"Tradesmen"

[DerbyBorn]

Lying on a pile of stuff awaiting removal in the garden of the neighbour of a friend is a fairly new close coupled toilet. The neighbour was pottering about and I asked her why such a modern push button toilet had been discarded. She told me that it didn't always flush very easily and sometimes kept running. The plumber told her they couldn't be fixed and she needed a new toilet. She now needs the floor tiling fixing as the new toilet has a different "footprint" I guess it is a case of the tradesman not being bothered to look up the manual of the flush mechanism or wanting to get involved so he fitted a new bog from Screwfix.

I am also somewhat bemused by people who leave the choice of major items to the tradesman.

[Bert Coules]

You shouldn't be. The sort of stuff that gets talked about so freely here and on similar sites is completely alien and incomprehensible to a great many people. If someone perceived as an expert tells them something, of course they believe it and are willing to act on it.

[Cursitor Doom]

Presumably the "tradesman" in question figured he could make more money from replacement than repair. It must be a nightmare to be at the mercy of the less honest among these types if you've simply no choice but to trust them.

[Bob Minchin]

I expect he will be listed on Checkatrade too!

[The Natural Philosopher]

When you are probably looking at 2hrs + labour at £60-£100 m the customer tends to feel more value is obtained if they get a new loo.

One plastic washer at 15p and £100 of labour doesn't always go down well.

[damduck-egg]

And also you may have the sitation that XYZ repair kit is out of stock and will arrive tommorow, possibly. If there is only one loo a householder especially a woman may want a working one ASAP. More so if guests are due.

G.Harman

[alan_m]

with another 2hrs + labour at £60-£100 to order/collect and fit it.

[DerbyBorn]

alan_m wrote in news:ccs002F3kgtU1 @mid.individual.net:

A new flush valve could be readily sourced for less than ?15.

[The Medway Handyman]

That depends entirely on how you communicate with the customer.

[ARW]

Why do women need to have a piss every twenty minutes?

[harryagain]

A decent plumber would have one in his van.

[Graham.]

Is the correct answer.

I called no less than three tradesmen to look at my overflowing gutters and all three zeroed in to a small area of flat roof that was the main problem, as they saw it. I didn't use any of them because what they were saying didn't rally correlate with what I saw when it rained. At this point I should point out I am scared of heights and was unable to look for myself. The I had an idea; a fishing pole cam.

none of the tradesmen apparently saw this blockage

Once I knew where the problem was I removed the bathroom DG transom window from the inside and was able to reach up and lift out the offending lumps of mortar. The torrent is now reduced to a trickle which drips from this little triangular flat roof area. It is as if the gutter is not close enough.

When the gutter was replaced it was screwed to a uPVC fascia board that was not there before. I think it is 9mm thick, so I think the answer is to remove the short length of fascia over the extension and secure the gutter brackets to the wall.

Incidentally I am not necessarily saying the flat roof bit doesn't require attention after 25 years, it's just that the problem I reported wasn't caused by it.

[Graham.]

I fitted Fluidmaster fill and flush valves to both my toilets. No regrets so far

[Cursitor Doom]

Prostate problems? ;-)

[Adrian]

No, it was ordered over t'internet, and arrived in a courier's van for three quid.

[Adrian]

So that's why both of our push-button bogs only work on one half of the split button...

[JimK]

/

So that's why both of our push-button bogs only work on one half of the split button... /q

Adjustment is your fiend....

Jim K

[Adrian]

BCIBA?

[Bill Wright]

When my children were little I told them lies all the time to make them suspicious. It worked.

Bill

[DerbyBorn]

Bill Wright wrote in news:m4b4vj$v2v$8 @speranza.aioe.org:

With a few well known exceptions (Bill) I doubt that many tradesmen read sites like this and ever read the instalation manuals of stuff they are fitting.