I hate plumbing work

[Handloader109]

I truly Hate plumbing work. Nasty smelly... wet, old stuff, dealing with poor work, etc. I'm NOT a plumber. And I didn't sleep in a motel 6 last night either.
That being said, I had a toilet that just stopped flushing well. Would randomly just plug up, but would slowly drain. Happened about a month or so ago, guest bath, so it's not used much, but I finally had to determine what was wrong.

Plunger wouldn'tsolve, got my wire pipe auger out and it wouldn't go through. I thought it might be the sharp turns as this toilet has a couple of real sharp bends... oh, did I say this is a 2 year old toilet. So it shouldn't be broken... adjusted water way up, no love.
So... it was remove and dismantle. Took off the reservoir. Nothing there, took off the base. Well, nothing in the drain or bottom. Argh.
So I took it outside and got my hose out. Water blew through it fine, couldn't see or feel anything.

But it has to be.... so I got out my little cheap usb endoscope camera. Charged up and ran it into the basin. And Saw this.... WTH. OK, got my wire auger back out and went bottom up. And this came out stinky bowl spray.... crap.... crap crap.
Put new seal (had bought new fangled rubber topped seal a while back and it worked fine).
Got reservoir on, adjusted water back down and it flushed like new.

I hate plumbing....

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Hannibal]

You know, I've never understood why someone will attempt to flush something they dropped in a toilet that clearly was never intended to be in a toilet.

Same folks who try to drive large trucks under low bridges or into parking garages or walk up the down side of an escalator I suppose.

I don't think plumbing is the issue in this case.

I forgot to add I empathize with your predicament. 4 teenage girls in my house. I had to go so far as putting up a notice in the bathroom that the next clogged sink drain or toilet would result in a call to the plumber and the cost would be reimbursed to my wife and I by the completion of household chores subject to inspection and approval. THAT finally worked and there have been no repeat incidents.

[blackthorn]

It is obvious that THIS time the plumbing was not the issue---BUT---nevertheless you had to deal with it. I too hate plumbing! So, many years ago I learned to "call the guy"!

[pworley1]

I like plumbing but I don't like fixing a mess made by someone else.

[Winger Ed.]

I worked on a very similar problem in a rent ho0use one time.
I finally looked up into the exit of the commode. Some kid had flushed a tooth brush, and it jammed going over the 'hump'.

[deltaenterprizes]

Wife did something similar with the top of a shampoo bottle in the tub!
It got caught in the trap and had a lot of fun getting it out!
Gee, I wonder how that got there!

[skeettx]

My son flushed an APPLE down, cleared the pee-bend but not the seal.
Would seat and block during the flush, then float up and release after that.
What a pain to find out the problem, this was before cameras.

Mike

[elmacgyver0]

I once removed a cleanout at my parents' house many years ago, they have long since passed.
Anyway, the kitchen sink was blocked up, already ran a hose into the vent to flush it loose, but that failed, my mom yelled to shut off the water as the trap blew out and flooded the kitchen.
Back to the cleanout. Well....what an interesting experience I never want to go thru again!
With the cleanout removed I witnessed a steady drip...drip...drip of water. Thought about it a bit then I came up with a brilliant idea!
I had my work truck with me, so I went out and retrieved my fish tape for running cable.
I ran that tape up the pipe and jiggled it a bit, all of the sudden all hell broke loose.
I gasped with my mouth wide open, and it hit me square in the face.
It seems a squirrel climbed into the vent and died there.
I was spitting out pieces of bone, fur and all kinds of nastiness I cannot begin to describe.
To make a long story short, no I'm not especially fond of plumbing.

[Sasquatch-1]

I can't beat the squirrel but try getting a bar of Dove soap out of the pee trap. I would run toilet auger through and the water would start to drain. By the time the water was almost drained the soap, which when wet is almost like modeling clay, would seal the drain again. Finally, I had to remove the toilet and run the auger back and forth like a saw until the drain was clear.

[Froogal]

That is exactly why I insist that BOTH lids be closed.

Many, many years ago I had to dig up a septic tank, simply because a disposable diaper had been flushed. Yes, the diaper made it all the way to the inlet of the septic tank and then stopped.

[Winger Ed.]

I was spitting out pieces of bone, fur and all kinds of nastiness I cannot begin to describe.
To make a long story short, no I'm not especially fond of plumbing.

I'm ashamed of myself for laughing at that.

But you have earned your disdain for plumbing honestly.

[elmacgyver0]

I'm ashamed of myself for laughing at that.

But you have earned your disdain for plumbing honestly.

It didn't seem so funny at the time, but now I can laugh at it.

So go ahead and laugh at it. If someone can get a bit of humor out of the story, then perhaps my brief discomfort was all worth it.
I know retelling the tail has given me pleasure more times than once.
At time it wasn't so great, but now looking back it is hilarious.
The only thing I regret is I don't have a video of it.
My nephew is the only witness as he was right behind me.

[wilecoyote]

...sanitary napkin inside one of the lead pipes I was smelting.
I have yet to understand how it came to the surface from molten lead, blackened but including the string, without dissolving itself.

[CastingFool]

My oldest daughter phoned me one day to tell me their toilet was plugged up. I'm very familiar with their toilet as I installed it and it's the same model we have in our home (3 toilets) Tried the bucket trick and nothing, tried snaking it out and the snake wouldn't go far at all. So I removed the toilet and looked down the pipe. Nice and dry and clean! I figured the clog had to be in the trap of the toilet, so I turned it over and looked in, and found a brownish, black mass that was unrecognizable. Got a wire coat hanger and straightened it out, leaving a hook on one end. I was able to fish out what turned out to be a banana peel, that someone had flushed. Grandkids wouldn't admit to flushing it, but I suspect it was the oldest granddaughter, as she loved bananas. Do I mind working on plumbing, not at all.

[Land Owner]

We had a one-month, eye popping, City water/sewer bill spike from $43 to $1300 for 90K-gallons across the meter in 2018. After repair, we settled with the City for $325. They knew their sewer plant did not receive our discharge and removed that portion from their bill.

A company was hired, which found the leak under the concrete slab and fiberglass of the Master Bath shower insert in a 1975 built house I inherited. Their prognosis was $1800 for finding and repairing the leak. No repair of gypsum walls, concrete floor, or fiberglass shower. No guarantee future leaks would be "solved" by this repair. Future leaks would be charged at $1800 each.

Or, $3100 to repipe water throughout the whole house via the walls; to all sinks (3), both toilets, bathtub, shower, hot water heater, and eliminate future leak(s) under the slab.

We were, at that time, on the fence about flipping the house. That water leak repair and agreeable $3100 started a cumulative $60K remodel in mid-2018. We ripped out and rebuilt the shower in tile, ceramic bathtub, toilets, sinks, hot water heater, et al, ourselves and received a $500 discount off of the water repiping. We rebuilt the inside of the house, tore out walls, opened up space, removed popcorn ceilings for skip trowel, new kitchen and bath cabinets, new appliances, AC, hardwood flooring, carpet, both bathrooms gutted and rebuilt, paint, etc.

Covid in 2019 killed real estate sales for 2 years thereafter! All is well that ends well. We made 3X our investment on the resale in late 2021.

[Half Dog]

I don’t care what the problem is. I’ve tried plumbing enough to know I hate doing it. I call the man when anything plumbing related comes up.

[tinsnips]

Ouch guys i have been a plumber for 44 years you get use to it.

[xs11jack]

But tinsnipes how long does that take?? A while back the 19 yr old daughter of the couple across the street from me is house sitting for her parents vacation. She comes over and sniffles that the master bath toilet is plugged up can you help? wife and I go over there and find the toilet really is plugged, with paper towels, right up to the top of the bowel. More towels and water on the floor. I happen to have a home owners snake and fought my way thru the mess. She told my wife that she probably used up a whole roll to clean it out and unplug it. We have known the folks
living there for a long time and they are great people and that is what stopped me from sending a bill for about a gazillion dollars! I do truly hate plumbing.
Ole Jack

[Hannibal]

Sometimes there just aren't enough paper towels.

[contender1]

I'm not a big fan of plumbing issues,, but it beats the heck out of electrical issues. Electricity can bite you & you can't see it.
Yes,,, I DO know to kill the power & all,, but the fear of "what if" always gives me the willies.

Plumbing,, it can be nasty, stinky, ugly, and truly a head scratching job. So,, I'll share my worst plumbing repair job.

I was hired,, by a municipal city sewer system to assist them in a repair of a tank. Apparently,, they had lost a heavy steel grate in one of their "rake tanks." A 10' deep concrete circular tank that processes the sewer waste from the city. The grate,, had fallen in, and lodged in a rake tine. It weighed about 200 lbs.
As a professional diver,, I was hired to get into the tank, and by feel only,, find, dislodge & attach a pull cable to this steel piece.

About 30 minutes in the tank, and about 2-1/2 hrs of sanitizing & cleaning of me & my equipment.

Yes,, I used a completely sealed suit & helmet system. But I can honestly say "I've been in more peoples s**t at one time than anybody else locally."