Every now and then I’m asked to fix something that’s already well past it’s prime. You would think I would learn not to touch some things, but sometimes it looks so easy, I just can’t help myself. The thought “what could go wrong” never even enters my head.
Today, the customer asks me to caulk around the escutcheon for a very old shower control faucet. Before I caulk it, I try to gently push the escutcheon plate back to the wall to close an un-caulkable gap. Big mistake! The valve basically falls apart in my hands. I guess 50 year old brittle plastic will do that, but I was sorry I ever touched it.
They need a new shower control valve. Even though I’m not paying for it (I never offered and they never asked), I’d like to do what I can to help them out. I called my regular plumber because I know he’ll be fair, that is, if he ever returns my call.
This sort of thing has happened before. Sometimes it feels like sabotage. I probably never should have touched it once I saw how old it was, but that’s 20-20 hindsight. Hopefully, I’ll learn a lesson for the next time.
Replies
That's a bad day.
A real bad day happened to a friend years ago. He was over his girlfriend's parents' house, meeting the future in-laws for the first time.
Went potty, and washed his hands at the 3-hole faucet. He turned the faucet off with a little too much gusto. One of the valves, which had always been a little loose in the countertop and twisted a little this way and a little that way when turned on and off, when he turned it off it rotated too far and the supply tube underneath the sink kinked, split, and started spraying a mist of water.
He went underneath the sink, tried to turn off the supply valve. Old plumbing, the valve was frozen and he snapped the handle off the stem while turning it.
He called for help and his girlfriend came. She went out in the garage and got a pair of vice grips. He tried clamping them on the valve stem, but got the valve body. When he twisted he snapped the valve off the 1/2" supply tubing.
What was once a fine spray was now a gusher.
All worked fine in the end. The story was told by the eventual bride's father at their wedding.
Just remember "no good deed goes unpunished" and you'll be fine.
Hey, sounds like you got off easy. You aren't being forced to marry anyone now are you?
" I called my regular plumber because I know he'll be fair, that is, if he ever returns my call."
Fair plumber? No wonder he hasn't got time to return your call. (Down, boys: I'm a plumber myself, just couldn't resist the joke.)
There's a plumbing outfit in our area that, no joke, charged a customer $8k to replace a lav faucet, kitchen sink faucet and tub/shower faucet.
They also charged a freind of mine $475 to do a simple garbage disposal replacement (disposer was the $80 variety)--oh, I forgot, they also generously threw in new p-trap and continuous waste--value, maybe $15 at HD.
A widow in our neighborhood who's on Social Security, they charged $400 to install new washers and seats in her kitchen sink faucet.
I don't know whether to be outraged or jealous.
Here's an update: I got in touch with my plumber and he said he could look at it today. I called the customer to arrange a time and she told me that she called her usual plumber (Bruce Trano in case anyone in the central Jersey area is interested) and he was there first thing this morning and got it fixed already without installing a new shower control valve. I'm impressed.
Of course, she could have called to let me know, but that's petty. They were very gracious and never blamed me at all. Everything turned out just fine.
Yep, there are some things I just wont touch and I tell them why. Extremely old plumbing is one of the things.
I offer up my plumbers number and move on.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
You forgot the 2 out of 3 rule sometimes doesn't work. They wanted fast, cheap & good and got none. If I were the customer I'd be happy you tried.
Come to think of it they never wanted good or they wouldn't have settled for calk around that plate. You did well.