# What do you do???



## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

I went out to a plugged sewer at an apartment complex yesterday, first time in this building. Get there and find a 15' pool of feminine products, fecal matter and tp plus who knows what else coming out around the floor drain. Rod the sewer and clear the line. Cleaned up my mess and what I pulled out of the sewer. Left the mess by the fd for the owner, property management co or maint man to deal with and see. Get a call from the property mgmt co wanting to know why I did not clean the mess up. When I explained that I don't clean up the mess that was there they got mad and hung up.

Do you clean up the mess or leave it alone???


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## revenge (Jun 30, 2011)

i dont ever clean up a mess like that i dont even sweep it up, i say we charge so much an hour and it will take two or three hours you want me to clean it up, when the see its a few hundred dollars they usually say no


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## Will (Jun 6, 2010)

Not my job to clean up there crap. I clean the pipes.


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## revenge (Jun 30, 2011)

or you can say i will call hazmat to come out here and clean the mess cause it is hazardous material they usually charge 200plus an hour they will clean and sanitize it would you like me to call them for you


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

I was taught to clean up within reason. Cleaning up sets you apart from every other Joe Schmoe.


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## UN1TED-WE-PLUMB (Oct 3, 2012)

I clean whatever mess I make. They would need a servpro service master type company for further cleanup.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

Id call and let them know that the line is now clear and draining well, but there is one hell of a mess here, would you like me to clean it up and add it to your bill or will your maintenance crew do it ?


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

When I pull them off the cable, I line them up nice and neat. In a row. Like soldiers.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

RealLivePlumber said:


> When I pull them off the cable, I line them up nice and neat. In a row. Like soldiers.


Nice!!!


I figured you guys did the same as me...My next step is to get hooked up with serve pro or someone like that.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

In the words of Sweet Brown(cold pop lady)..." Aint nobody got time fo dat!:laughing:

You did what I would have done.

Gotta call from an old Walgreens at 9:00 PM a while back.

Mngr: Both bathrooms are backed up, can you come out?

Me: Yes, be there in 15 min. It will be x dollars.

Mngr: Ok, do you have a big wet vac?

Me: Uh, yes, why?

Mngr: There is 3" of sewage in both bathrooms and I need you to clean it up!

Me: My price is for sewer rodding only. 

Mngr: I need you to do it all for that.

Me: Bye bye!:laughing:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

I clean the mess. I do charge by the hour and would rather a customer be mad for an extra hour labor charge then to mad because I left them a mess.


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## bcp2012 (Oct 27, 2012)

The company I used to work for had a contract with Manitoba housing ( government subsidized housing for low incomes). We had to o on a roto rooter call at 10 pm one night at some duplexes. There was 4-6" of water in the basement. We got to the clean out and did our thing and got everything flowing. Next day we get a call from management asking why we didnt clean up. Boss tells them that we don't do that, we clean up the mess we make and that's it. The bimbo that lived there wanted us to do all her laundry and clean whole basement. Then she went and called the minister of housing and complained. Sure enough a few days later there was a big write up in the paper how unbearable the living conditions are in Manitoba housing. What a fuking joke.

Sent from my iPhone


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## revenge (Jun 30, 2011)

im sorry fellas i dont clean up poo unless they know they gona pay its not free and its not included in the price,


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

I clean up the mess until the customer says other wise. Not hosing down or cleaning the raw sewage in some way would be leaving a public hazard. Not the most enjoyable part of the job but I feel it is part of the job. Of coarse I would charge for the clean up. 
In the shop vac is needed to clean up the mess and its a big mess then I would attach an equipment charge to cover a new vac.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I don't think I have had a situation where we didn't clean up. Well...most of it.

For a home flooded in sewage they obviously need somebody like ServPro but for a pile-o-poo around the C.O. or a few sewer mice? We take care of that.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

I only clean the mess I make but there have been a few occasions that I have hosed down the floor for the elderly if it's not too bad.

If I were to dink around cleaning poo poo off the floor I wouldn't get half my other jobs done.

Besides, half the crap holes I enter don't even have a decent floor drain or anywhere to tap water :laughing:


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Indie said:


> I was taught to clean up within reason. Cleaning up sets you apart from every other Joe Schmoe.




Do you need any additional insurance to be cleaning chit and such from floors just in case something were to happen ???


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

AssTyme said:


> Do you need any additional insurance to be cleaning chit and such from floors just in case something were to happen ???


I don't think you need extra instance to throw white mice in the trash and run a hose for a few minutes. It's not spotless but clearly better than when I get there.


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

I always try to clean it up within reason! I have even went as far as going and buying a couple gallons of bleach, some pine sol and a couple throw away mops and mooping up the problems in the basement for select customers. We charge by the hour so we clean til its done or you tell us to stop!

I have never had a customer complain about the time to clean!


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

For those of you that say you are cleaning up the mess I'm just curious how many drain jobs you guys are doing per week ?


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

CLeaning up is for the water extraction guys. You have to draw a line.

What next? Replace drywall? Paint? Mow the grass?


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## deerslayer (Mar 29, 2012)

AssTyme said:


> For those of you that say you are cleaning up the mess I'm just curious how many drain jobs you guys are doing per week ?


I prolly do 2 or 3 a month that are serious backups that need cleanup. I don't do much cleanup if its on carpet, we call the experts for that.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> I clean the mess. I do charge by the hour and would rather a customer be mad for an extra hour labor charge then to mad because I left them a mess.


 
What about the liability if some gets sick and blames you since you cleaned it up? Just asking, It is something my wife brought up. Another point she made was " do you pay a plumber double time to clean the mess up or the maint. guy???"


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Plumbducky said:


> What about the liability if some gets sick and blames you since you cleaned it up? Just asking, It is something my wife brought up. Another point she made was " do you pay a plumber double time to clean the mess up or the maint. guy???"


I can live in the fear of "what if" situations or just try to do the best job I can. I feel the liability would be stronger if I just left a mess there.


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## Plumbducky (Jun 12, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> I can live in the fear of "what if" situations or just try to do the best job I can. I feel the liability would be stronger if I just left a mess there.


 
Okay


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

I'll clean up within reason. That would be washing all the crap down the newly opened drain, picking up the tampons and paper towels, root balls, etc. If it's a health hazard, I will tell the customer that I cleaned up but it's still dirty. I do not sanitize or sterilize. I do a lot of commercial drain cleaning and that means public restrooms. I can't leave them with waste on the floor. I was at a backed up urinal just this afternoon and it took me about 10-15 minutes to make it look like nothing ever happened in there. I'm not going to bucket out sewage from under somebody's trailer after the piping fell apart though. I do have standards. 









Paul


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Plumbducky said:


> What about the liability if some gets sick and blames you since you cleaned it up? Just asking, It is something my wife brought up. Another point she made was " do you pay a plumber double time to clean the mess up or the maint. guy???"


You didn't cause the mess how could you be responsible?


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## mightypipe (Dec 22, 2012)

Plumbducky said:


> I went out to a plugged sewer at an apartment complex yesterday, first time in this building. Get there and find a 15' pool of feminine products, fecal matter and tp plus who knows what else coming out around the floor drain. Rod the sewer and clear the line. Cleaned up my mess and what I pulled out of the sewer. Left the mess by the fd for the owner, property management co or maint man to deal with and see. Get a call from the property mgmt co wanting to know why I did not clean the mess up. When I explained that I don't clean up the mess that was there they got mad and hung up.
> 
> Do you clean up the mess or leave it alone???


Nope... Leave it alone. I used to do a lot of apartment complex sewer stoppages, and there was almost always a maintenance guy or two waiting when I arrived (to show me where), and usually hanging around waiting to clean-up. If you are a property maintenance guy, and "your" property has a major sewer back-up, I would think it would probably be the most important issue on your agenda.

"That's why you get paid the big bucks boy !!!!"


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

I open drains.

I'll turn over /remove soil around outside clean outs and hose down patio's. 

Inside? I document soiled/damaged conditions before I take anything off my truck and get signed acknowledgment that they are responsible for handling it. Then I open drains and volunteer to call for cleanup.


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

I do minor cleanup. Throw stuff away. If it backed into a tub or shower I semi clean it out just because I like to leave things cleaner than when I showed up. Never EVER had a complaint about leaving a mess.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I do a topical once over around the work area. I don't leave anything I pulled out of the line, I bag it and put it in their trash can.

I have hosed down some cement, but I don't do windows. I will clean my work area in order to reset a toilet, but if I don't pull a fixture, I do not clean them. If they are elderly or poor health, I will do some extra cleanup, depending on the circumstances. 

I get a lot, A LOT, of people who think that I've got some magical vacuum on the truck and that I will clean their homes when I am finished. I don't know where they get that, but I often hear "the last guy had one (and was cheaper, too)". I sure wish "the last guy" was around more, he sounds amazing.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

AssTyme said:


> For those of you that say you are cleaning up the mess I'm just curious how many drain jobs you guys are doing per week ?


We probably do 10 or more drain calls per week. 

Maybe there needs to be a clarification of this loosely used term "clean". By "clean" I mean we clear away any debris from the backup and our work process. Maybe we would even bag up some debris and put it in the trash. 

But the area is no more "clean" than it was when we started. Much like some say they clean drains, but the drains are never cleaned.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

I don't clean up as a rule. If its small and around a floor drain I will do some cursory cleanup. If its a disaster, I will recommend they call a professional cleanup crew. I'm not taking responsibility for that. In short, I won't leave an obvious mess but I won't wash a whole floor down either. If there's a few tampons around a floor drain ill clean them up. More than that they're on their own.


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## TallCoolOne (Dec 19, 2010)

When I used to jet apartments I never cleaned up.

I was there to clear lines, not clean....


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## johnlewismcleod (Apr 6, 2012)

I always clean up...within reason.

The fact is that most people don't understand plumbing very well. 

It doesn't matter if you fixed the problem perfectly...if it looks bad, it's still broken 

If I work on valves or china, I leave the chrome shiny and the china clean. I shop vac the floor and drag a mop across it if they have one available.

I do good work, and it's amazing how people who know nothing about what I do more readily understand that when the thing and area I worked on is clean when I'm done.

But all within reason...if the mess is too big for a 10 - 15 minute clean-up, then I mention the mess and leave it to them if they want me to do something about it...then it's an extra :yes:


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Plumbducky said:


> What about the liability if some gets sick and blames you since you cleaned it up? Just asking, It is something my wife brought up. Another point she made was " do you pay a plumber double time to clean the mess up or the maint. guy???"




When you give it some thought, in todays world there are way more liability issues than that.

They called for me to clean the drain not their home.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

I don't play in chit. Maybe a service call once in a while and ther always on Friday at 3:00. Pm. But any how I wouldn't do it unless my boss specificity said to and I'd get whatever tools or gear to do it safely !!!


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## Plumberman911 (Dec 23, 2012)

I do a clean up of what I pulled out of the line ill clean up paper around the clean out. If its inside I wipe the area down and replace items I had to remove to work. I carry like 409 and paper towels on the truck for it


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

I clean all the mess up. Part of clearing the drains is to prevent sewage from getting out and contaminating the area. To me leaving the mess is unethical. I do however bill them for time and disposal


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Bill said:


> I clean all the mess up. Part of clearing the drains is to prevent sewage from getting out and contaminating the area. To me leaving the mess is unethical. *I do however bill them for time and disposal*




That wouldn't fly around here I'd either be dead or they just wouldn't pay. I have enough problems getting some people to pay as it is


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

TallCoolOne said:


> When I used to jet apartments I never cleaned up.
> 
> I was there to clear lines, not clean....


Thats the good thing about our jetter is after your done just attach the spray wand to it and its clean up. The jobs we do we can't leave a mess of any kind.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

Bill said:


> I clean all the mess up. *Part of clearing the drains is to prevent sewage from getting out and contaminating the area.* To me leaving the mess is unethical. I do however bill them for time and disposal



There is a huge difference between a service master type service & a sewer/drain cleaning service. I'm not properly equipped or trained to handle/dispose of biohazard type materials. I do only as I advertise and only as requested for the service call, get their line flowing to the best of my ability.

I would have to ask my insurance agent if I'm even covered for waste cleanup/disposal under my current drain/sewer cleaning policy.

If you encounter a stool FULL of splattered crap running down the sides do you wipe it all clean after unclogging ?

I don't know of any private garbage collection service that cleans your filthy trash container after emptying them.

Does the fire dept clean the mess they made after putting out a fire so the remaning portion doesn't develop deadly black mold ?

I'm just sayin'................


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

Sir/Maam, I didnt clean that mess up for a couple reasons. 

We dont really have room in our service vehicles for all the proper cleaning equipment for a situation like that. It requires mops, cleaning supplies, disinfectant, towels, garbage bags.......etc. We typically carry a couple towels and some multi purpose cleaner. 

Also, I'm pretty sure my insurance company wouldnt feel comfortible knowing I was doing hazardous cleanup in addition to plumbing, I'm only licnesed to do plumbing.

I am sorry for the inconvience and or misunderstanding.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Bill said:


> I clean all the mess up. Part of clearing the drains is to prevent sewage from getting out and contaminating the area. To me leaving the mess is unethical. I do however bill them for time and disposal


I did a job for an elderly couple who owned a rental. The basement was a disaster. After I opened the drain I took 20 minutes and hosed it down, and charged a small fee. They were a bit perplexed but happy after explained how bad the mess was. No way they would have been able to go into the basement and take care of it for the renter.


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

Call DEQ they can get it cleaned up.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Don't know what the big deal about crap is? If any of you have kids, chances are you've already been crapped and pissed on and didn't die. Spray the stuff down, and move on.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

I clean it all up. I do a lot of work for the largest Property manger in town.I clean up their properties.I do charge extra. I leave it clean to the point that the tenant or homeowner only has to run a mop or a rag over the dirty areas.

I could not leave a site with turds still sitting on the floor.

attached pics is how we do it.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

When people have a mess they do not want to clean, I give them the number to a local crew that specializes in cleaning up sewer back ups, flooding and fire damage. They also rake care of mold. For every job I give them they give the referring plumber a finders fee, and when they get paid they send the company a check for 10%.


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## Rotorooter1277 (Jul 8, 2012)

If its a great customer or an excellent prospect for continuos business in the future I clean the mess up. It def sets you apart from all competitors and provides excellent customer service. The mess has to be within reason though. I'm not cleaning a basement in an apartment building that has been backed up for two days. In this day it's all about customer service


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## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

We clean up within reason, flat shovel, hose, push it down the drain slowly and add water. Found a long time ago if we didn't do it the property maintenance guys would just shove it all down real fast and it might get clogged again. Try getting another check in that situation lol. So it was in our best interest and yes they pay whatever we feel is fair. 
But on the other hand I have gone to homes where the crawl space is filled and I mean filled ( I do not know how they never smelled it for months) and We will not even go near the drains till Serve Pro has cleaned it up. Elderly people I am more likely to help anyway but if someone demands I clean up then it's probably not going to happen. Every job is different but I don't like leaving a mess. And even pouring out some pine sol goes a long way to impressing people.


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## plumberpro (Jan 1, 2013)

I agree if it is a concrete floor I will wash it down the floor drain with lots of water with machine running to make sure line stays open I feel it's good buisness practice and it helps out the customer and I'm getting paid for my time on the job anyway but I agree with you will not go into crawl space full they need to call serve pro to have that cleans up first.

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

gear junkie said:


> Don't know what the big deal about crap is? If any of you have kids, chances are you've already been crapped and pissed on and didn't die. Spray the stuff down, and move on.


Yeah but my kid doesn't have hepatitis or some other disease that can be transmitted from fecal matter. Can you say all of your customers don't?


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Ur I use to not worry about it till my OSHA 10 class. Air and blood born pathogens. Can kill you. Plumber down here got hep. When doing a sewer tie in down the line from a hospital. A old needle in the clay line stuck him. Died 3 weeks later !!! I ware these gloves when cleaning a sewer line !!


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## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

We will clean up if its cement and with reason. If its flooded a home or office..No way! We were told by our insurance if we clean it we take the responablity for it if mold starts. Since we are not lic for that kind of work. Insurance can drop us, and if the homeowner gets sick its on us. We will tell them to call a company to clean and dry it out right.


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## AssTyme (May 15, 2010)

victoryplbaz said:


> We will clean up if its cement and with reason. If its flooded a home or office..No way! *We were told by our insurance if we clean it we take the responablity for it if mold starts.* Since we are not lic for that kind of work. *Insurance can drop us, and if the homeowner gets sick its on us.* We will tell them to call a company to clean and dry it out right.




That's a very good reason not to mess with any of it.


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## affordabledrain (Nov 24, 2009)

Around here, We are the only company that cleans up after ourselves. That is going along way to get me customers. Som of the other guys will. Leave what ever they pull out in the basement. I have gone behind them and saw 6 month old pulled roots sitting on the floor by the cleanout :furious:

ompared to a maintenance guy cleaning up. We are way more money:thumbup:, But we do it right and hell I am a licensed plumber I don't work for peanuts:laughing:


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