# Things that keep you awake at night. . . .



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Ever woken up in a cold sweat wondering if you unplugged that 500watt halogen light you were using in the crawler or attic?

I had to drive about 15 miles out to a job at midnight one night. Good thing I did, the sub floor was already blackened and starting to smoke when I got there.

All of our halogens now have 1 hour bathroom timer switches hard wired into them. They cost about fifteen bucks. 

Cheap insurance for the glue addled brain.


----------



## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

I have woken up many times wondering if I made a good joint, and if its leaking. You know, that feeling just weighs on you. 



Mostly, I wake up, or have a hard time going to sleep because I don't have enough money in the bank, and no jobs scheduled.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Indie said:


> I have woken up many times wondering if I made a good joint, and if its leaking. You know, that feeling just weighs on you.
> 
> Mostly, I wake up, or have a hard time going to sleep because I don't have enough money in the bank, and no jobs scheduled.


You said it brother!


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Indie said:


> I have woken up many times wondering if I made a good joint, and if its leaking. You know, that feeling just weighs on you.


 A little trick my first boss taught me; Give every soldered joint you made that day a solid thwack with the handle of your hammer before you pack up your gear at the end of the day.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Widdershins said:


> A little trick my first boss taught me; Give every soldered joint you made that day a solid thwack with the handle of your hammer before you pack up your gear at the end of the day.


I fail to see the thought process involved here ^^^^^^^


----------



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Cant tell you how many times I worried if the union on the gas piping was tight. 

I still lose sleep over stuff like that. Even though I know I checked it 4 times before I left.


----------



## ianclapham (Jan 10, 2011)

once i woke up thinking i forgot to put a manhole cover back on, it was a deep one too.
but then realised i must have because i drove over it to leave the job!!!!


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

U.A.til.I.die said:


> I fail to see the thought process involved here ^^^^^^^


 A good thwack while under pressure will tell you if the solder joint is a good one. 

If it isn't, the reverberations from the thwack will tell you if the solder flowed or just tinned.

Maybe I'm just superstitious, but it seems to work for me.


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

RealLivePlumber said:


> Cant tell you how many times I worried if the union on the gas piping was tight.
> 
> I still lose sleep over stuff like that. Even though I know I checked it 4 times before I left.


 You don't spray 'em down with soapy water after you turn the gas back on?


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Widdershins said:


> A good thwack while under pressure will tell you if the solder joint is a good one.
> 
> If it isn't, the reverberations from the thwack will tell you if the solder flowed or just tinned.
> 
> Maybe I'm just superstitious, but it seems to work for me.


My ignorance. I work on systems for over a year sometimes before the water ever gets turned on.


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

U.A.til.I.die said:


> My ignorance. I work on systems for over a year sometimes before the water ever gets turned on.


I'm Uber paranoid about leaks -- Gas, water, DWV, you name it.

We generally cap everything off at the end of the day (Shark Bite caps on water piping, rubber Cap-All's on DWV) and air test everything overnight.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

We don't test until we can book an inspection. Boss figures labor is better spent elsewhere until we need to.


----------



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Widdershins said:


> You don't spray 'em down with soapy water after you turn the gas back on?


I use Megabubble. Andthen a torch. And triple check them for tightness. It's just a thing I got going on. Unions freak me out, for some reason. 

I guess I believe that you could hand tighten them, and not have a leak with suds. (I rectorseal the seat and threads.), But have a big leak later.


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

RealLivePlumber said:


> I use Megabubble. Andthen a torch. And triple check them for tightness. It's just a thing I got going on. Unions freak me out, for some reason.
> 
> I guess I believe that you could hand tighten them, and not have a leak with suds. (I rectorseal the seat and threads.), But have a big leak later.


I don't dope unions at all (unless I have too). You and that #5.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

If I have trouble, I will neverseize the face and the shoulder but not the threads.


----------



## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I sleep like a baby every night...:laughing:

Maybe it's because I am somewhat anal, but I double and triple check stuff before I leave a job. I fill sinks and let 'em drain like (5) times; I flush w/c's (7) times to make sure the trip-lever and flapper aren't hanging up, etc.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

When you go to bed at night you check the closet for the boogeyman. When the boogeyman goes to bed at night, he checks the closet for Chuck Norris!


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

RealLivePlumber said:


> I use Megabubble. Andthen a torch. And triple check them for tightness. It's just a thing I got going on. Unions freak me out, for some reason.


 I try to avoid using them as much as possible.

We use to use them when hooking up Ansul valves on cook lines back in the 80's, but switched to companion flanges and aircraft grade gasket sealant after we watched a Chef training his new staff whack the Ansul valve with the handle of a giant size whisk and move it.

Something kind of unnerving about installing something on a gas line that any idjit with a pair of channel locks or whatever can fuxor with as soon as your back is turned.


----------



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Tommy plumber said:


> I sleep like a baby every night...:laughing:
> 
> Maybe it's because I am somewhat anal, but I double and triple check stuff before I leave a job. I fill sinks and let 'em drain like (5) times; I flush w/c's (7) times to make sure the trip-lever and flapper aren't hanging up, etc.


Do you have to flush exactly seven times?:laughing: My number used to be exactly 4. I have been switching it up as of late. Sometimes two, somwtimes 5. I am running with scissors.


----------



## Yellow Badger (Jan 12, 2011)

Does not keep my up. But I ounce had a dream that I had a bad gas leak. And the next morning there was a fire in that neighbourhood. I never drove so fast with out having coffee. Iy turned out to be 4 houses down.


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

RealLivePlumber said:


> Do you have to flush exactly seven times?:laughing: My number used to be exactly 4. I have been switching it up as of late. Sometimes two, somwtimes 5. I am running with scissors.


 I've been accused of being Anal Retentive a number of times over the years.

OTOH, I've never once had a job related insurance claim.

Insurance/Bond is one of those things you kvetch about everytime you write the check, but you secretly rub your lucky rabbits foot/talisman and pray to whatever Gawd you believe in that you'll never need it.

I'm getting too Gawd damn old for this ****.


----------



## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

I once "inherited" a 36 unit condo project from another journeyman. Me, my apprentice, and a helper took over about half way through. We had 2" CPVC mains (not my choice) running for what seemed like miles on that job. Air tested and held tight overnight, but it was four months before the water was turned on. I was sweating bullets when it was. It would have been a nightmare to repair once the drywall was up.

Fortunately, the trim carpenters only shot it a couple of times on the third floor where it reduced down to 1" anyway. Yes, we installed plates and FHA's to code, but I've learned to never underestimate the ability of a framer/trim carpenter/siding installer to shoot holes in the pipe anyway.

I was having nightmare visions of a nail or screw which penetrated the pipe in some dark, unseen place and having that penetration crack and burst while under pressure......


----------

