Journeyman Plumber here, any questions ask away!

Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Journeyman Plumber here, any questions ask away!

Austin James
Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
Did plumbing for 7 years before moving to sells, I still own a plumbing company on the side. I can do my best to answer any plumbing questions. Ask away.
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David Doyle
Investor · Monrovia, CA · Member since 2012 · 219 posts · 79 votes
10y

Unfortunately gang ,there are "cocky and arrogant" individuals in any ,practice,trade,endeavor or profession.Plumbers with a disagreeble arrogant and surly nature do not last long where I come from.It is highly competitive here in So Cal.You gotta be a "Superstar".

Having said that,,,there is also a Code of Honor amongst tradesmen in any town or city.We all know who the good guys and the bad guys are.The bad guys are "disowned" and get put on the blacklist,,,they do not get referals or reccomdations from reputable contractors.We also watch them very carefully and inform our friends at the supply house,,,,do not give these guys credit,do not recomend them,,,they are trouble.We know "The Good,The Bad and the Ugly".But get this,,,good guys tend to hang together and refer each other.They also tend to join credible contractors associations like the PHCC Plumbing Heating and Cooling Contractors Association.

Heres a tip ;if you are fortunate enough to identify and hire a good licensed plumber,he will usually know and be able to recommend a good electrician,HVAC man,carpenter,tile setter,painter,concrete and masonry contractor,locksmith,roofer,landscaper,,,you get the picture,,,,

Oh Yeah about that business of "plumbers savings lives".Well,,,

That is a true statement,,,,that fact is,,,

"Plumbers have saved more lives than Doctors,,,,"

An old American Standard slogan was "Plumbers Protect the Health of the Nation",,Well,,,

Its kinda corny guys but it's TRUE,,,,

Why ? By inventing and installing safe hygenic waste water ,drainage systems,sewage treatment systems ,instant hot water and potable filtered water systems thru out the nation.

Hey ,all you folks who are fortunate enough to travel the world and take vacations to exotic places like Thailand ,Russia and Brazil,,,,,aint it great to finally get home and open up the kitchen sink tap and have a nice clear glass of water without having to worry about a case of the runs for the next 3 or 4 days? If ya been there u know what Im talking about,,,,

"I love this country,,,!!!"

My Best Regards Gang and Happy New Year

Dave Doyle

Los Angeles

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  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @George P.:

    why are plumbers so cocky and arrogant? why do they act like they are saving lives daily, like surgeons?

    maybe these questions are outside your scope of expertise. 

     First I'll start off that I find this mildly offensive; ) 

    Savings lives, have you ever had to go to the bathroom and not have a toilet around! Consider your life saved by a plumber if there is one around! Ha 

    I feel like every profession has the cocky turds in it. Maybe you need a new plumber. But that being said I agree to some point. Plumbers and electricians  arguably the highest paid contractors in the construction world so I feel some of them that are doing very well get a big ego like they are a Alpha dog of the construction world. 

    I feel like I'm pretty humble ; ) 

    Hope that helps and doesn't upset you ha 

    0Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    10y

    Well, 

    @David Doyle is a master plumber and he has s thread set up to offer help too:

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/84/topics/104...

    0Reply
  • David Doyle
    Investor · Monrovia, CA · Member since 2012 · 219 posts · 79 votes
    10y

    Unfortunately gang ,there are "cocky and arrogant" individuals in any ,practice,trade,endeavor or profession.Plumbers with a disagreeble arrogant and surly nature do not last long where I come from.It is highly competitive here in So Cal.You gotta be a "Superstar".

    Having said that,,,there is also a Code of Honor amongst tradesmen in any town or city.We all know who the good guys and the bad guys are.The bad guys are "disowned" and get put on the blacklist,,,they do not get referals or reccomdations from reputable contractors.We also watch them very carefully and inform our friends at the supply house,,,,do not give these guys credit,do not recomend them,,,they are trouble.We know "The Good,The Bad and the Ugly".But get this,,,good guys tend to hang together and refer each other.They also tend to join credible contractors associations like the PHCC Plumbing Heating and Cooling Contractors Association.

    Heres a tip ;if you are fortunate enough to identify and hire a good licensed plumber,he will usually know and be able to recommend a good electrician,HVAC man,carpenter,tile setter,painter,concrete and masonry contractor,locksmith,roofer,landscaper,,,you get the picture,,,,

    Oh Yeah about that business of "plumbers savings lives".Well,,,

    That is a true statement,,,,that fact is,,,

    "Plumbers have saved more lives than Doctors,,,,"

    An old American Standard slogan was "Plumbers Protect the Health of the Nation",,Well,,,

    Its kinda corny guys but it's TRUE,,,,

    Why ? By inventing and installing safe hygenic waste water ,drainage systems,sewage treatment systems ,instant hot water and potable filtered water systems thru out the nation.

    Hey ,all you folks who are fortunate enough to travel the world and take vacations to exotic places like Thailand ,Russia and Brazil,,,,,aint it great to finally get home and open up the kitchen sink tap and have a nice clear glass of water without having to worry about a case of the runs for the next 3 or 4 days? If ya been there u know what Im talking about,,,,

    "I love this country,,,!!!"

    My Best Regards Gang and Happy New Year

    Dave Doyle

    Los Angeles

    1Reply
  • Manolo D.
    Contractor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y
    Austin James Welcome and thanks for sharing. I sometimes hire journeymen for some of my government contracts, if they require Labor Agreements. Great to have you here. And yeah, I agree all professions have their own arrogant people. I had a journeyman electrician that all he did on the first day was badmouth my regular electrician. I handed him his check after the day ended. $65/hr davis-beacon base rate makes some drag their feet also.
    0Reply
  • Jacob Beard
    Fairview Heights, IL · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    @Austin James

    The diverter on my spout is bad so I'm trying to replace it with a new spout.  I looked underneath the spout there seems to be an opening under there. I looked to see what i believe to be a copper pipe. No screw from what i can tell. I go to pull and twist and no luck seems to be stuck I need help or Ideas to get it off there. all the caulking is removed 

    0Reply
  • Jeff B.
    Investor · ABQ, NM · Member since 2013 · 28 posts · 6 votes
    10y
    Question regarding water pressure: when we have the washing machine on and the shower on or sink running we get very low water pressure. Does the city have a regulator on water volume allowed into each home? Is there a way to ask to remove or up the water volume?
    0Reply
  • George P.
    Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    i looked at a house that has not been occupied in months and there was standing water (Clear water) around the main drain.

    noone has been in there for maybe a year.

    what does that mean? the cast iron pipes have broken or weeping tiles are messed up?

    it has been raining, but not sure why there is CLEAR water backup in the basement.

    0Reply
  • Eddy Dumire
    Investor · Stafford, VA · Member since 2014 · 246 posts · 83 votes
    10y

    @Austin James Thanks for the info!

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Jacob Beard:

    @Austin James

    The diverter on my spout is bad so I'm trying to replace it with a new spout.  I looked underneath the spout there seems to be an opening under there. I looked to see what i believe to be a copper pipe. No screw from what i can tell. I go to pull and twist and no luck seems to be stuck I need help or Ideas to get it off there. all the caulking is removed 

     There will be a set screw there, it's usually a Allen screw. What someone has done is they have tightened the spout on while is was facing up and then turned it down to the correct direction. Just keep twisting until you see that's set screw in the opening. Worse case take a hack saw and cut it in half that will give you acess to the screw.

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Jeff B.:

    Question regarding water pressure: when we have the washing machine on and the shower on or sink running we get very low water pressure.

    Does the city have a regulator on water volume allowed into each home? Is there a way to ask to remove or up the water volume?

     Most city's are a take what you get kind of city. The pressure is the pressure. But depending on when the last time the house was updated you may have a regulator on the house. (Normally right by the main shut off) that can be opened wider to make more pressure. Depending on how important this is to you. You can always replace the main water line from the city tie in to the house with a bigger pipping 

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @George P.:

    i looked at a house that has not been occupied in months and there was standing water (Clear water) around the main drain.

    noone has been in there for maybe a year.

    what does that mean? the cast iron pipes have broken or weeping tiles are messed up?

    it has been raining, but not sure why there is CLEAR water backup in the basement.

    Yea some of those old houses can be leaky in a lot of aspects. And most vacant/foreclosure winterizers do a horrible job. That could be rain water or dripping from a poor winterizeation. That one is hard to determine sorry 

    0Reply
  • Nic WilliamsPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2015 · 24 posts · 8 votes
    10y
    First of all thanks so much for the offer to help everyone with their plumbing questions! I've installed several 1/2" angle stop valves onto 1/2" threaded galvanized pipe in my kitchen. The valves are the $8 valves from Home Depot that come in a yellow box. No matter what I do, most of the time they leak just slightly where the end of the valve meets the galvanized pipe. I've tried tightening them a lot, tightening just past hand tight, and everything in between. I've also tried anywhere from 3 - 12 wraps of Teflon tape. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? Is there a better valve out there that I could try? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Nic Williams:

    First of all thanks so much for the offer to help everyone with their plumbing questions! I've installed several 1/2" angle stop valves onto 1/2" threaded galvanized pipe in my kitchen. The valves are the $8 valves from Home Depot that come in a yellow box. No matter what I do, most of the time they leak just slightly where the end of the valve meets the galvanized pipe. I've tried tightening them a lot, tightening just past hand tight, and everything in between. I've also tried anywhere from 3 - 12 wraps of Teflon tape. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? Is there a better valve out there that I could try? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

    Being that your house is still galvanized piping I'm assuming it's a older home. In my experience the leaks are do the the fact of over the years of people putting stops on and off. The piping (the threaded part) has become ovaled instead of a perfect round. Making it nearly impossible to get a good seal. Repacling that peice of piping should 9/10 fix your issues though with old homes that is no easy task. 

    Hope that helps a little bit 

    0Reply
  • Jacob Beard
    Fairview Heights, IL · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    @Austin James I have ripped the entire spout off and this part is left and will not budge what should i do? Sorry if the image is too big it was taken on my phone

    0Reply
  • Jacob Beard
    Fairview Heights, IL · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    @Austin James also thanks for your help its much appreciated

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Jacob Beard:

    @Austin James also thanks for your help its much appreciated

    Cut it along that line, that will give you plenty of room to put the new one on. 

    0Reply
  • Mark Christensen
    Investor · Collinston, UT · Member since 2015 · 53 posts · 28 votes
    10y

    I had a Pex question but kind of lengthy can I send you an e-mail?

    0Reply
  • Watson Hilaire
    Melbourne, FL · Member since 2015 · 99 posts · 42 votes
    10y
    Hello Austin James I have a two bed one bath rental I am rehabbing. I have taken out old 80% water heater which is located in the kitchen closet. I am thinking adding a tankless water heater will all the closet to be used as a pantry and save tenants money on energy bill. What is a reasonable cost to have this installed and are there in systems you recommend? Thanks Watson Hilaire
    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Mark Christensen:

    I had a Pex question but kind of lengthy can I send you an e-mail?

     Yes you can 

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Watson Hilaire:

    Hello Austin James

    I have a two bed one bath rental I am rehabbing. I have taken out old 80% water heater which is located in the kitchen closet. I am thinking adding a tankless water heater will all the closet to be used as a pantry and save tenants money on energy bill.

    What is a reasonable cost to have this installed and are there in systems you recommend?

    Thanks
    Watson Hilaire

     That's not a bad idea being were you live, tankless water heaters require a must larger vent piping because of how hot they burn. So getting venting to them in a rehab can be someone costly. Depending on where your tankless will be out and where the venting and water is will greatly effect your cost. I've installed rehabbed tankless water heaters from $3,000-$6,000 I know that's not much help. I also only install the brand Rheem. They are a very big name in the water heating world. Hope that helps some.

    1Reply
  • Jacob Beard
    Fairview Heights, IL · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    Hey thanks for the info really helped!!!

    0Reply
  • Jacob Beard
    Fairview Heights, IL · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 27 votes
    10y

    @Austin James So I ran into another issue. When I installed the gator bite on the end of the pipe, I screwed on the spout turned water on flipped diverter up and now there is a bad leak out the back of the gator bite. I put teflon tape on the threads but water still shoots out the back end of the gator bite not sure what to do..

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Jacob Beard:

    @Austin James So I ran into another issue. When I installed the gator bite on the end of the pipe, I screwed on the spout turned water on flipped diverter up and now there is a bad leak out the back of the gator bite. I put teflon tape on the threads but water still shoots out the back end of the gator bite not sure what to do..

     Did you make 100% sure you got a gator bite that goes with copper? Could be a faulty gator bite. I hate those things and I never use them. You could however get Moen spout that doesn't thread on it just has a seal that you push onto the pipe and he tighten the set screw. That all I install in homes. No fittings required and no threading done. 

    0Reply
  • Watson Hilaire
    Melbourne, FL · Member since 2015 · 99 posts · 42 votes
    10y

    @Austin James

    The old water heater used the chimney stack for venting could I use this. $3k-$6k I more than I wanted to spend what would be a fair price to install a new 80% water heater?

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

    0Reply
  • Austin James
    OP
    Investor · Ogden, UT · Member since 2016 · 45 posts · 12 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Watson Hilaire:

    @Austin James

    The old water heater used the chimney stack for venting could I use this. $3k-$6k I more than I wanted to spend what would be a fair price to install a new 80% water heater?

    Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

    Using the chimney stack depends on your city code, here in Utah if it's and aluminum vent piping for the stack it's legal to tie into it, if it's just a straight old school brick 2X3 chimney box you can't demp the water heater exhaust into it. 

    That being said, assuming that you can use the existing vent. Here is utah our company charges  . $895 for a 40 gallon and then $100 more for each bump up in size. So a 80 gallon I'd charge $1295.00 installed. Now if they have to revent to code it could be a lot more. 

    Hope this helps and answers the question. If not tell me and I can revise my answer! 

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