always have a problem with old ones not sealing again. saves hours of messing around and dont get too dirty too

 

[ecowarm]

How can you be a plumber and not do poo?

 

[Best]

Best, are you using Plumbers Gold as a sealant for this?

To be honest, even ordinary silicone will work if you managed to get the surfaces dry. I used Dow Corning silicone on a few & it worked. Not much pressure on the joint anyhow, & probably better than new.
I have used Tec7 & similar on them, & frankly couldn't care less what sealant as long as it can harden! :smile:

 

[CES]

Don't mind water, sheite, urinals, waste water, rainwater guttering etc.. but!.. open up a grease trap before me and my stomach goes all wobbly!...

Oh.. and loose bath taps and when you arrive you find the bath tiled in...

 

[GQuigley67]

unblocked a saniflo before in a chinese restaurant, that was disgusting, was used for all the waste and fat from the food

 

[CES]

Decomposing food has got to be the worst smell ever, that sickly sweet smell, a bit like a decomposing body if anyone has had the misfortune to have come across one..

 

[Best]

I just wear gloves, take old one off, replace with new one, nearly always have a problem with old ones not sealing again. saves hours of messing around and dont get too dirty too

I know what you mean, but what if you go to an old loo, rusty screws to floor, tiled around base, & perhaps even the soil pipe angle wrong - so a bit of a botch. Maybe also customer has little money & you have little time. Quick remedy just to use sealant.

 

[Best]

Perhaps the most repulsive job you shouldn't really go anywhere near is attempting to fix some cowboys work that your customer had previously deliberately give to the cowboy rather than you. Especially if they had paid him more than you would have charged!

 

[Phil]

Also, the potential with that job to make you tear your hair out is enormous. Flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak, flush, no leak. Put tools away, tidy up, check joints, look down..... One, tiny, evil droplet of water has appeared...

Ah...that dreaded droplet, we meet again my old friend.

 

[Phil]

I know what you mean, but what if you go to an old loo, rusty screws to floor, tiled around base, & perhaps even the soil pipe angle wrong - so a bit of a botch. Maybe also customer has little money & you have little time. Quick remedy just to use sealant.

I've been known to Denso the odd 1960's dripping toilet, give them a choice of course.

 

[WaterTight]

If you don't want to get too involved with renewing the pan connectors - especially if some idiot has tiled the floor around the pot, then try this if pan connector is accessible,-
Wear disposable gloves,
Use something, rags etc, to catch any water,
Push two flat blade screwdrivers between connector & pan spigot an inch or two apart & clean + dry as best you can in the gap fully around the spigot.
Use a clear sealant -preferably a polymer type that hardens even if under water. Keep the nozzle well into the gap, put plenty sealant in & move nozzle around the connector. Wipe excess of outside of connector.
Job done & always works. 10 minute job.

Best I'm interested in this because it would save time and faff. But I don't get what you're doing different to other people who attempt this. Because I've lost count of how many times I've gone to one and been told the previous plumber "put some sealent on it" and a few days/weeks/months later it's leaking again. I'm sure they usually squeeze it between connector and spigot and I'd have thought most would think of trying to dry the inner surfaces. So what is different about your method that makes it work every time? Is it the screwdrivers? The type of sealant?

I hated doing the job today and so a foolproof way of sealing it up in situ would be something I'd love to master.

 

[tamz]

I've been known to Denso the odd 1960's dripping toilet, give them a choice of course.

You read my mind :lol:

I just wear gloves, take old one off, replace with new one, nearly always have a problem with old ones not sealing again. saves hours of messing around and dont get too dirty too

How are you ever going to build up your immune system wearing gloves :wink:

 

[Best]

Best I'm interested in this because it would save time and faff. But I don't get what you're doing different to other people who attempt this. Because I've lost count of how many times I've gone to one and been told the previous plumber "put some sealent on it" and a few days/weeks/months later it's leaking again. I'm sure they usually squeeze it between connector and spigot and I'd have thought most would think of trying to dry the inner surfaces. So what is different about your method that makes it work every time? Is it the screwdrivers? The type of sealant?


I hated doing the job today and so a foolproof way of sealing it up in situ would be something I'd love to master.

I really don't think I do anything too special, except perhaps I try to be extremely thorough about cleaning & drying the inside of joint as well as using plenty silicone inside the connector. Definitely it works as I know they are still around. Think you are better using the strong sealants like Tec7 types to guarantee it seals.
Don't get me wrong, if it is easy to change the connector, even a non leaking newish one on a pan swap, it would be mean not to.

 

[DustyM]

Best - agreed! Had to go in and completely undo a botched bathroom install this week for a customer who'd already shelled out circa £800 to have it done. Absolutely everything was wrong and leaking; being the honest chap I am, I had to keep dragging her in and showing her every wrong thing as I found it and then let her decide what she wanted me to do. If I could lay my hands on the guys who installed this then I'd get plenty of work just following him around and rectifying!

 

[mike-c]

Not a big fan of doing lead work anymore.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Best - agreed! Had to go in and completely undo a botched bathroom install this week for a customer who'd already shelled out circa £800 to have it done. Absolutely everything was wrong and leaking; being the honest chap I am, I had to keep dragging her in and showing her every wrong thing as I found it and then let her decide what she wanted me to do. If I could lay my hands on the guys who installed this then I'd get plenty of work just following him around and rectifying!

Goyany pictures ?

 

[stevetheplumber]

i dont do sani flows ive got a hundred percent record of getting the lid of and not being able to get it back on so dont bother now

 

[WaterTight]

If I could lay my hands on the guys who installed this then I'd get plenty of work just following him around and rectifying!

Sounds painful.

 

[Koogatubac]

i have no problem changing pan connectors (thick bleach down first )

DO NOT DO - unblocking toilets or anything to do with blocked 4" pipework

hate lofts and rockwall -hate it

hate staying home and having no work

Great tip here! Normally get all hands on dirty dirty haha

 

[jackyp1234]

i work for a firm and i always get sent out to sanifloes, blocked drains everything dirty, dont mind it at all lol was abit grossed out the first time i took a sani flo lid off and found a old bloody tampon in the blades but ow well lol

 

[johnnyplumb]

your not a real plumber till you've cleared a blocked waste pipe on a mortuary slab.

always sorts the men from the boys :wink:

 

[Phil]

your not a real plumber till you've cleared a blocked waste pipe on a mortuary slab.

always sorts the men from the boys :wink:

Ha Luxury....I once changed a bathroom suite where the old fella had died in the bath a laid there undiscovered a fortnight.

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm quite happy getting my hands filthy but would like to know:

a) Why do I have an itchy nose/mouth/face as soon as I start?
b) Why do I have a hunger attack before I can wash?

BUT

I won't touch saniflos or drains (from wc's) anymore. It's the smell. Even someone doing a no.2 makes me wretch. I'd be pathetic as a night nurse in a hospital ward.

 

[Rickster123]

How can you be a plumber and not do poo?

Im not a plumber I'm a heating engineer! :greedy:

 

[Rickster123]

Ha Luxury....I once changed a bathroom suite where the old fella had died in the bath a laid there undiscovered a fortnight.[

I think I just threw up a little bit!

 

[Millsy 82]

Im not a plumber I'm a heating engineer! :greedy:

Thats what I keep saying, I dont go anywhere near poo leave that to the people who dont mind it.

 

[jase158]

I know what you mean, but what if you go to an old loo, rusty screws to floor, tiled around base, & perhaps even the soil pipe angle wrong - so a bit of a botch. Maybe also customer has little money & you have little time. Quick remedy just to use sealant.

yeah but as a last resort

 

[billybob150811]

rice and veg decompose with attitude makes a blockage fun if you get it on your clothes

 

[tamz]

your not a real plumber till you've cleared a blocked waste pipe on a mortuary slab.

always sorts the men from the boys :wink:

Never did that one but if the money was right..........:lol:

 

[Mickyplumb]

Anything to do with bloody Gledhill.

3 times now I've gone out to 3 separate calls over the last five years, all PCB failures. Ordered new PCB's, fitted them and they've gone straight away. One turned out to be a spiked pump, the other a spiked 3 port and the final one was a problem with a dry pocket sensor. Terrible things if you ask me. Also, seen 2 go up in flames following on from overheated relays. Terrible things.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Anything to do with bloody Gledhill.

3 times now I've gone out to 3 separate calls over the last five years, all PCB failures. Ordered new PCB's, fitted them and they've gone straight away. One turned out to be a spiked pump, the other a spiked 3 port and the final one was a problem with a dry pocket sensor. Terrible things if you ask me. Also, seen 2 go up in flames following on from overheated relays. Terrible things.

what are you on about ???

 

[Mickyplumb]

what are you on about ???

Elaborate ? Do you want to see photos of the 2 that went up in flames? One on an estate in Enfield, nearly killed a Mum and 3 year old son, like I said, terrible things.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

sorry Mickplumb , I thought Gledhill is brand that makes open vent direct/indirect cylinders

 

[Mickyplumb]

sorry Mickplumb , I thought Gledhill is brand that makes open vent direct/indirect cylinders

Sorry SGI, I think they do them too but they do these all in one type thermal stores, amongst other things. I'm obviously speaking from experience but following on from the two fires, what got me was their attitude afterwards. On one of these, I was called in just after the fire brigade was called to make it safe as after they put the fire out, they couldn't work out what was going on. After this incident, we were called to check out the immersion relays on all the remaining Gledhills in the building, about 24 in all. I was shocked to see that 50% of them had relays, that in my opinion were going to go the same way. After talking to Gledhill on numerous occasions regarding this incident, they just shrugged their shoulders and never even sent a rep down to investigate. What shocked me though more that anything is that the management company notified the HSE. You know what, they said that because it wasn't gas related then they weren't interested and couldn't assist. They advised we called the local authority, we did but they weren't interested either. The fire service were mad as hell at this situation from top to bottom, all this went on for over the course on 2 months. So, as I say, I probably say they are terrible things because they frighten the life out of me.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

thanks god i do not do this all in one thermal stores .Sound like you really have gone through lots of aggravation and stress !

Lesson learned for me from this thread , Thanks Mickyplumb !!!

 

[Mickyplumb]

thanks god i do not do this all in one thermal stores .Sound like you really have gone through lots of aggravation and stress !

Lesson learned for me from this thread , Thanks Mickyplumb !!!

Thanks SGI. As I say, these are based on my experiences but I bet there's 50 other guys on this forum who say they are best things ever !

Cheers SGI !