Is my plumber ripping me off ? (prices, washing, best, company)

[NVplumber]

yepper I can't stress the point enough on the drain chemicals. Older building usually have metal drain lines (cast iron, galvanized etc) and rust scale is a large issue. The coke and lemon juice trick is also for lines that are working good and for keeping them that way. NOT for lines that are already clogged. Urinals are also an item to not use the chems on. Same rule applys to them as to a toilet. It's taken me a LONG time in the trade to read a line that is a candidate for chemical treatment. There is a lot of factors to consider before ya break out the acid. The average homeowner should not even consider using it...and don't lend to much credence to what a guy at Home Depot tells you about the stuff. It's dangerous and takes a lot of knowledge to use.

[Rickers]

Another issue with the chemicals is the fact that in many areas people downstream have to drink the same water that has treated sewage water released into the rivers. sure they filter out the solids and treat the water with chlorine, but many chems cant be removed by the methods used to treat drinking water.
I know of a town on Flathead Lake (a huge Lake) where the residents drink raw lake water. Elmo Montana !

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by rickers

Another issue with the chemicals is the fact that in many areas people downstream have to drink the same water that has treated sewage water released into the rivers. sure they filter out the solids and treat the water with chlorine, but many chems cant be removed by the methods used to treat drinking water.
I know of a town on Flathead Lake (a huge Lake) where the residents drink raw lake water. Elmo Montana !

They treat it to an "acceptable level". It is public information but, do not look.

[Cosmic]

You can treat the drain system with bacteria if you do it right. Just use a box of Ridex or one of the knock off products like it. Basically made for use in septic tanks but it can help in the drains.

The trick is don't except it to be fast and you have to not use the drains for a period after. Good to try when you will be away from the house for at least a few days.

Pour the Ridex into all sinks with traps, put some in the toilet, every place where water is put into the drains. Mix with a tad of water first if desired. Then flush down the drains but run very lil water. Try to keep the Ridex within the drains. Like if you have a city sewer do not flush enough to dump it out into the sewer. For a septic system, no big deal if some gets washed out, the septic tank likes it anyway. Different folks recommend different approaches using something like Ridex on septic tanks but it never hurts. Most folks around my area seem to dump some in every month or so.

The bugs and enzymes act to break down any goop but it takes time to work well. Maybe a weekend minimum with the Ridex sitting working in the drains. Works well to clean traps, probably most places with clogs, might not be that effective on bad rust areas but it will eat out all the organic type stuff.

To be really effective you have to let it sit in the drain system for while, prior to a long vacation is perfect. I have an all new total PVC drain but I still like to do this method, it all winds up in the septic tank anyway.

This stuff, especially the no name brands are very cheap, couple bucks a box. They are all about the same in practice.

Use any thing chemical in nature in drains that goes into a septic tank with great care. They really do not like it. Must be careful with excess cleaners, soap and all the rest folks like to flush down drains.

The working with nature approach is best if you give it a bit of time.

[sterlinggirl]

Would you expect to pay a mechanic $40 more if they had to use an impact wrench or special oil filter wrench?

You're hiring the guy by the hour, and the reason you pay so much per hour is that he has a van full of tools that you don't have. If he is charging you to use a tool that he regularly carries, the charge is BS. I'd probably pay it, but I'd make sure to let the owner of the company know that you're going to have $40 worth of fun making sure that people know their company will hit them with hidden fees and charges.

[NVplumber]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

You can treat the drain system with bacteria if you do it right. Just use a box of Ridex or one of the knock off products like it. Basically made for use in septic tanks but it can help in the drains.

The trick is don't except it to be fast and you have to not use the drains for a period after. Good to try when you will be away from the house for at least a few days.

Pour the Ridex into all sinks with traps, put some in the toilet, every place where water is put into the drains. Mix with a tad of water first if desired. Then flush down the drains but run very lil water. Try to keep the Ridex within the drains. Like if you have a city sewer do not flush enough to dump it out into the sewer. For a septic system, no big deal if some gets washed out, the septic tank likes it anyway. Different folks recommend different approaches using something like Ridex on septic tanks but it never hurts. Most folks around my area seem to dump some in every month or so.

The bugs and enzymes act to break down any goop but it takes time to work well. Maybe a weekend minimum with the Ridex sitting working in the drains. Works well to clean traps, probably most places with clogs, might not be that effective on bad rust areas but it will eat out all the organic type stuff.

To be really effective you have to let it sit in the drain system for while, prior to a long vacation is perfect. I have an all new total PVC drain but I still like to do this method, it all winds up in the septic tank anyway.

This stuff, especially the no name brands are very cheap, couple bucks a box. They are all about the same in practice.

Use any thing chemical in nature in drains that goes into a septic tank with great care. They really do not like it. Must be careful with excess cleaners, soap and all the rest folks like to flush down drains.

The working with nature approach is best if you give it a bit of time.

Ridex, Septonic etc are good things for septic systems and they will break down organics in laterals and mains( such as food particles and even grease providing it's not TO thick) but enzyme tretment does not have much effect on soap sludges and the waxes and such that go into shampoos and conditioners. Back to my Coke and lemon juice trick the acids in the two are food grade ( basically concentrated citric acid) and it's completley septic safe. Actually beneficial as the natural sugars feed the bugs in the system. No worries about public sewer contamination either. As you said with the Ridex it's best to let this solution sit as long as possible in the lines before flushing also. This method works with non organic build up as well( such as the aforementioed soaps and waxes) but again both methods we are discussing here are for PREVENTATIVE measure not for lines already plugged. Back to commercial drain cleaners, the worst thing do with solid plugs bar none is use these things. Crystal Draino will actually react with the soaps and waxes I mentioned earlier and literally turn to cement. I have some tup and sink drains that I've replaced for people ( this can get costly) that I show folks as an educational prop. They look like someone actually poured mortar mix in them and the stuff is hard to break even with a hammer and chisel. It makes a good reinforcement of what NOT to do with a clogged drain. Asa professional plumber I consider it an obligation to leave my customers with the knowledge of how not to have to call me and thus I get a lot of referals. Educating my customers is just good business.

[cranzman]

It’s hard to find reliable professional plumbing. I went through a couple of lemons before I finally linked up with the guys at http://www.affordabledraincleaning.com. They’re a local West Michigan company that provides a variety of plumbing services including pipe inspection, water jetting, and frozen sewer line repair.

[JFRRACING]

sounds like another screwball to me just out to rip somebody off. that reminds me of the time i had a furnace guy come and take a look at it because the fan wasn't running right. so he tested the same things i did and wasn't here 15 minutes and gave me a bill for 80 bucks and i said are you kidding me? then he said no he wasn't. anyway he told me the fan motor was going and did i want him to replace it. i asked him how much it would be and he said 150 bucks for labor and 225.00 for the motor. i went down to my local furnce repair shop and picked up a new motor for 80 bucks and installed it my self. a word to the wise, if you want to save a few bucks it's worth it to pick up a book and learn how to do things your self. as far as a power snake it's just one that's driven by a motor instead of by hand. you could have gone down to your local rental store and rented one for about 30 bucks and saved all that labor.

[Driller1]

I love the "do it yourself" type when it comes to wells. They have made me a lot of money!!! Sevice calls take time and money. If you don't want to pay, don't call.

[Barking Spider]

WOW! With that logic, someone could go buy a cheap flashlight, and a pad of paper, a pencil, and maybe a screw driver and do their own home inspection.

I must be ripping people off too, charging over three hundred dollars and all I did was walk around and write some stuff down (well I actually use a computer).

Some people just do not get it. We, as professionals, are in business. This is how we make our living.
We had to get the education required to do out job. There was a cost involved.
We had to buy all the stuff we need to do our job. There was a cost involved, and a continuing cost of repairing tools, replacing them, and upgrading when we need to. There is a cost involved.
We had to start our business, and in some cases had to open a storefront. There is a cost involved.
We have licenses, taxes, bank fees (so we can take those credit cards), legal costs, continuing education costs, more taxes. There is a huge cost involved.

As far as pulling a tool I already have and using it. I carry my radon monitor with me all the time. If someone wants a radon test, all I have to do is go to the truck and get it. But I charge more for it. Because there is a cost involved.

From the outside, probably most jobs look a lot easier than they are. There are lots of people that say "Why, I could do that". And maybe they can. BUt more than likely, there are many parts of the job they don't know about, "tricks of the trade" so to speak.

My job, as a home inspector, looks very easy. in fact I have heard someone say, "All you have to do is walk around with a flashlight and clipboard - how hard can that be?". All I can say is the dumba** doesn't have a clue about what the job really entails, and that most of it is "in my head, and WHAT I KNOW!!.

I think that the people that ***** and whine about the high cost of this, or this guy is ripping me off, just need to quit hiring people and just do everything themselves. Go rent whatever tool it takes, go on line and get whatever books you need, then go to town on fixing your own problem. Of course you may still have to hire someone to "fix" what you messed up, but then the cycle will start all over. Sorry, bad idea.

Sorry for the rant. I've just had too many calls this week from people that are only shopping for the lowest price, and not qualifications or experience. They just don't get it.