what i hate today

[stevetheplumber]

what i hate most nowdays is lifting the lid on a toilet cisten
firstly you have to decided which of the many methods is used to fix the push button so you can lift the lid
then your treated to the sight of a flush mecanism that could be unique as its the first youve seen of it , its made for 28 pieces of various colored plastic with a minimum of 10 adjustable bits

and the water inlet device could be something of the space shuttle

what the hell was wrong with a syphon and a ballvalve
rant over

 

[Rickster123]

Ha ha i agree and what was wrong with a chain to flush?!

 

[mfgs]

They annoy me too. They are far more complicated than is needed.

 

[Phil]

Yeah and by the time you've adjusted those god awfull telescopic inlet valves with a stupid removable piece of plastic to lock it in, the stem has been waggled so much you have a drip from the fibre washer on the tail.

Also as I speak hundreds of gallons of water are seeping away through these water saving flush valves and into the sewer.

My rant over.

 

[ADM360]

New syphone washer and diaphram washer in the ball valve 20mins tops all done happy customer! or the look of disapointment as you tell the customer that you've not seen one of them before and will have to go and get a bit!!

 

[Phil]

Also I'm not keen on messing with flush buttons trying to pry them off to get to the screw, imagine all the brown fingers that have pressed that?

I once fitted a toilet and customer was dying for a dump so I let him go, when I got back my nice clean flush button was brown, whats that all about?

 

[GQuigley67]

i hate them with a passion, especially when customer is watching you and your sitting scratching your head and it looks like your a mong

 

[WaterTight]

I had one the other day. Tried lifting cistern off, didn't come off. Tried twisting button, wouldn't untwist. Tried removing individual buttons, they wouldn't come out. Scratch head. "There's a million different ways these undo.." I laugh nervously.

Try twisting again. Bit harder. Nothing. Twist wrong way for no particular reason, still nothing, unsuprisingly. Get thin screwdriver, try and prize buttons up, they won't move. Try harder, one, then the other, then the first again, then the other again. Pause. Scratch head.

Try twisting again. Started to get annoyed now.

"Not sure what the deal is with this one..."

Then finally, try my very first attempted solution again. Try to lift lid straight off. This time it comes off. Moron.

 

[stevetheplumber]

I had one the other day. Tried lifting cistern off, didn't come off. Tried twisting button, wouldn't untwist. Tried removing individual buttons, they wouldn't come out. Scratch head. "There's a million different ways these undo.." I laugh nervously.

Try twisting again. Bit harder. Nothing. Twist wrong way for no particular reason, still nothing, unsuprisingly. Get thin screwdriver, try and prize buttons up, they won't move. Try harder, one, then the other, then the first again, then the other again. Pause. Scratch head.

Try twisting again. Started to get annoyed now.

"Not sure what the deal is with this one..."

Then finally, try my very first attempted solution again. Try to lift lid straight off. This time it comes off. Moron.

thats exactly what i did, makes you look like a chancer. ive also done similar with obscure fixings on boiler cases

 

[Ian10261]

what i hate most nowdays is lifting the lid on a toilet cisten
firstly you have to decided which of the many methods is used to fix the push button so you can lift the lid
then your treated to the sight of a flush mecanism that could be unique as its the first youve seen of it , its made for 28 pieces of various colored plastic with a minimum of 10 adjustable bits

and the water inlet device could be something of the space shuttle

what the hell was wrong with a syphon and a ballvalve
rant over

Yeh, and have you seen the prices of replacement washers for the likes of Torbeck, Fluidmasters etc. Changed one on a Geberit a few weeks ago cost me £12 !!!! And if you dont have one on your van you're not going to look good when you say to the customer "i just gotta nip out for parts" when all it is is a bloody washer.

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm no fan of newer WCs either.

Nor cartridge fittings for taps.

Nor shower repairs.

Nor anything to do with water, come to think of it ...

 

[villa_tom]

Today I hate traffic jams on motorways. I finished today at half one ish and left for home which is 80-odd miles away and I have only just got back.

I really can't stand crashes on motorways. I'm not a perfect driver by any means but I wouldn't crash on a motor way. Its a long long long STRAIGHT road with very little distraction so in my book if you crash you must have been doing something wrong. Also I hate HGV drivers, was on a dual carridge way on the way home and there where two side by side trying to out do each other. They pish me off aswell.

Anyway I'm off to calm down.

 

[CES]

Have a beer Tom!... what i hate today is Rip off insurance companies... My tradesman insurance has jumped and everybody seems to want around £400 off me even though Ive not had any claims. Anyone know any better deals going?

 

[villa_tom]

Have a beer Tom!... what i hate today is Rip off insurance companies... My tradesman insurance has jumped and everybody seems to want around £400 off me even though Ive not had any claims. Anyone know any better deals going?

Try corgi i just got mine for just over 270 although there was a 10% during august, everbody else wanted 400+ plus your tools are covered with corgi for free

 

[dontknowitall]

I've just searched the forum for "public liability" and there are a few posts indicating various companies. I'm going to try OFTEC next year as Simply Business has become too expensive (despite not me claiming).

Just bought car insurance - AA wanted £591 or something - bought it from another broker for £360 for slightly better cover!

Tip:

Don't try comparison sites ... not to begin with at any rate.

When you phone to confirm a quote and try and get it cheaper they can look to see what you've done on a comparison site so know roughly how much to quote you for. If, instead, you phone first they've no idea what you're being quoted by others and have to work it out themselves and make it cheap enough to attract your business.

When you're done with phoning a few companies, then try a comparison site and you might get it cheaper still.

 

[WHPES]

I hate traffic jams too. Mostly where I work they are caused by tractors on single lanes and people moving cows and sheep. Motorways? At least 2 months since I've been on one of those!!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

just ordered a replacement grohe flush valve £38!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and grohe cisterns have a pre molded cylinder in the cistern so only their crap will fit i can buy a fluid master flush and ball valve for 15 quid thats a 100% more reliable but sadly wont fit

 

[Dannypipe]

The hassle I had with one WC in particular. I spent hours - seriously hours, trying to find something that would fit in the cistern and work properly. The problem was the siphon and the fill valve were both squeezed up the same end. The siphon was jamming and it wouldn't flush properly. (You had to flush, flush to get the siphon to pour over).

In the end I diamond drilled a new hole in the other side of the cistern so I could fit a torbeck the other end.

I'm not kidding it took me 3 visits, each one a couple of hours to sort it. Embarrasing but it was not my fault. The cistern was just too small for anything I could buy.

 

[Dannypipe]

Oh and what I hate today:

Lofts, wasps, flies, and rats, in that order....and stiffling heat.

What a crap day today was. Went to the pub after and my mate said I just kept repeating myself:

"I'm in hell, I'm in hell" LOL

 

[Phil]

The hassle I had with one WC in particular. I spent hours - seriously hours, trying to find something that would fit in the cistern and work properly. The problem was the siphon and the fill valve were both squeezed up the same end. The siphon was jamming and it wouldn't flush properly. (You had to flush, flush to get the siphon to pour over).

In the end I diamond drilled a new hole in the other side of the cistern so I could fit a torbeck the other end.

I'm not kidding it took me 3 visits, each one a couple of hours to sort it. Embarrasing but it was not my fault. The cistern was just too small for anything I could buy.

I hate those kinds of jobs, customer thinking "why is it taking him so long to fix a simple toilet" I bet if you could do it from scratch you'd have fitted a new cistern but you can't do that until you've tried to fix it and after putting so many hours into it you may as well see it through.

Interesting idea with cutting a new hole I'll try that one day, diamond tile cutter was it?

 

[Dannypipe]

I hate those kinds of jobs, customer thinking "why is it taking him so long to fix a simple toilet" I bet if you could do it from scratch you'd have fitted a new cistern but you can't do that until you've tried to fix it and after putting so many hours into it you may as well see it through.

Interesting idea with cutting a new hole I'll try that one day, diamond tile cutter was it?

Exactly. I had installed two boilers in this customers house, split with a sequencer, and was a pretty complicated job. So then he asks me to fix his loo, and it takes me three visits and lots of muttered swearing.

Yes I used a diamond drill bit from the tile shop. Worked a treat. Thinking about it, I may have repaired it on the fourth visit. I know I was close to just smashing the toilet up with a hammer and going for a sulk. I know I didn't have the front to charge the client for the full amount of time it took me. Anyway, it flushed properly when I left, and hopefully they'll never call me again!!!!!

 

[Dotty]

I know I was close to just smashing the toilet up with a hammer and going for a sulk.

Ha! I knew we were related!

 

[Dotty]

We've started work on the boilers in a prison over here so naturally I can't take the van, phone or any more tools than I think I need in. A good half hour to get in to look at the boiler only to realise it's one you've never seen before, it requires the long screwdriver you've left back in the van to open the casing and of course there's no manual on site, and no phone in the boiler house either! The contractor escort just sighs now when I give him a pitiful look and tell him we've got to go back out!

 

[Destroyer2813]

My old firm did a refit of toilet blocks in a prison what a pain in the arse got there after 8 you aint getting in everyone had to go in toghether, took allday to get the tools in first day boss brought a new set specificaly for the job had to count everything any hacksaw blades/grinder blades you broke had to be kept.To get to the blocks was like 20 something gates