Long time... people have been pretty reasonable lately. Until Wednesday.
This guy came in to the store looking for a way to install a toilet in his basement. His idea was to take the cleanup plug out of his main sewer line and just place the toilet right on top. The only reason he stopped and came into the store was that he ran into trouble connecting the PVC closet flange he had leftover from redoing his upstairs bathroom to the cast-iron sewer pipe.
October 05, 2008
August 11, 2008
How to take a large chunk out of your leg - step 1
A teenage kid came into the store yesterday looking for some braided steel cable. Showing him our selection I asked what he needed it for.
"Oh, I'm going to replace the plastic line on my weedeater with it."
This sounded like a seriously bad idea to me and I didn't hesitate to tell him so. It turns out his plan was to remove the plastic line and wind up a few feet of 1/16th inch braided steel cable onto the spool. I pointed out that the plastic wedge that's installed on the guard to cut the plastic line would be shredded in no time by a steel cable. In fact, so would the guard, and very shortly thereafter his leg.
In doing a bit of research I came across this forum thread where some random guys on the internet opine on the same subject. It looks like there may be some kind of titanium wire that would work like the kid was thinking, but that the braided steel cable will just shred after a few rotations.
"Oh, I'm going to replace the plastic line on my weedeater with it."
This sounded like a seriously bad idea to me and I didn't hesitate to tell him so. It turns out his plan was to remove the plastic line and wind up a few feet of 1/16th inch braided steel cable onto the spool. I pointed out that the plastic wedge that's installed on the guard to cut the plastic line would be shredded in no time by a steel cable. In fact, so would the guard, and very shortly thereafter his leg.
In doing a bit of research I came across this forum thread where some random guys on the internet opine on the same subject. It looks like there may be some kind of titanium wire that would work like the kid was thinking, but that the braided steel cable will just shred after a few rotations.
July 21, 2008
Like an electric-powered ninja throwing star of death
An older lady came into the store yesterday and picked up the circular saw we have on sale so I went over to see if she needed some help.
"Oh no, thank you, I just need a saw to cut down a rhododendron in my front yard."
I took the circular saw away from her and gently steered her towards the hand saws.
"Oh no, thank you, I just need a saw to cut down a rhododendron in my front yard."
I took the circular saw away from her and gently steered her towards the hand saws.
July 15, 2008
Popular Mechanics' DDIY
It looks like even that great bastion of DIY, Popular Mechanics, agrees with me. Don't get me wrong, I love DIY, but the line between self-reliance and self-destruction is very thin. Not as thin as as this article would have you believe, but thin nonetheless.
July 11, 2008
If your roof blows away in a strong wind...
Okay, I can accept that there are specific conditions in which rolled roofing is acceptable on a peaked roof (low pitches, for those who are curious.) What I cannot accept is that:
- You didn't know what a roof cap was.
- You didn't know to start at the bottom and work up - instead you started at the peak and worked down. Letting the water flow into the seams instead of over them seems so very counter-intuitive to me.
- You hoped to save money and create an attractive look by alternating mineral surface and plain felt paper.
- You thought that your leftover driveway sealer would work just as well as roof cement.
- Finally, if the roof that you installed last year blew away in Tuesday's wind storm, perhaps you shouldn't be the one to install the new roof.
July 02, 2008
Nothing funny this week
Well, I found this video while searching for some plumbing supplies earlier. Enjoy.
I've met guys like this before. Guys who wonder why their plastic drainpipe cracked when all they did was use a pipewrench to tighten the slipnut.
I've met guys like this before. Guys who wonder why their plastic drainpipe cracked when all they did was use a pipewrench to tighten the slipnut.
June 26, 2008
May as well suck on a penny while drinking that lemonade
I had a guy come into the store last night and putz around in plumbing for twenty minutes so I wandered over to see if he needed some help. It's a good thing I did.
He'd replaced the saddle valve for his refrigerator ice maker with a threaded T sweated onto the copper line. In order to connect the plastic tubing he picked up a 1/4" compression by 3/8" MIP brass fitting and a 1/2" to 3/8" galvanized steel bushing. Fortunately I was able to stop him and find some brass fittings to make his connection.
For those playing along at home the reason you don't want galvanized and copper touching is that they will corrode each other. If you have to have both in the same line make sure to use a dielectric union so that the metals are isolated.
He'd replaced the saddle valve for his refrigerator ice maker with a threaded T sweated onto the copper line. In order to connect the plastic tubing he picked up a 1/4" compression by 3/8" MIP brass fitting and a 1/2" to 3/8" galvanized steel bushing. Fortunately I was able to stop him and find some brass fittings to make his connection.
For those playing along at home the reason you don't want galvanized and copper touching is that they will corrode each other. If you have to have both in the same line make sure to use a dielectric union so that the metals are isolated.
June 23, 2008
This Old House Inspection Nightmares X
I've heard the story about the home-made bidet for years, but this is the first picture I've ever seen of it.
Home Inspection Nightmares X, from This Old House
June 22, 2008
A brief explanation and introduction
All posts prior to this were originally published in my personal journal. Every so often I'd share the more amazing stories from work with my friends. However, my company's new anti-blogging policy has forced me to move them to a more anonymous venue.
My purpose here is not to ridicule the behavior of consumers - there are plenty of places to read about unreasonable customers. Instead, I want to share stories of people who have just enough knowledge to be scary.
My purpose here is not to ridicule the behavior of consumers - there are plenty of places to read about unreasonable customers. Instead, I want to share stories of people who have just enough knowledge to be scary.
June 20, 2008
Explosion one
A couple of weeks ago this guy came into the store looking to buy a flexible gas line.
Me: How far is your dryer from the gas line?
Him: Thirty feet.
Me: So you want some pipe and fittings then?
Him: No, just give me five of those flexible lines.
Me: Pipe would be easier, cheaper, and safer in the long run.
Him: Nah, I'd have to run it against the wall and I can't really attach it to anything.
Me: Here's the pipe, there's the flexible line. I'll show you the parts you need for laying the pipe but I won't show you how to hook five flexible lines together.
What I want to know is where this idiot got the idea to hook the flexible lines together. I got the feeling from him that there was a "knowledgeable father-in-law" waiting back at the house to help him.
Me: How far is your dryer from the gas line?
Him: Thirty feet.
Me: So you want some pipe and fittings then?
Him: No, just give me five of those flexible lines.
Me: Pipe would be easier, cheaper, and safer in the long run.
Him: Nah, I'd have to run it against the wall and I can't really attach it to anything.
Me: Here's the pipe, there's the flexible line. I'll show you the parts you need for laying the pipe but I won't show you how to hook five flexible lines together.
What I want to know is where this idiot got the idea to hook the flexible lines together. I got the feeling from him that there was a "knowledgeable father-in-law" waiting back at the house to help him.
June 09, 2008
Maybe if I use more glue
No matter how much PVC cement you use you cannot get ABS to bond to CPVC. When I told this to a customer he said he'd done it last week on his neighbor's hot water tank and it was working fine.
June 02, 2008
Snake? What snake?
A few months back I had a guy come in looking for a way to clean out his kitchen drain. He said that all the standard chemicals didn't help and that when he removed the P-trap and stuck the cable into the PVC pipe in the wall it only went a few inches before getting stuck.
It was a slow night so I spent some time with this guy trying to figure out another approach. If he came in today I'd point him at the Clog Buster and send him on his way, but the store didn't carry it at the time so we came up with a complicated series of couplings and adapters to connect his garden hose directly into the drainpipe.
We finally got everything together and as I tossed it all into a basket for him we had this exchange:
Me: So, when you stuck the snake down the drain how far did it go before it got stuck?
Him: Snake?
Me: (taking the basket and dumping it onto the shelf) Follow me.
Turns out he hadn't used an auger of any kind - instead, he had unbent a wire coat-hanger and shoved it into the drainpipe.
It was a slow night so I spent some time with this guy trying to figure out another approach. If he came in today I'd point him at the Clog Buster and send him on his way, but the store didn't carry it at the time so we came up with a complicated series of couplings and adapters to connect his garden hose directly into the drainpipe.
We finally got everything together and as I tossed it all into a basket for him we had this exchange:
Me: So, when you stuck the snake down the drain how far did it go before it got stuck?
Him: Snake?
Me: (taking the basket and dumping it onto the shelf) Follow me.
Turns out he hadn't used an auger of any kind - instead, he had unbent a wire coat-hanger and shoved it into the drainpipe.
May 20, 2008
That's enough power, right?
This one happened a while back but I was reminded when I saw the same nimrod buying plastic conduit and PVC plumbing fittings.
Last fall this guy comes in wanting to buy some parts to hook up a new electric dryer. He explains that the house used to have gas but that he was recently given a used electric dryer. Fine so far. I ask if he had a 220V line at all in the basement. No. What kind of feed did he have running into the circuit box? He didn't know and it wasn't a circuit breaker box but old Buss style fuses. He had two 20 amp fuses in the fuse box.
There's no way this house, which was probably a converted summer cottage, had enough service to provide power for an electric dryer. I tell him so as politely ask I can but by now he's gotten some spark of imagination and starts grabbing parts off the shelf. Just enough to do some damage.
His buddy, another salesman, and I spend the next ten minutes trying to convince him that he's not qualified to do this and that he's likely to kill himself, set the house on fire, or both. He agrees to call an electrician but I watch him grab some "How-To" pamphlets on his way out the door.
Last fall this guy comes in wanting to buy some parts to hook up a new electric dryer. He explains that the house used to have gas but that he was recently given a used electric dryer. Fine so far. I ask if he had a 220V line at all in the basement. No. What kind of feed did he have running into the circuit box? He didn't know and it wasn't a circuit breaker box but old Buss style fuses. He had two 20 amp fuses in the fuse box.
There's no way this house, which was probably a converted summer cottage, had enough service to provide power for an electric dryer. I tell him so as politely ask I can but by now he's gotten some spark of imagination and starts grabbing parts off the shelf. Just enough to do some damage.
His buddy, another salesman, and I spend the next ten minutes trying to convince him that he's not qualified to do this and that he's likely to kill himself, set the house on fire, or both. He agrees to call an electrician but I watch him grab some "How-To" pamphlets on his way out the door.
May 05, 2008
The healing properties of paint
Last night this guy comes into the store looking for tub refinisher - "his friend told him we had some." I'm pretty sure I know what he wants so I lead him to the paint department where we've go the Rustoleum Tub & Tile Refinishing Kit - a pretty snazzy product.
As it turns out this guy had just bought a house and "his wife" was cleaning the tub and scraped away what she thought was dirt only to find it was a patch over a hole in the bottom. So now I'm trying to convince him that the paint, while it may make the tub look nicer, has to come after he repairs the tub, preferably with a professional repair kit. He could probably even get away with an auto-body repair kit like they sell at the car-shop just three doors down.
"Nah, I'm here already, I'll just get this.
As it turns out this guy had just bought a house and "his wife" was cleaning the tub and scraped away what she thought was dirt only to find it was a patch over a hole in the bottom. So now I'm trying to convince him that the paint, while it may make the tub look nicer, has to come after he repairs the tub, preferably with a professional repair kit. He could probably even get away with an auto-body repair kit like they sell at the car-shop just three doors down.
"Nah, I'm here already, I'll just get this.
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