# In Your Plumbing Career. What did you do that was good?



## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Today Mrs. Parr [Barbara] & I are celebrating 53 years of one another.

That is what prompted this post. As a young apprentice back in the late 50's I was given a call to replace the flush ell on a old wall mounted tank.
Upon arrival the lady of the house in a rocker and white hair and the Mr. also in a rocker and balding, greeted me. Told me of the problem -- water on the floor evey time they flush. Up I go to the 2nd floor. Now the Musselman's taught me never try to unscrew a flush valve nut {it will probably turn the spud or the one above turn the flush valve. Cut the existing nuts and then split them open. OK done, now remove the screws in the tank to get it off the wall. With tank balanced on my knees out came the bolts, from behind the tank I heard a faint click [dropping sound]. I pulled the tank off the flush ell dumped out the remaing bit of water and laid it on the floor. Well moving back to he bowl I saw what dropped. A pretty good sized diamond ring. I put it in my shirt pocket, figured that my find was worth something and I finished my job. In walking down the stairs the eldery gent mentioned that this was the first plumbing problem other than a couple of flush ball replacements. I said how long have you lived here? All our lives was the reply we bought the house new. All of a sudden my find was no longer mine. I pulled out the ring and said I found this up there it dropped from behing the tank. The lady started to cry, the ring was lost shortly after moving in. After that I left, they were happy. I was happier that I could do what I did. It was a hell of a lesson, I could have owned a diamond ring!


----------



## mongo (Jun 26, 2010)

That was great of you. Shows character.


----------



## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

I found a GLOCK in the chimney but HO said it belonged to crack-house next door he called police (serial # was filed definitely had body's on it) I may have helped solve some violent crime.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Nice! Congratulations on your anniversary... That's just like forever....:thumbup:

I once had a call where a customer had dropped a big ol diamond ring in a toilet and I found it inside the siphon jet....

She said she hadn't flushed it so we knew it was in there somewhere...

I fished it out and cleaned it off for her and just then I heard her coming back down the hallway to check on my progress and I flushed the toilet and said oops... :laughing:

I then gave her the ring and my cell rang it was my wife calling so I gave her a wink and answered the phone...

She always asks what I'm doing and if I can talk. So I told her I was just giving a diamond ring to a pretty young blonde woman...:laughing:

You What!

In the end we all were laughing...:laughing:


----------



## Rambo (Jul 10, 2010)

congrats on the aniversary....:thumbup:


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Ok congrats on 53 yrs of being married to the same lady. thats somthing you both can be grateful for.


Now about the ring.......it makes no matter if they lived there the entire time...they own the home and everything in it...including that ring even if they didn't know it. taking it would have been stealing...PERIOD.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*congrats on the 53 years...*

Congrads on 53 years too....

I got a marquis platinum ring with a few diamonds 
in it sitting in my curios cabinet with all the other 
things I treasure from the past....

I pulled a wall hung high back china lavatory off the
wall in a vacant property and there it was....this is at least 40 years ago...


Being an old flop house for at least 3 decades , 
I never thought of it as stealing at that time , 
more like finders keepers...


----------



## waldrop (Dec 18, 2009)

53 years is a great accomplishment ,hope we live long enough to make it that long.


----------



## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

*what did you do that was good*

Funny how things like that happen to quite a few people.. I was taking a 2 inch copper p-trap off a shower that was plugged solid at a friend’s home. As I cut the copper trap it fell to the concrete basement floor and the buildup fell out of the trap and old gold Jewish Star necklace fell out. 
 The husband had just passed away and the house was full of relatives. When I gave it back to the woman she started to cry, it was the first piece of jewelry the husband gave her when they first married. It brought back priceless memories.

Congrats on the years. I met a couple yesterday that married 70 years ago. What an accomplishment.

I would like to think I have enhanced and made a difference with a great majority of my clients with thier lives. That is my goal with each person.


----------



## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

*Congratulations*

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Parr on 53 years of marriage. I wish you and your family all the best! One time I did a service call for an elderly lady whose nearest relative was 3,000 miles away. The lady (Mrs. Williams) related to me that she had a terminal disease and had at that time approx. 1 year to live. I used to visit her w/ my wife and kids. We would just sit and talk and share Bible stories. In time when I called on her, she was not in her residence. I'm sure she has long since passed away. Maybe one day when I'm very old someone will repay the favor....


----------



## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

I once found the husband's bingo stash under a bathtub.

I gave it to the wife. She didn't know it was his. He came home and the fur hit the fan. :whistling2:

No tears were shed, just blood.

Not quite as heart warming, i know.


Here's to another 50, Bill!:clap:


----------



## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Now about the ring.......it makes no matter if they lived there the entire time...they own the home and everything in it...including that ring even if they didn't know it. taking it would have been stealing...PERIOD.[/quote]

TM ... Suppose they did not own the home ... Would it then also be stealing in your mind ... Suppose there were many people that lived in the home over the years. How would you find the rightful owner. Or do you revert to finders, keepers in that situation. 

I wouldn't think of stealing anything from a customers home. But I sure as hell am not going to give a good find away with out making sure it's going to the rightful person. You can never ask too many questions!


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

It doesn't matter......A plumber working at a home CANT keep anything they find unless the owner OF THE HOME says they can. 

Its never finders keepers when your working in a home thats not yours.

Your not gonna give a good find away......that you found in sombodys elses home????????.......SINCE WHEN DID A PLUMBING SERVICE CALL TURN INTO A TREASURE HUNT FOR THE PLUMBER?????? THATS FLIPPIN NUTS CRAZY


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> TM ... Suppose they did not own the home ... Would it then also be stealing in your mind ... Suppose there were many people that lived in the home over the years. How would you find the rightful owner. Or do you revert to finders, keepers in that situation.
> 
> I wouldn't think of stealing anything from a customers home. But I sure as hell am not going to give a good find away with out making sure it's going to the rightful person. You can never ask too many questions!


Its not up to you to decide who owns it......ITS NOT YOUR HOUSE. IT DAMN sure is not yours.

Yes you can ask too many questions when all the answers are none of your BUSINESS...your there to plumb not find and keep things.


----------



## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

Congrats on the anniversary. And as much as I hate to do it, I agree with TM. There is always an owner, and it is their property. Stealing is stealing no matter how you rationalize it. A few months ago I was opening up a wall in a 100 year old building, when a 100 year old yarning iron fell out. I showed it to the owner and asked if I could have it. He said sure, he had no use for a 100 year old plumbing tool, and I used it to yarn in my caulk ferrule.


----------



## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

I had an old lady who dropped her teeth down the toilet I removed the toilet and I could see them but they wouldn't fit out the bottom and I tried turning the bowl over and shaking it out the trap after talking to the daughter she said repairing the dentures was cheaper so I whipped out my channel lock and broke it then reset the toilet 

Another satisfied customer


----------



## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

Congrats Bill that was a nice story. The feeling you get every time you think about the look on her face is worth far more than whatever that ring was worth and the guilt you would have felt keeping it.

I also agree with TM, anything you find in a house belongs to the current owner. I don't think it matters who originally owned it.


----------



## rebecca14 (Jul 30, 2010)

I am a plumber for almost three years and the very nice thing I did is to plumb my own bathtub. Because I was too busy to do a plumb on my own house. So, I was thankful I have given a time to plumb my own bath tub.


----------



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

rebecca14 said:


> I am a plumber for almost three years and the very nice thing I did is to plumb my own bathtub. Because I was too busy to do a plumb on my own house. So, I was thankful I have given a time to plumb my own bath tub.


 Shoulda been a poet.

Freak.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

rebecca14 said:


> I am a plumber for almost three years and the very nice thing I did is to plumb my own bathtub. Because I was too busy to do a plumb on my own house. So, I was thankful I have given a time to plumb my own bath tub.


Uhhh Okay then why does your profile say electrician when what you really are is a spammer that dropped a link here last night. :laughing:


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> Now about the ring.......it makes no matter if they lived there the entire time...they own the home and everything in it...including that ring even if they didn't know it. taking it would have been stealing...PERIOD.


 
I have Googled this subject extensively, and find there is some validity to Mr. Bills points. There may be situations were items are lost and abandoned, and may be subjected to forfeiture by the losee and become the property of the findee.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*forclosed properties,,, + rental homes*



slickrick said:


> I have Googled this subject extensively, and find there is some validity to Mr. Bills points. There may be situations were items are lost and abandoned, and may be subjected to forfeiture by the losee and become the property of the findee.


We find stuff all the time in forclosed properties...
they were left behind intentionally or by accident..
but who is going to claim them???


In 2005 a plumber passed away that had a
shop in his barn...his wife moved on and abandoned the 
whole place... it got forclosed on..... 
I went there to winterize the property and
I say an acetelytine tank and prestolite kit sitting in full view....... 
I called the REO agent I was working for to ask 
about all the stuff in the barn and she said it was mine 
if I wanted it.... she said it was abandoned property and I could have it all.... or they were gonna clean it out in a few days........ I got a Rigid Cast cutter, tons of copper fittings and a lot of other plumbing goodies... it was a pretty good haul....:thumbup:.. 
.


If a gold coin or a ring was dropped behind a wall or down the 
heat register in a old vacant rental property 
by who knows who over the last 90 years... 
its finders keepers..


if you find something in someones home... then its
best to give it to them


----------



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

My uncle was working for the a small city in Northern Ontario and they ordered him to tear down an old abonded house.

He found over $ 100,000 under the floor boards. He handed it over to the city and the city keep it and never gave him anything. That was back in the 1980's so it was really alot of money back then.


Hmmmm I wonder if finders keepers should apply to this.


----------



## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

*In Your Plumbing Career. What did*

I did not want to be drawn into what is stealing and what is not stealing. I thought the important theme is being married 53 years and that is a special feat.

Now to the direction of this thread; what is ethical? Whose ethics sets the standard? Is it mine or yours? The same would go with defining morals and who sets the standards of what is moral?

Personally I have the attitude it is not mine. I could find a bike in my yard however I know that it is owned by another person. If it is left in my yard it does not mean it is mine yet it is finder’s keepers. Chances are it belongs to a kid that stopped to play with other kids and just forgot it. I do not know whose bike it is or where the kid lives and that has nothing to do with anything.

It does not matter whether the home is abandoned or bank owned. It is not the personal property of the finder. I do not care who asks questions it still does not belong to that person. If you take it it is your responsibility to locate the owner of that property and with the computer it is easy to locate people who lived in that home. It is even easier to get the information of where those people are today. Deceased people have relatives that might want what you have. They should have the right of first refusal. What you choose to do is your business and I am not concerned with what you do or how you live it is not my business. These are my ethics and integrity and that is what concerns me.


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Any home that I work in is owned by sombody or some company or bank....Sombody is paying my invoice. I would either call and notify the deed holder(owner) of the home or leave the object were I found it.......or do both. BUT NEVER TAKE IT.

Now Mr. Rich just because you find a bike in your yard does not mean you can keep it. It may be stolen. Say for instance you find a bike on your property and its a nice bike....rather than calling the police and reporting the bike....you decide to keep it. Its a really cool bike and you ride that bike and enjoy it.

You enjoy it so much that you decide to buy you a brand new bike.......so you decide to sell the bike you found and you find a kid that loves the bike and his dad writes out a check for the 100.00. The kid wants to get some rims and new tires for his new bike.....so he takes it to the bike dealer to get the work done. 
The bike dealer checks each bike's serial number to see if it has been reported stolen.......sure enough it is reported stolen.

What do you tell the police when they come to your door? You found it?
Anything with a serial number/name on it or of a certain value must be reprted to our local police department.....if it goes unclaimed for a certain lenght of time then the police gives ot back to you and you own it at that point.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*Real world vs failytales*

you must do whatever you feel is right. 
but I think you could take this to the absurd.

Every structure has been somenoes home at one time
or another, and I suppose if you want to take
this to the extreme you could go back and find
out who owned the home back in 1870 when it 
was built and look up their living relaitves....

How does anyone prove ownership of something in an abandoned vacant home???

I have done well over 1000 forclosures , and I have seen a lot of things go down that you would not believe... whatever is left on the property, .all you have to do is ask permission of your REO buddy in charge ......and its yours....
They dont care cause they are too busy trashing out hundreds of homes ....

my kids are presently rideing a couple of bikes that were left behind on REO properties....


Every situation is different and you must simply 
do whatever you feel is right for that situation..

one person calls it stealing, another person calls it 

trash removal.... 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------








.










.


----------



## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

We set our own standards for ethics and morality. However, ill gotten gains are ill gotten gains. As TM posted someone somewhere already owns it.

Mark


----------



## wundumguy (Apr 3, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> My uncle was working for the a small city in Northern Ontario and they ordered him to tear down an old abonded house.
> 
> He found over $ 100,000 under the floor boards. He handed it over to the city and the city keep it and never gave him anything. That was back in the 1980's so it was really alot of money back then.
> 
> ...


The entire property was probably worth less than the $100,000. Your uncle was one heck of an honest man. The city workers probably kept it for themselves. I suspect that legally, it belonged to the owners of the property, which is probably the city that appropriated and ordered the house demolished. But, I probably would have kept the money... for my grandchildren of course.


----------



## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

The master learn to read and comprehend the context. I am styating that it is not my bike and that the owner needs to be found. It is not my bike.

I state, Personally I have the attitude it is not mine. I could find a bike in my yard however I know that it is owned by another person . This implies it is not mine to own.


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

From my legal dept.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost,_mislaid,_and_abandoned_property


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

Richard Hilliar said:


> The master learn to read and comprehend the context. I am styating that it is not my bike and that the owner needs to be found. It is not my bike.
> 
> I state, Personally I have the attitude it is not mine. I could find a bike in my yard however I know that it is owned by another person . This implies it is not mine to own.


You stated that if you find a bike n your yard that you know it is not yours but finders keepers law applies........I'm not so sure of that.

Go back and read your post.......Richard learn to read and comprehend what YOU write:thumbsup:


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

If I ever find anything of great value that is buried or apparently hidden that I felt was lost or hidden by someone other than the current homeowner, It is going to the Po Po, getting a receipt, calling my attorney while en route and let the courts decide. I am as honest, but I'm not stupid.


----------

