Keep Craft Alive: Jeff Longo, Plumber
“Too many people see plumbers as overweight, uneducated slobs.”
Jeff Longo started Marbledale Plumbing and Heating in New Milford, Connecticut, over 20 years ago with his partner, Stark Weiner. “Whether it’s a slow drain, a clogged toilet, or a leaky pipe,” he says, “by the time the majority of customers call a plumber, they are very anxious to have the problem resolved.”
His challenge—and a major source of satisfaction—is diagnosing the trouble over the phone so that he’ll arrive with everything he needs. “If I come to your home, and we enter the realm of ‘I’m charging you for my time,’ I don’t want to put a Band-Aid on the problem. I want to be able to fix it correctly the first time and be done.”
When asked what it takes to be a good plumber, Longo says simply, “You have to care,” and isn’t exaggerating when he describes laying out his work to the 16th of an inch “so it lines up with the grout lines.” It’s a measure of his craftsmanship that he’s just as meticulous in places where the plumbing is seldom seen, such as wall cavities, crawlspaces, and basements. Longo admits to being a little OCD, but insists, “There’s a way things ought to be in this world, and crooked pipes isn’t one of them.”
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When I was a apprentist pipefitter, one job I had to do was to pipe in & hand a single fin tube steam heater. I really didn't know how to do it. By this I mean, I didn't know if I should hang the heater level on the block wall or to hang it accordingly to the mortar lines of the block. I debated with my helper what to do. When my boss showed up he wanted to know just why I was hanging the heater so crooked. I told him that it wasn't crooked & was dead level. He told me your kidding, no I told him, the wall is so very far out of level. I told my helper when i finally decided to do what i did. The hell with the block layers I was going to put it in level which is what i did. And, our boss came to our side on the matter as well and let the delemma be known to the block layer boss as well. So that it didn't come back on our shoulders.
And, your right, I all my 38 years as a fitter, I usually put everything in either plumb or level. The only exception was drain lines, where more fall the merrier.