# Nightmares



## Dontbitenails (Oct 16, 2020)

Wanted to start a thread on what was one of the worst , nastiest job you have ever been on . I worked for Rotten Rooter for over 23 years and my employers would never turn work down . Get a call on bad side of town. Elderly lady says leaks in basement when toilet is flushed. Only basement entrance is in back yard. Pit bull log chained to a junk car . 2 maybe 3 feet away from entrance to basement. Swear he was moving that car closer every time he snapped that chain straight like a clothesline. Get to the basement and yell up to her to flush. It starts raining sewage from a conglomeration of cast, clay tile, gutter, inner tubes, tin can couplings. I sat on the stairs and started to cry . She yelled down " You goin to leeve, the last 2 guys left as soon as they saw it " . "You got any money , my boss wants paid when finished? ". She whips out a roll of hundreds as big as my fist. I told her that's a good start. Go buy a body suit , 10 gallons of bleach and a fan for ventilation. Find a floor drain through 10 to 12 inches of sewage, maggots, oh my God. Somehow got it to drain and started hosing it down. Bleach water, Bleach, Run outside and breathe, bond with pit bull , blast spray , bleach , brush, rinse , rinse again. Turned water off ,to house so they don't ruin what I accomplished , let air out overnight. Return next day and cut out all but 4 inch cast vent going up. Install all new drains , toilet flange , tub drain. She couldn't believe how good things drained and how good the house smelled . Boss was happy with big wad of cash .I run from these jobs today . I am too old for this . You young guys can have them .


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

*This one is a stand alone story, it's got 2 parts to it. Don't forget to click the like button.*









ACHTUNG! WARNING! Graphic contents!


A sheist load of sheist. Got a call at 4pm today(sunday) for a clogged toilet on the 3rd floor of an apartment. The girl wanted it done now. I told her I’d be there at 6pm. She calls me back saying if I can pick up a check from her mother because she didn’t have all of it. Sure but my time...




www.plumbingzone.com







*Here, I have a soap thread with 63 pages of them! This is another gem :*









The Adventures of the Soap Opera


No, no you certainly never called anyone a racist by that word but you did just admit it was meant that way. Now since you said yourself that members here are from all over the world and of all races I would like to ask why you jump to conclusions that others using the term accents must be white...




www.plumbingzone.com


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Dontbitenails said:


> Wanted to start a thread on what was one of the worst , nastiest job you have ever been on . I worked for Rotten Rooter for over 23 years and my employers would never turn work down . Get a call on bad side of town. Elderly lady says leaks in basement when toilet is flushed. Only basement entrance is in back yard. Pit bull log chained to a junk car . 2 maybe 3 feet away from entrance to basement. Swear he was moving that car closer every time he snapped that chain straight like a clothesline. Get to the basement and yell up to her to flush. It starts raining sewage from a conglomeration of cast, clay tile, gutter, inner tubes, tin can couplings. I sat on the stairs and started to cry . She yelled down " You goin to leeve, the last 2 guys left as soon as they saw it " . "You got any money , my boss wants paid when finished? ". She whips out a roll of hundreds as big as my fist. I told her that's a good start. Go buy a body suit , 10 gallons of bleach and a fan for ventilation. Find a floor drain through 10 to 12 inches of sewage, maggots, oh my God. Somehow got it to drain and started hosing it down. Bleach water, Bleach, Run outside and breathe, bond with pit bull , blast spray , bleach , brush, rinse , rinse again. Turned water off ,to house so they don't ruin what I accomplished , let air out overnight. Return next day and cut out all but 4 inch cast vent going up. Install all new drains , toilet flange , tub drain. She couldn't believe how good things drained and how good the house smelled . Boss was happy with big wad of cash .I run from these jobs today . I am too old for this . You young guys can have them .


What did the boss man charge for this job???


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## Dontbitenails (Oct 16, 2020)

sparky said:


> What did the boss man charge for this job???


20 years ago , but I believe it was 4500 . I remember her paying with 100 dollar bills.


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## JuliaNewman (Jan 14, 2021)

I feel sorry for those guys sometimes, too. They do their work without insurance, sometimes at very high altitudes. Thanks to them.


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## Zhizhastok (9 mo ago)

Oh God, I'm not sure I would agree to that. It's really disgusting.


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)




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## ChrisCarsten (Sep 24, 2010)

I've seen the maggots while I'm crawling, and overflowing toilets. But my worst memories are of working for someone else.

Getting a call at 5:55 p.m. in rush hour traffic and the boss telling me lackadaisically that I'm going to turn around and head 45 minutes out of my way to install an ice maker line........in a house with a **** crawlspace, where the JP who roughed it was too lazy, every single time to put in an ice maker box behind the refer, so the line always had to be crawled by the trim guys, or a service guy. I remember the fuming rage, spitting profanity as I drove to that job, with my wife and newborn at home. The blatant disrespect of another person's time and quality of life. It would have been no problem if Id known my day was planned for it, but to have it spat out at you when you think your crap day is done, with no apology, no, "hey, I know this really sucks, but we really need you to do this....." I still get extremely pissed thinking about it.

And being told to crawl through a 15" crawlspace with vertical spider webs the ENTIRE crawlspace in black widow territory, to use a sawzall and pipe wrenches to cut out a bunch of asbestos wrapped galvanized pipe. Telling the boss the next day, "That was about the limit of what I can do." 

And getting the smug response, "I'll keep it in mind."

Disgusts me.


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

Logtec said:


> View attachment 132449


That toilet. But what the h is up with that tub spout in the shower?!?

Handy hack remodel?


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

jakewilcox said:


> That toilet. But what the h is up with that tub spout in the shower?!?
> 
> Handy hack remodel?


No Jake it is to wash your feet off,


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

WOW ! *ChrisCarsten *35 POSTS IN 12 YEARS ?


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> No Jake it is to wash your feet off,


Got it. After you’ve walked through that poo-guyser of a bathroom.


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

jakewilcox said:


> That toilet. But what the h is up with that tub spout in the shower?!?
> 
> Handy hack remodel?


it’s called a “toe tester”, you check the temp of the water with your foot before you jump in the shower. Some people like them some don’t, They’re pretty common here.
They’re also good for washing out or filling up buckets for cleaning.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

jakewilcox said:


> That toilet. But what the h is up with that tub spout in the shower?!?
> 
> Handy hack remodel?





MACPLUMB777 said:


> No Jake it is to wash your feet off,





Logtec said:


> it’s called a “toe tester”, you check the temp of the water with your foot before you jump in the shower. Some people like them some don’t, They’re pretty common here.
> They’re also good for washing out or filling up buckets for cleaning.



Some locales require it as a means of backflow protection in conjunction with a self resetting diverter. When the shower is turned off the water in the pipe going to the shower head drains out. Otherwise that water would become stagnant and could be sucked back in during power loss when a well system loses pressure.

It's sometimes done around here for homes that get winterized. Otherwise you'd still need a plug/boiler drain. We prefer to just take the shower valve completely apart.


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

@skoronesa wow! Who knew!


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

jakewilcox said:


> @skoronesa wow! Who knew!


i didn’t know that either, but it makes sense.


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## ChrisCarsten (Sep 24, 2010)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> WOW ! *ChrisCarsten *35 POSTS IN 12 YEARS ?


My goal is 50 before I retire.


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## PlumberPhil (3 mo ago)

jakewilcox said:


> That toilet. But what the h is up with that tub spout in the shower?!?
> 
> Handy hack remodel?


Foot washer


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## TerryTotoSucks (5 mo ago)

skoronesa said:


> Some locales require it as a means of backflow protection in conjunction with a self resetting diverter. When the shower is turned off the water in the pipe going to the shower head drains out. Otherwise that water would become stagnant and could be sucked back in during power loss when a well system loses pressure.
> 
> It's sometimes done around here for homes that get winterized. Otherwise you'd still need a plug/boiler drain. We prefer to just take the shower valve completely apart.


@skoronesa
I’d love to see that code in writing that requires a toe touch spout in a shower. Have a link to it ?

It doesn’t matter the location, I just want to see that in print. Anywhere in the world you could point me to would be great……

Water can’t be sucked back into the system if the shower valve doesn’t get turned on with the water off.

A high rise kitchen faucet would do the same, contaminate the system……
Sounds silly doesn’t it……

Not sure what you’re talking about for winterization. You turn the water off and open the shower valve, you then open a lower faucet. The shower riser will drain. You don’t need a toe touch spout to do that.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Never seen that in my life. LOL What part of the country is this in? Looks like Hackville.


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