"The mystery of the old house pipes and the Golden Plumber"

[pinkpajamas]

I thought I'd throw this one out there. My boyfriend and I recently bought a 1920's condo unit in a six-plex. From what we've learned by chatting with our building neighbors, one very well regarded plumber, Let's call him " S," who is "knowledgable about the building, etc, etc" comes to work on the property. Supposedly, S can do no wrong. Golden.

Whatever! Golden boy S charged us $175 to unclog our crappy toilet, then quoted us $500+ to install a new toilet that we provided ourselves, a simple situation that another plumber, "J," did splendidly for $200. I think S is bilking our neighbors, using our building as a kind of cash cow.

So yesterday, I'm chatting with two neighbors about clogged drain pipes, and they tell me that S has strongly advised them to call him to open slow bathtub drains, etc. because the pipes are "old" and you can't use anything else to open them.

Guys, I've owned and rehabbed a turn of the century house, as well as a 1920's apartment building before, all with "old pipes" and I've always used Thrift, TO EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS. What's the deal?

The building is in pretty great shape. True, we do have a lot of galvanized, which will have to be replaced at some point, but honestly, who doesn't? I know that doesn't refer to our drain pipes, but is using a little Thrift here and there so bad??? And is S the dirtbag I think he might be?

Tell me true!

 

[Craigpump]

I would say that Golden boy is onto something that the others haven't learned yet.

How to make a profit.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[pinkpajamas]

Don't plumbers use Thrift??

 

[Terry]

http://thriftmarketing.com/material_safety_data_sheet.htm

Kind of scarey looking stuff.
We like to snake the drains, and leave the stuff that melts skin to the homeowners.

CAUTION: CONTAINS SODIUM HYDROXIDE.
Keep face away from fumes and do not allow Thrift to come in contact with skin, eyes, mucous membranes, clothing, aluminum, floors or paint, etc. NOTE: Do not use in disposals, toilet bowls or urinals. Do not mix with other chemicals or drain cleaners.

FIRST AID:
EXTERNAL: Flood with water then wash with vinegar.
INTERNAL: Drink large quantities of water, following with citrus fruit juice, if available. Call physician immediately.
EYES: Flush with water for 15 minutes. Get prompt medical attention.

USE RUBBER GLOVES AND EYE GOGGLES.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide

 

[pinkpajamas]

Respectfully, Terry, I've been carefully using this stuff for a dozen years. For slow drains, not clogs! I bought it at a plumber's supply. You run hot water through the drains, to get everything warmed up. Then, you pour about a cup of the flakes onto the drain, let it sit a minute, then gently turn on the hot water and let it run for awhile. Flakes dissolve, drain begins to drain quickly again. BOOM.

I love plumbers, I do! But my gut tells me that this guy just survives making overpriced calls for unnecessary things like slow drains.

 

[Craigpump]

No, this guy is charging for what he knows, paying his bills and saving for his retirement.