# This takes the cake



## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

So my brother rents a house from a cheap, greedy ass slum lord and the hot water pipe in the ceiling has sprung a leak. He has this handyman that he uses so I couldn't help but go down there and watch him try to fix it. It's 2 pm when he arrives. We walk down to the open ceiling where the leak is and he starts mumbling to himself, "this couldn't have been in a worse spot...how am I gonna fix this...I need this like I need a hole in my head...they don't make a left-right tee." He goes to his car and gets a drill with a wire brush and some other things and gets to it. We leave the room and let him be. He comes out at 2:30 and says, "what I wanted to do isn't going to work, I gotta run to the hardware store." He comes back at 4 pm with his drill again and some more things I can't really tell what they are. He comes out the room at 5:30 and says it's done and to keep an eye on it in case it leaks. 

Three and a half hours later and this is his fix. What the hell is that?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

It ain't leakin', mission accomplished!


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

He missed the cold water tee right next to it that's obviously been leaking. I guess he'll be back out with some more play-doh in a month.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

I have to give you credit for keeping your composure while witnessing that. He has no idea what you do?


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Wow. I would have been speechless for several minutes if I had witnessed that in person.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I would've offered to help, handing him tools. Kept saying things like "you almost got it" or "how do they not have a left right tee" to cheer him on.


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## newyorkcity (Nov 25, 2010)

Ask him if he fixes gas lines the same way.


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

newyorkcity said:


> I have to give you credit for keeping your composure while witnessing that. He has no idea what you do?


I never told him what I do.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Paper mill patch... Lol


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

Epoxy works best when you secure it with a hose clamp


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

Always buy the largest size hose clamp. They fit every time


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

I'm starting to take beef with slumlords who seek out people who do work like that and care nothing for the tenants well being. This same slumlord has an ongoing sewer problem for at least a year and has been snaking it every month for $65 and has finally said he'll fix it. He didn't say when but he said in the meantime just pull the trash cans close to the toilets and throw any paper products in the trash and not the toilet so it doesn't clog the sewer. 
UNBELIEVABLE! Yeah, stink up your house, attract flys and bacteria all so I can save some money and not have to snake the line so often. 

I scrutinize the hell out of them when they call me and they mention they need work done on their rental property. Any hint that they are looking for a cheap way out or ask for a free estimate they get shot down or the price goes way up.


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## cable or root (Oct 7, 2015)

Daaayum man. Why youze gotsta criticize my work and sheit? I aint ignant! Jb weld fixes everythangs. I even put a clamp on dere. That shiet aint gots no leak now so dont post no mo pictures of my work. If dey made a left right tee I woulda done dat instead! Also wut chu talkin bout dat other pipe gotsa leak! I aint see no leak!


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## wharfrat (Nov 1, 2014)

I think it's great you kept your mouth shut and just observed. Then spilled the beans to us.

Slumlords are a mystery to me. Spend half a million on a property and then run it into the ground.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

As long as a landlord can keep patching, he will never be talked into a re-pipe. And handymen don't want to push a re-pipe; they are trying too hard to please, so they patch instead of installing new.


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## KoleckeINC (Oct 22, 2011)

Why didn't you shake the hell out of it till it leaked 
again?


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

rwh said:


> Epoxy works best when you secure it with a hose clamp


What's the proper torque for clamping epoxy? I always end up with leaks on my attempts.

Oh, and i like putting two or more smaller clamps together. Allows me to charge more.


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## Johnny Canuck (Feb 24, 2015)

sierra2000 said:


> So my brother rents a house from a cheap, greedy ass slum lord and the hot water pipe in the ceiling has sprung a leak. He has this handyman that he uses so I couldn't help but go down there and watch him try to fix it. It's 2 pm when he arrives. We walk down to the open ceiling where the leak is and he starts mumbling to himself, "this couldn't have been in a worse spot...how am I gonna fix this...I need this like I need a hole in my head...they don't make a left-right tee." He goes to his car and gets a drill with a wire brush and some other things and gets to it. We leave the room and let him be. He comes out at 2:30 and says, "what I wanted to do isn't going to work, I gotta run to the hardware store." He comes back at 4 pm with his drill again and some more things I can't really tell what they are. He comes out the room at 5:30 and says it's done and to keep an eye on it in case it leaks.
> 
> Three and a half hours later and this is his fix. What the hell is that?
> 
> ...


I think i rented from this guy too!


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

newyorkcity said:


> Ask him if he fixes gas lines the same way.



That stuff works great on gas lines.....with such low pressure:laughing:
it aint right but it will work....



It would be my luck to run into a 3/4 galvanized tee in a ceiling pin-hole leaking on a satruday afternoon .... that is a mean as it gets,,,,

You did not say if the problem was fixed or not......
did it hold for the weekend anyway>>>>??????


I see a whole bunch of brass dresser couplings up in that ceiling sometime in the next month... it wont look good but it will hold 
until the cheap assed landlord finally has to re-pipe the home


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

Master Mark said:


> That stuff works great on gas lines.....with such low pressure:laughing: it aint right but it will work.... It would be my luck to run into a 3/4 galvanized tee in a ceiling pin-hole leaking on a satruday afternoon .... that is a mean as it gets,,,, You did not say if the problem was fixed or not...... did it hold for the weekend anyway>>>>?????? I see a whole bunch of brass dresser couplings up in that ceiling sometime in the next month... it wont look good but it will hold until the cheap assed landlord finally has to re-pipe the home


The sad thing is it probably will hold. The handyman charges him $150 for 3.5 hours for play-doh and a clamp and as far as the slumlord cares the problem was solved cheap enough. 
A month later the cold water leaks and the handyman can't be reached so he calls a plumber out who gives him a price to do it right and its 6 times higher than the handyman. Now the plumber is accused of being a crook because he knows better. This is how we get a bad name, the prices get driven down and legit plumbers become afraid to charge what they should.


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## JAraiza (May 7, 2012)

This guy must be a master, master hack!


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Invite the landlord here for a brief membership and discussion.


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## Plumbbum0203 (Dec 14, 2011)




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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

Cut on one side of the tee run and on the branch, thread galvanized, screw on uponor adapters and install pex. 1 hour. Took the hackman over 3 hours to do what he did. Haha. I cut out and installed 50 feet of drain pipe underneath a house yesterday in less time than that hack took for that patch. 
A small piece fell off that patch yesterday but it's still not leaking.


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## sierra2000 (Sep 19, 2011)

Ha! Looks like that stupid patch only lasted 2 months. It's now dripping.


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## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

You just need to tighten the clamp up a little bit.


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## supakingDFW (Aug 19, 2014)

He should probably just coat it real good with a can of that aerosol primer and glue...


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## smoldrn (Oct 4, 2010)

Mighty Putty to the rescue! He should've spent the money & used FlexSeal. lol


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

JB Weld does it for me...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## slimpilky (Apr 5, 2012)

Is that blue tac


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

LOL..sadly..Ive seen worse...............


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> LOL..sadly..Ive seen worse...............



Like a cut up fernco?


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