How long would it take you?

[secret squirrel]

:crazy: How long would it take you guys to change a stopcock, re jig a little bit of pipe work and also put in a full bore lever valve.

Change 2 washers on a bath, house fitted with a combi boiler.

Change a ball valve on the toilet to a torbeck, bottom entry........

I'm not saying how long yet but I'll check back later today or tomorrow and tell you how long it took me.......................

 

[armourer]

As long as clear access to all, I would say

2 maybe 2 and half hours (dependant on what jigging was required).
Biggest job being the stopcock.

 

[secret squirrel]

Ok, I can't wait and I'd like to agree with you, I expeced to be home by 11.30 starting at 8.30!

However, drove away at 2pm..........

stopcock easy access, 2 elbows and a bit of tube, goes straight across to a full bore lever valve. I like to put one in after the stopcock if possible. Grey area otherwise for water regs (maybe).

Water off, changed 2 washers relatively straight forward.

Toilet was a PIG! The toilet was full of those blue toilet bleach things! Flexi hose inaccessable as it was behind the soil pipe and the connector to the inlet valve was knackered, it had to come out, water feed to it was in the skirting board and boxed so no access at all.

Toilet had to come out, as did the pan connector, as did the boxing in of the valve because it was connected in within the boxing.

Re- do pipe work so it was accessable above soil pipe, new iso valve, old iso valve boxed in (handy that!) new flexi hose and put it all back together........

Whoever, installed it was probably having a laugh, thinking this will really upset the next bloke who tries to get to the pipework......

 

[PlumbBobBob]

probably about two hours or so. 10 minutes for the taps, half hour for the toilet and an hour and a quarter for the stopcock.

 

[Guest123]

How long's a piece of string?! Nothing ever is as straight forward and timed to the way we want it when working on old appliances.

 

[armourer]

I learnt a long time ago, there is no such thing as a quick job.

 

[AWheating]

as long as it takes.

 

[secret squirrel]

This job never ceases to surprise me,

If my post read:

5 hours to change an inlet valve, 2 washers and a stopcock.

Its the older plumbers who'd read it and go 'my god, what problems did you have on that' customers would say 'how long?' rip off!

I suppose different perspectives though..... next time I'll remember my sandwiches, I was starving at the end....

 

[AWheating]

we have all been there, done that. You go to a job thinking its going to take an hour and 3 hours later your on the verge of murdering the customer for asking you to take a look!

 

[WaterTight]

There are many things I find ridiculous about plumbing. But the two main ones are 1) how little thought is given by obviously skilled, neat and professional tradespeople for the next guy who needs to alter or work on their installments and 2) the thankfully infrequent - but always round the corner - job where your estimated time for completion turns out to be wrong by a laughable margin. They are invariable connected.

Today I had two essentially identical jobs. Reneweing all external waste runs from two properties since they were UV damange and cracking.

The first was a large property, divided into flats and I also had to change two hoppers and down pipes. The second was a regular sized detatched. I reckoned 4 hours for the first one, 2 for the second. Therefore - with the inevitable couple of trips to get bits - a day's work.

The first was done in less than 3 hours dead, no hitches. The second one I ended up leaving early evening with a few bits to finish off tomorrow morning.

Everything I did had a complication involved. Mostly because everyone who installed everything in the house must have thought, "there, that's the very last time anyone will need to touch that..."

It wouldn't matter if you could foresee it all, inform the customer, quote high and rest easy if you don't get the job. Sometime it's not for want of looking and thinking when quoting - it's just not always possible to foresee every eventuality. Plus if you're quoting for some types of jobs where access will be needed to many nooks and crannies - do you really want to pull off every bath panel and empty every cupboard? I find it's best to allow for most eventualities in your quote and take the rest on the chin.

 

[Guest123]

If we all had a crystal ball, we'd probably double our prices, reduce our stress levels because we'd know what horrors to expect and become less gullible when Mrs Custard says "It's only a straight change over" when in reality she's got 80 year old plumbing.

 

[WaterTight]

I find the more heinous the job looks the more likely the customer is to think it's easy and have a story to hand of 'the last chap' who did it quick and cheap.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Ok, I can't wait and I'd like to agree with you, I expeced to be home by 11.30 starting at 8.30!

However, drove away at 2pm..........

stopcock easy access, 2 elbows and a bit of tube, goes straight across to a full bore lever valve. I like to put one in after the stopcock if possible. Grey area otherwise for water regs (maybe).

Water off, changed 2 washers relatively straight forward.

Toilet was a PIG! The toilet was full of those blue toilet bleach things! Flexi hose inaccessable as it was behind the soil pipe and the connector to the inlet valve was knackered, it had to come out, water feed to it was in the skirting board and boxed so no access at all.

Toilet had to come out, as did the pan connector, as did the boxing in of the valve because it was connected in within the boxing.

Re- do pipe work so it was accessable above soil pipe, new iso valve, old iso valve boxed in (handy that!) new flexi hose and put it all back together........

Whoever, installed it was probably having a laugh, thinking this will really upset the next bloke who tries to get to the pipework......

you went through all that and fitted a torbeck??? glutton for punishment

 

[WaterTight]

hahaha

 

[Phil]

I always carry a single solatry bottom entry Torbeck just in case its one of those cisterns that wont accept a Fluidmaster, I've had the same one for over a year now and the packet is pretty tatty but one day I will fit it - oh yes! and the next day I'll get the call while I'm having my tea that the damn thing wont shut off, ha ha.

 

[Ian10261]

The jobs you tend to think willonly take 10 mins are usually the ones that bite you on the arse just for even thinking that. Conversley i went to a job last night that i thought would take at least an hour and a half and walked away 30 minutes later considerably richer, as has been said its just the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[WaterTight]

I was called out to THREE siamp dual flush valves in a row. So, deciding that all installed Siamps were self-destructing I bought one so I'd have one on me. that was probably a year ago and I still have the bugger.

 

[Phil]

Lol, I have a Siamp Optima as well that I nicked the flush button from, I've been burning diesel slogging that thing around for ages now!

 

[tamz]

Mostly because everyone who installed everything in the house must have thought, "there, that's the very last time anyone will need to touch that..."

I must admit i have did that a few times. Fitted something then thought "i wouldn't like to bbe the next guy in here"
but i have been on the recieving end too.

 

[justlead1]

We all think differently. Reading your report. In order for me to earn a shilling and the punter to get value, i would have been inclined to clean up and re washer the ball valve. Explain my reasoning and leave with me cheque.