# Silly things other plumbers tell me



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Silly things some guys try to tell me... While I am at the suppliers 

1. Some guy was bragging that he had to replace all the gas pipe on a job he was at because the black pipe was in an enclosed space and that you can't have any screwed fittings closed in.... So he redid all the gas lines exposed were you can see it all over the house...

2. Some guy ask me if I know to fix a propane fridge... I asked what do you want to know ... He says I just want teach you something...
So he says if the pilot burner is not lighting to remove it and soak it in sulfuric acid for a few days .... LMAO


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## chuckscott (Oct 20, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> Silly things some guys try to tell me... While I am at the suppliers
> 
> 1. Some guy was bragging that he had to replace all the gas pipe on a job he was at because the black pipe was in an enclosed space and that you can't have any screwed fittings closed in.... So he redid all the gas lines exposed were you can see it all over the house...
> 
> ...


I had an apprentice looking all over the shop for a glow plug for an electric water heater. He finally goes to my boss asking if he has seen one laying around. I got stuck on a pump truck for 2 days for that one.. My boss didn't appreciate my humor..


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

chuckscott said:


> I had an apprentice looking all over the shop for a glow plug for an electric water heater. He finally goes to my boss asking if he has seen one laying around. I got stuck on a pump truck for 2 days for that one.. My boss didn't appreciate my humor..



Thats. Bs. Back in the day when we would be loading up in the morning we would tell the helpers to go ask. Boss man where the pipe stretchers were. Lol. It was pretty funny


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Someone on here said they used send the new guys to the truck to get some fallopian tube!:laughing:


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## PlumberJ (Dec 12, 2011)

We do the pipe stretcher thing.
its in there its got the blue handle!:laughing:


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

that the styrofoam liner in a toilet tank is to keep the sound down 

" its been that way since 1999, that when they passed the water conservation act "

on male plastic adapters to metal female use primer and glue like you would pipe dope

I just nod my head and listen


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

GREENPLUM said:


> that the styrofoam liner in a toilet tank is to keep the sound down
> 
> " its been that way since 1999, that when they passed the water conservation act "
> 
> ...


 






.....:laughing:.....


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## Brian Ayres (Sep 9, 2012)

A guy I used to work with was sent back to the shop for a pipe stretcher his first day on the job 30+ years ago. 

Since his dad was a fitter he knew they were messing with him. 
He said he took the truck to the bar and drank all day before returning at the end of the day apologizing for being unable to find it.


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## ditchdigger (Aug 12, 2012)

I sent one to get me a 6and3/4 x51/2 bushing on rough in yesterday.


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

how bout a bucket of steam lol


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

oh yeah the infamous sky hook.


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## Plumbbum0203 (Dec 14, 2011)

We send them to get a matter daddy


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

I had some numbnut, that was a few years my senior, tell me that I was wasting my time cleaning my pipe and fittings on copper. Tinning flux took away all the need for cloth, and brushes.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

LEAD INGOT said:


> I had some numbnut, that was a few years my senior, tell me that I was wasting my time cleaning my pipe and fittings on copper. Tinning flux took away all the need for cloth, and brushes.


How many jobs he kept ya busy afterward?


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

rjbphd said:


> How many jobs he kept ya busy afterward?


 At the time, he was a fellow employee. After the hospital started leaking like a stuck pig, his resignation was tendered.


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## bkplumber (Jan 24, 2011)

I asked a guy at the supply house if he had a pex bender I could buy mine broke, he looked and looked in his computer and couldn't find it. So he got the Ridgid book and looked in there. I had to leave the counter lmao!


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Hmmmm silly things huh? Plumber's putty is better then silicone and a drum is better then a sectional. Of forgot another silly thing plumbers tell me.....flate rate is for crooks.


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## Pac Rim Plumber (Jun 23, 2010)

One of my recent pet peeves
Soldering unions assembled, I requested a coworker not do it on my project the other day. 5 minutes later he was soldering the lower side of the union and said that it was ok, that the fitting was facing down........:furious::furious::furious:, what is the purpose of flux??? to allow solder to flow into the fitting naaaa. I did not ask for him to return to the job.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

On this internet forum, people try to say plumbing dont really need vents.:whistling2:


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

A licensed plumber told me something silly recently. 

He said he knew what he was doing....

He didn't. :no:


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## bkplumber (Jan 24, 2011)

I worked for a company One time and on your first day they had a meeting in the conference room to introduce everyone. The head plumber there got up and said " My name is Joe, and I know everything about plumbing" then I found out he wasnt licensed! He told me that card don't mean squat. Then the boss, who wasn't licensed eighter, told me it was ok to put a 80 gallon gas heater in the middle of a 20' span of 2x6 joists. They had a master plumber working for them to use his license. Ever been to a zoo and seen the monkey exhibits? That's them! I didn't stay long.


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## Gettinit (May 9, 2012)

Someone tried telling me how to set up an oil burner by staring at the brightest part of the flame for a three count, look away to the dark corner of the room. If you see spots, its good.


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## Brian Ayres (Sep 9, 2012)

Gettinit said:


> Someone tried telling me how to set up an oil burner by staring at the brightest part of the flame for a three count, look away to the dark corner of the room. If you see spots, its good.


Hahaha! That's great! I wonder if he's blind now?

I had a guy I worked with that said "Sharkbites get a bad rep. You just have to educate people on the labor savings!"


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Had another plumber from different company saying all my boiler repiping jobs are wrong because the pumps are on the supply side.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

gear junkie said:


> Hmmmm silly things huh? Plumber's putty is better then silicone and a drum is better then a sectional. Of forgot another silly thing plumbers tell me.....flate rate is for crooks.


I agree with the first 2.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

We had a guy that would say you dont need a permit for anything under the roof print of a house. I heard him tell a customer this.:blink:

Of course he also says that he's done plumbing for 8 years, auto mechanic for 12 and ac for 4. He was only 26 at the time!:laughing:


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## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

89plumbum said:


> We had a guy that would say you dont need a permit for anything under the roof print of a house. I heard him tell a customer this.:blink:
> 
> Of course he also says that he's done plumbing for 8 years, auto mechanic for 12 and ac for 4. He was only 26 at the time!:laughing:


Quit talking about my EX-son-in-law or I will report it to the mods. For crying out loud, he meant well.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Phat Cat said:


> Quit talking about my EX-son-in-law or I will report it to the mods. For crying out loud, he meant well.


Wow! I remember him talking about how his wife was quite a handful!:laughing:

jkg.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

89plumbum said:


> Wow! I remember him talking about how his wife was quite a handful!:laughing:
> 
> jkg.


I though he said the reason why he left was because of the mother inlaw


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## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Many moons ago when I was an apprentice the boss sent me to the supply house. We were building a new Motorola plant. I had only been on that job a couple of days. Anyhow as I returned from the supply house it was about fifteen or so minutes after lunch. The crew I was running for was new to the job as well. I pulled up and started yelling at the crew to go to the trail or and pick up your checks that tardiness was steeling. 
These guys were furious. They were late getting to lunch. They show up and let just say by the end of the joke what butt I had left had to work for that crew. 
Ran into one of the guys the other day and that was the first things ha talked about.


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## Brian Ayres (Sep 9, 2012)

Here's one I said back about ten years ago. Insert foot in mouth...

I already had owned my own plumbing company the previous 4 years and had a year of apprenticeship. But, I knew I needed more knowledge and skill to succeed at owning my own business so I sold out and went to work where I am now as an apprentice. I admit in retrospect I was a little cockier than was warranted.

I was working with a sarcastic grumpy plumber les than 6 months into my apprenticeship, Long story short, he was "teaching me" to only cut uni-strut every two inches between the slots. 

I told him, "No need to teach me, I already know more than most journeyman EVER will....

I honestly was surprised that one person could drop that many F bombs....

4 years later I heard a kid in my 10th term class at the hall was working with grumpy plumber and suggested he use the "I already know more than most journeyman" line on him. 
His eyes got huge and he said "No Way! I already heard about some guy who did that!"


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

"All the thermocouple does is tell the burner when to cut off"...


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

"tubs don't have traps, I never seen a tub with a trap before". I was like WTF when I heard that

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## mssp (Dec 15, 2009)

_I like to send the new guy out to truck for the macaroni drill...lol You would be suprised at what they bring back._


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Or send them out to the truck for the stud mover

sent from the jobsite porta-potty


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## lead lover (Jul 18, 2012)

Send em out for sky hooks.


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## plumbcrazy81 (Jun 17, 2012)

I sent my former bosses son to FW Webb for stock, and I included a roll of fallopian tubing on the list. He came back and said the counter guy said "were all out but we'll backorder it"


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

I was getting a permit for gas piping at a local city here, & another plumber walked in, & he was one of those loud mouths, where everyone in the building knew he was there. He was getting a plumbing permit for a commercial bldg. The clerk at the desk would not give him a mechanical permit for gas piping work he needed to do, & he was making a scene. So then one of the inspectors that was there heard the commotion, & came out to explain to this guy, that plumbing license, does not cover gas piping(although I don't agree, it is the rule). So this guy turns & says then he will pay me to get his gas pipe permit, & offers me a hundred bucks, while standing at front desk, in city building dept, in front of the clerk, and the inspector. Never seen the guy in my life, & he wants me take out a gas permit for him. When I told him never in a million yrs, he still kept up, then started claiming that his work is so good, I would not have to worry, & that he most likely, would do the job better than I could. And on & on.


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Don The Plumber said:


> I was getting a permit for gas piping at a local city here, & another plumber walked in, & he was one of those loud mouths, where everyone in the building knew he was there. He was getting a plumbing permit for a commercial bldg. The clerk at the desk would not give him a mechanical permit for gas piping work he needed to do, & he was making a scene. So then one of the inspectors that was there heard the commotion, & came out to explain to this guy, that plumbing license, does not cover gas piping(although I don't agree, it is the rule). So this guy turns & says then he will pay me to get his gas pipe permit, & offers me a hundred bucks, while standing at front desk, in city building dept, in front of the clerk, and the inspector. Never seen the guy in my life, & he wants me take out a gas permit for him. When I told him never in a million yrs, he still kept up, then started claiming that his work is so good, I would not have to worry, & that he most likely, would do the job better than I could. And on & on.


 Holy sh!-... is this guy name Jnohs???


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

rjbphd said:


> Holy sh!-... is this guy name Jnohs???


 OMG.Could be. Maybe he was plumbing a "launder Matt". :laughing:


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## LEAD INGOT (Jul 15, 2009)

" Why air test? Just turn the gas on and check it with a lighter." He burped a house one time using that philosophy. After he was fired, we always refered to him as," burnt ends."


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## Fast fry (May 19, 2012)

easttexasplumb said:


> On this internet forum, people try to say plumbing dont really need vents.:whistling2:


Ya just like an emergency floor drain haha:blink:


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## bizzybeeplumbin (Jul 19, 2011)

I like the level water with bubble in it. not just any level water, you need the one with bubble in it kid!


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