Underground blockage/drain collapse

[PlumbingBud]

I had a bathroom job and whilst I was there the customer mentioned a drip on the waste pipe system going into the soil stack.
Turns out the soil stack was blocked up to about 7ft above ground, but rodding only partially shifted the blockage. Anyway, after much hosing and faffing, water started to trickle upwards from under the driveway, like the Peckham spring.

After some digging the we found the clay drain pipe and it turns out to be cracked on the flange and debris has fallen into the pipe. It had obviously been like that for a good while.

It looks like we may be able to fix it, but it is a big, smelly, dirty job and its going to be 2 days before I can get back due to other commitments.

Question is, how hard are clay pipes to fix with plastic soil and adaptors. Also, what kind of charge would you guys be thinking of.......?

Cheers.

 

[Simon F]

make enough space around the pipe where its not damaged, cut a clean line with the angle grinder.
there are various types of exterior adaptors,
your in the best position to estimate the time it will take, charge accordingly.

 

[Paulus]

I would just charge my normal hourly rate plus a bit for dry cleaning the suit and having the shoes polished to their normal high gloss.

 

[Wallm0nkey]

As said plenty of space cut it nice and clean then get two clay to plastic flexi collars makes it a real easy job. Won't take long at all if the pipes already exposed!

 

[PlumbingBud]

What I am wondering is would you guys class it as a 'Specialist' job, and charge more than usual for the digging and filth....?


Cheers.

 

[Paulus]

Personally I would just get on with it and charge my normal hourly rate for the digging and everything. I know some guys who would get a labourer to do the dirty work, pay minimum wage and charge customer plumbers hourly rate.

You don't seem at all happy or confident to do this job, maybe you should consider passing it on to someone else. Please don't take this as criticism, it's just the feeling I get from your posts.

 

[Joncpi]

If you are not happy or confident in doing this job then you may consider getting a specialist in. There are perhaps a couple of advantages to this.

1. You can be sure your customer is going to get a good job. No offense intended here, and your customer may appreciate your honesty.
2. It is possible the job will actually be cheaper for your customer as you may well take longer. Also you may have to buy 3m of pipe, whereas a specialist is likely have a short off cut etc so materials may cost less.
3. You could get the specialist to charge you, then put a small mark up on it and charge the customer. This still may be cheaper for your customer than you doing the job. Or you could ask the specialist to charge say 10% more than he does normally and give you a commission. Either way you are still out earning money from your normal works, not losing 2 days and earning money from this job.

 

[MattWeth]

As above - a fairly straightforward job - most of it's the digging (make sure you give yourself enough space around the break to work / get the adaptors on - it can be a pig trying to work on drains in a little hole). If you reckon it's a two day job then in your position I'd charge my normal day rate for two days. It can be smelly / messy but that goes with the trade - you take the rough with the smooth (or the dirty with the clean).

That said, I'd charge handsomely to do a macerator - I've only done one and it was flippin' awful...