Learning on the job!

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Learning on the job!

Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

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OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Fri Nov 22, 13 6:50 am Post subject: Learning on the job!

Got asked to fix someones immersion heater. Went to the house (which everywhere smelled of something bad, like ancient fag/sweat/sourness) to investigate and found an ancient hot water tank with the top immersion coil burnt out (probably 10 years ago) and the bottom simply not working. Tested bottom and its the heating element that's shot. So needs replacing.
However, this means draining the tank. But the inlet tap cannot be closed and the drain cock is broken too (found this out hte hard way).
Luckily I went along with a friend who is a plumber. Eventually we had to replace the whole tank and much of the pipework behind it. What looked like a simple job took 4 days.
All along we were trying to save the customer money - but with hindsight perhaps we should perhaps have given it a quick look over and said straightaway that it all should be replaced. It goes against the grain though to replace rather than repair.
We did charge a reduce rate for the first 2 days though.

And the house still smells bad.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16002

Posted: Fri Nov 22, 13 8:08 am Post subject:

Husband had to replace a tank for a similar reason a few years ago when he was doing plumbing. Couldn't get the duff immersion heater out without bending the tank because it was so thin. Wish they would make them sturdier so it can be done more easily.

You did well faced with such an awkward job. Trouble is, when you think money is short, you don't like to charge the full amount, but looks like this was the customers, or previous plumbers fault for not doing the job properly to start with.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Fri Nov 22, 13 9:45 am Post subject: Re: Learning on the job!

OtleyLad wrote:

All along we were trying to save the customer money - but with hindsight perhaps we should perhaps have given it a quick look over and said straightaway that it all should be replaced. It goes against the grain though to replace rather than repair.

Yep, is the way when someone is paying for your time.
Another example is guttering. Disturbing an old fitting can make it leak, and leaks can be repaired, but the cost of new parts is a fraction of labour cost so is often best just to replace with new. No point getting called back because you saved the cost of a �2 gutter union.

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