He didn't know anything about his house Plumbing, at all.......

He called for a "free estimate" I said well better than that I will tell you how much I will charge you to do each and everything you need. I asked, what do you need, he said his "bathroom dripped", "how much would you charge me to fix it" I replied, what do you mean? your bathroom drips? he said "well out of that thing where the water comes out it wont stop. I said The tub spout, the shower head the lavatory the toilet what? he said yea.... I said which one? he replied the shower. I said the shower head ? he said no the thing that the water comes out of, so I said the tub spout? he said yea like I was real dumb. I said is it a single handle or two or three handle tub and shower or just a tub and does it have a third handle in middle or is it a diverter spout....he did not know, he asked if I gave free estimates, I said yea I am trying to do that...finally I got out of him it was a single handle tub and shower and it had a diverter spout that dripped. whew, he had no idea how many handles/knobs in his Tub/shower ....So I told him $250 for parts and labor because I determined he had a $80 cartridge and wanted new handle and trim with spout. Then he asked for a price on a Lavatory faucet after me prying that out I asked is it a single handle 4" one piece faucet or one with separate hot and cold handles and 3 separate parts, Hot & Cold with a spout in the middle. This was too much for him but we worked out the nomenclature and he had a wide spread lav faucet that needed repair, I gave him a price excluding a service charge since the $250 quote already had that in it. So, I said $100 for the Widespread repair. he said "you mean you want $350 dollars just to fix two drips?" I said yes I do, parts labor ,tax service call included with my million dollar insurance and 35 yrs. experience. He after having to drag his totally unknowing mind thru what it was he needed he said "oh that is too much" I said too much! you haven't even a clue what it is we are talking about doing how long of time and cost of parts (OEM Domestic). but you know that is too much? I said you don't know anything about Plumbing do you? he said "not a thing" I said then how do you know I am not giving you the parts for cost and working for minimum wage? "cause your a Plumber", "You over charge". I said I am sorry you are in the same bad economy as I am, I know how it is. so he responded, " so you will do it for half of that?" I said no, I cant do it at all for you. You are not being realistic, call another Plumber to get a price or wait till you find out how much it will actually cost at the end of the task.

This is a very common conversation to a Plumber from a consumer, my point is? I earn my money, most people prejudge too often and assume others are in a better world, we are not, we are all in this together.

Greg,

thanks for listening, I feel better now, oh Lawyers are the the real crooks! right?

So, what's all the hub-bub, bub?

Water Wells gone dry, Sink holes big enough to drop a School Bus in, Arsenic and other toxins, 200 more contaminants the EPA is adding to the existing 100, so that's tripling the burden on Water delivery systems. 150 yr. old Water mains in Portland collapsing, hundreds of Water districts needing to get Bonds passed from the General Tax base. Ground Water contaminants pluming two hundred ft. below surface able to be seen by new technologies. The abilities to test Water contaminants down to parts per trillion and parts per billion. Medical tests able to trace the heavy Metals in cadavers to same levels and correlation is standing the test of Courts and peer review. Some Pharmaceuticals require a signed statement that the patient has NOT visited or drank Water from certain regions of the US and other places. Endocrine disruptors in ground Water clinging to Fluoride and releasing in the body of infants causing serious deformities. Millions of tons of Pharmaceutical substance shipped out of factories a year only to be ingested and then out in toilet to Leach Fields or Sewage Treatment Plants only designed to process Sewage not complex new substances of serious issue. Nature not able to neutralize and only getting more concentrated daily. Water going to food transfers these PPCP's (Personal & Pharm.Care products) to food and the cycle is complete. The sooner we go to processing all potable Water with RO or equal the better. As well start processing all Sewage with RO as well. So, we might as well just kick it up a notch and be real safe and drink "Toilet to Tap" ! The other sources are not clean enough! Salt Water is expensive compared to waste Water to clean up, so Cheers!

A Toast to Politicians, Chemical Mfgrs. Water Districts, Sewage Districts, up and coming Bonds in a city near you, and last but not least, Poop.
Greg

Do you believe in Plumbing?

Bait n switch, that is my theme here, yep, the old Plumber trick. I am not going to tell you about Plumbing at all, I am going to tell you about Acupuncture. The only reason I can continue Plumbing is because of Acupuncture. I got a horrible diagnosis a couple years ago, Rheumatoid Arthritis! So, my wife (an MD) said "you need a specialist," I am not going to treat you. So, I went to a specialist and took Indomethicine and that gave me painful side effects, so I took another pill for that...I got worse, so I got Methotrexate, now that gave me mouth sores galore and another pill to fix that. After two years, I was still in pain, allergic to ALL Pain pills, I needed help so I drank Whiskey! Now, that worked well, for a while, but my fatigue symptoms got very bad. So bad I could not function. My pain got worse, steroids made me sick, I hurt all over, I was in bed one morning and tried to get up and the pain was so bad, I thought this is it. I am done! My friend Sharon told me to see an Acupuncturist for the pain, I did not know anything about Acupuncture except you got poked with needles. I hate needles. I had no choice I was desperate, scared and needing relief. So I went! The next morning my knee pain was gone, I stood with out pain. I thought this is something I need to get serious about, so I went again, and again. My pain was greatly lessened and I cut my Methotrexate dose in half because I was on the Maximum dose and this stuff was going to kill my Liver. I started taking Herbs the Acupuncturist sold me and I was getting better and better. So, I thought I can just go every two weeks instead of weekly. The second week, I was back to pain and fatigue. When I got treatment I was better, so back to weekly. I missed a weekly treatment again, and same thing, pain and fatigue. Acupuncture was the only thing that could make me feel like I could work at all. After a while I stopped all medications (pharmaceuticals), and I noticed I felt even better! So now, I am off the expensive pills and appointments with the specialist @$115 a visit on a monthly basis and not killing my Liver, and I am in very little pain. I found that the coffee I was using as a booster for my fatigue was causing pain in my joints. so I stopped that, my whiskey drinking was robbing me of my energy, so I stopped that. Now I have more energy, less pain, I am not on the road to being a drunk, and the absence of liver killing pills and whiskey. I stand a chance of being a Plumber again!
The question is, do I believe in Plumbing? or Pills and whiskey?,

For what it's worth, no matter what you believe in the Acupuncturist is Meggin Sullivan in Vista Ca. and I believe I owe my self weekly visits, at least until I can reduce them to monthly... as I do, I am able to continue my career as a Plumber making money doing that old "Bait n Switch" and living a relatively normal existence, and oh yeah, getting out of bed every day. Thanks to Dr. Sullivan OMD, and my loyal customers who let me serve them and put up with my passion for Water, Life and oh yeah, their money.

Internet access was voted more important than Plumbing

This is why we are in a housing crash. People vote for a President that will do what they think is right on abortion issues and such, but day to day realities are ignored. Instant issues, knee jerk, scandals, and the like are the issues at hand, no long term leadership or reality. People refuse to face hard facts and own up to responsibilities. Pushing off responsibilities to others is popular so we can blame the other part or person.
Water issues? yeah, the same goes there too.
Greg Chick

Comedy

I wish a good comedian would address water issues. Actually, I wish I was a good Comedian. You know how when it's "In your Face" and true exaggerated maybe, maybe not, it is funny? About Stuff and Insanity Cycle are videos on YouTube that address Water and People. I want even more "In your Face" Water issues that are kinda like Seinfield or one of those angry, yelling, stand ups that spit vapor atomizes the air around them when they are excited.

When water is pricier this will be the case. Guests will come over and hosts will yell threw the bathroom door "Hey what you doing in there @#$%^&&ing off ?!" Or insist to a hot female guest the house policy is to shower together;
gay or straight, depending on the show. Or having camp chairs with plastic bags for #1 & #2, and having crazy things happen with the bags. Tooth Paste you have to swallow; creativity that is beyond my conception, I am not a comedy writer, but you get the drift. I am ready to see this, and we need to make fun of this issue to bring it to fruition.

Gallagher could really roast the "Water Nazis" Come on folks, I need some Comic Relief. Did you know a prohibition on bottled water was passed for Congressmen and Women? It saved over a million dollars expense!

Greg Chick

Un willingness to be Proactive

I am called on a daily basis to "rescue" the effects of poor judgment in property management. It is never a good time to have plumbing problems, so, "This is not a time for pro-active choices" is the response I get from the people that are being called upon by "Reality" to pay up for past corner cutting.... When will the cycle stop? I know, when everyone says to themselves "Wow, I'm feeling like I got some extra money that I am not going to spend on top-of-the-line SUV and instead, I want top-of-the-line/safe potable water to my faucets. So, the answer is plumbing is needed therefore not worthy of expense? A trip to France, now that is a dream to come true!. Have you ever dreamed of having a good Plumbing system? or a sexy water heater, or a drain pipe that was a real treat to look at? I mean, have you ever dreamed of a top-of-the-line Sewer Pipe? Better Water? Why, what do you mean "Better Water?" Isn't all Water the same? It's pure as the driven water district isn't it? "They" (the Government) wouldn't let them sell me bad Water!.... Now, if the water district had a French name or something I might pay a bit more if I could have the logo in my front yard.... Members-only water, now that is the water I want. I can see it now, Toilet de Corps, (French for Clean Body or something). Perrie is that the name of that first designer water that came out a few decades ago? Smart Water is on the shelves now, at a couple dollars a gallon! But, we wont pay more than .0007 cents a gallon for water delivered to our touch of a wrist! If "they" try to raise our water that high, we will scream. I think if everyone knew our water was "imported" from hundreds of miles away, they might be forced to think it is pumped and that costs money. Not only that, if everyone who had a "right," or a contract to the water actually demanded it, there would not be enough! Yes, we are over extended there too. Filing bankruptcy on water has brought civilizations to extinction in past.

I actually have dreamed of perfect plumbing, water, and a better world, just consider water the fluid that binds us all.
Greg Chick

Happy New year

Just for fun lets re-think everyday assumptions. For example, what do you owe the world, today, right now? Yes, this is a ridiculous question, so go back to what you were doing and continue as if it owes you something. Why not, everyone else does. After all, you are a follower not a leader, why, to what end can you do or be anything anyway?
Just for fun, re-think such attitudes. Most people without realizing it have. Be someone who questions your own habits, question your own assumptions on a daily basis, just for a week, and see how selfish it is acceptable to be. I am cursed with the mirror in front of me reflecting my assumptions. Misery loves company, so give it a view and see if you really want to be who you are, or if you can be better by not assuming so much. More is assumed than I thought possible, I have found most of all we do is assumptive. This can be fun if you are into social behavior watching. I mean, if you forget about yourself and just impose this on everyone else....

What does this have to do with water? I assume we can let everyone else worry about that. Or can we? Social change is on the table, for if we don't reevaluate the norm we are going to continue in the direction we are going.
Get out of the box society has placed us and have fun, be responsible, and have a better year because you made it better, not a status quo bummer because they did it to us.....
Greg