Strange Taps

[The Medway Handyman]

Ah! You learn something new every day!

Your knowledge of matters magical is very impressive Andy. Have you ever thought of taking it up?

[Andy Hall]

I have to practice it daily, Dave. ;-)

[nightjar]

It may be that the customer has been using the tap often enough to relieve the pressure before it builds up to the point where it leaks, which may be enough to satisfy the customer. However, a long period of inactivity is likely to allow the pressure to open the tap again and the only permanent cures are a pressure reducing valve or new taps.

Colin Bignell

[Brian L Johnson]

wrote

I must confess that this puzzles me. Surely, after a tap is closed, the pressure build up is almost instantaneous?

[Steve Walker]

What's your problem,Mark? David has tried a quick, simple & cheap solution, and I wouldn't imagine he's charged a great deal for it.

Would you have dug the old chap's garden up to put a regulator on the rising main? Would you have done that for free?

[Lurch]

On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:19:46 -0000, "Steve Walker" mused:

Why would you have to dig up the garden? You'd fit it after the main stop tap surely?

If you actually fixed the problem by using the correct materials then that to me is worth charging for. Incorrectly fitting parts in a 'guess at what to do' routine isn't something I would pay for.

[Tony Bryer]

Why dig up the garden? Just a local PRV. But they are not cheap - £40 or so IIRC.

[Lurch]

On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:42:47 GMT, Tony Bryer mused:

Cheaper than that, about 15-20 quid tops.

[nightjar]

That depends on how much the valve has restricted the flow. However, my main reasoning is that it shouldn't work, so if it does, I can't think of any other way it could.

Colin Bignell

[John Stumbles]

Even so prolly make more sense to fit a decent tap.

[Mark]

Yes its called a Bodge Job just like Dr Dribble would recommend. I would not get out of my pram if this were a DIYer recommending fitting a service valve but this a tradesman charging for his work. Just because he may be a newsgroup "Mate" does not excuse ineptitude from any tradesman.

See other replays as to were a PRV should be fitted as don't seem to know, it should save you the trouble of digging up your garden in ignorance.

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[Andy Hall]

I don't think that anybody is arguing that the fitting of a service valve is the correct way to resolve a dripping tap which appears to be dripping because of high pressure. Several people have pointed that out already.

However, we don't *know* that high pressure was the cause of the leak and it may be that disassembly and reassembly of the tap, doing it up properly resolved the problem.

It isn't unreasonable in any case to fit a service valve in the plumbing to a tap, that's what they are for. It saves inconvenience when maintenance is done to the tap.

I don't think that this is really the point. I would comment whoever it was, because I think that you have been unnecessarily rude by implying that the customer has been ripped off.

- You weren't actually there and presumably you haven't spoken to the customer. Do you know that he's unhappy?

- Do you work for BBC Watchdog or Trading Standards? Are you the customer's legal representative or a close relative? This might justify the tone of your reaction; otherwise it is OTT.

- Even if the service valve was not part of the solution to resolve the dripping tap, it is not as though it is useless from the perspective of future tap maintenance. Therefore it is not reasonable to say that it's a bodge. Had he hammered a section of pipe almost flat, I might be more inclined to agree with you.

- The customer has paid for a solution - i.e. fixing his tap. The main component of the cost is the time taken. For the job overall, I suppose that the total bill will have been in the low tens of pounds, largely consisting of the time to get there and working on the tap itself. Service valves cost £2 and take approximately 3 minutes to fit. It would be surprising if this were a large part of the cost of the job. If it were, he wouldn't be making a living.

- If he had told the customer that he needed a £300 water softener to fix the problem, and charged him £200 for fitting it, it would be a different matter - then your response might have been justified. In the context of the job under discussion, it is not.

[John]

I read that the tap had been re-seated and re-washered. This would be the part of the job that fixed the problem.

[The Medway Handyman]

I wasn't going to rise to this, however;

Lets talk about 'tradesmen' and 'bodges'. The combi boiler was fitted over three months ago and the 'tradesman' who fitted it said the tap would settle down after a while, but if it didn't he would sort it out. Needless to say he hasn't and now doesn't return their calls. They have tried a few local plumbers who promised to come & have a look or call back and nothing has happened. No doubt these were proper 'tradesmen'.

When I got the call I gave an estimated cost - which was accepted by the customer and I stuck to it. I arrived when I said I would and was on time.

I knew nothing about the strange taps until I arrived. Having re seated & re washered both taps the hot still exhibited this strange phenomenon, albeit not as badly.

I am a handyman not a plumber, so I don't carry every fitting imaginable. I don't carry PRV's (although I will now carry one). I do carry service valves. I discussed the problem with the customer and suggested we try a service valve to see if it helped - it did, a slight turn & the tap stopped dripping completely.

The flow through the hot tap was excessive to begin with - splashing water all over the place when the tap was open. It was actually better in the customers opinion afterwards.

I watched the tap for 15 mins while I put my tools away and had a cup of tea. No trace of a leak.

I was on site for about an hour and charged £45 inc the service valve. I guarantee everything I do and told the customer to ring if the fix didn't work - he hasn't. If he does I will return & fit a PRV, only charging for the valve.

So Mark, tell everyone how I have ripped off the customer? The problem is solved. If it isn't the job is guaranteed.

If I find out which 'tradesmen' fitted the combi are you prepared to slag them off?

[Mark]

valve is the correct way to resolve a dripping tap which appears to be

Thanks that's exactly the point I was making, end of story and argument.

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[Andy Hall]

It's just that everybody else managed to make their points without rudeness. Your inability to do that reflects on you much more than the discussion of methods to fix a tap.

[Mark]

Yes absolutely, I detest all crap tradesmen that don't have a clue. HAND

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[Mark]

The argument was mostly because of your irrational defence of a Mate. If it had been Dribble who had posted the original comments re service valve reducing static water pressure you would undoubtedly have been one of the many to ridicule him.

Try your own inability history via Google re Dribble. Pot Kettle.....

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[The Medway Handyman]

I give up. I can't answer such a well constructed, intellegent & reasoned argument.......

[Andy Hall]

It was pointing out that you were being unnecessarily rude.