when to walk n when to run

clammy

It just must be the sign i was born under but i always seem to get the good ones.I recently looked at a job which was to big for a old timer friend of mine and he asked if i would like to take a look and straighten it out so i said i would go look at it with him .We drove the one way to the job 65 miles which at first he stated was not to far he is getting old and forget excatly how far it was .Well we get there beautiful oranate rads throughout the home original valves and it is a hot water system .Issues is they had the basement finished and all the heating pipes where removed and repiped issue is they zoned it and repipe all the rads in series .The boiler was replaced and the piping leeds much to be desired at the boiler ,HO stated he spent alot of money and told me how much which i instantly stated that was way cheap and thats why the boiler looks the way it does and does not function properly aside from the fact that the sysytem piping is way off the mark . But what  really gets me is how could some one in bussiness and licensed do work that they have no clue at all in what they are doing ,I am quoting them a price to repipe the boiler and remove there basement cieling and repipe the whole system i realize that they will never spend the money being they spent about 1/2 of what i would have charged in the first place and complained that it was just so much money .Very funny stuff they both are professinals cpa and a county attorney so they have the coin except i get the  feeling  thatto them  if you work with your hands you should only make so much i guess that got them where they are with the nightmare system they have .Very very funny stuff so it will another i do not get but i know they are ging to throw some money to another idiot who will just hornswaggle them .It seems as the ecomony gets worse so do the hacks i guess they have to cut corners to make a living to .peace and good luck clammy

nicholas bonham-carter

Hot water proposal

Why not get them to buy some of the hydronics books from the shop, and then, armed with knowledge, they can fix the system themselves, or force the original installer to correct it.

65 miles each way is too long a drive for dubious returns. You could be a consultant for them as they get the previous installer to make corrections.--NBC

Steamhead

Happens all the time

"how could some one in bussiness and licensed do work that they have no clue at all in what they are doing"



"to them  if you work with your hands you should only make so much i

guess that got them where they are with the nightmare system they have"



You've encountered TWO cases of "you can't fix stupid" on this job......



Run, don't walk!

clammy

good people bad contractors

Well i called and left a message i truely doubt that i will be re dong this system mainly because it is going to cost some coin and i think they like to keep it in there pockets and give it to the gas company.As for the last contractor he did not get his final payment and will not return and i feel even if he had got it he still would not return funny part is they have had a working relationship with this man and his family for ions like 50 years.The gentleman who i had went to look at the job with personally knows this guy and he refused to go to the job and go over what he did.But the butter on the roll is the price i was told that they paid for the repipe was not even close to getting me out of bed no less drive the round trip and perform the work .The other note is a seperate guy did the boiler and had to repipe twice because of system piping issues and will not return i guess due to the fact that he hooked up to what was there a real catch 22.The worse part is the boiler is facing the wrong way with the burner access facing a wall with not much room to even pull the burners out no less get your body in place to even replace the thermocoupling if needed real fine install of yeah totally sealed basement and a closed mechincal room with no combustion air all the making of a future CO 2 plugged boiler in the future .The final worse part is even if you tryed you could not make this stuff up i guesss the old addadge you can't fix stupid label should be fixed to the boiler and possibable the HO also, sad stuff and the even worst part is they will most likely pay someone else and still get screwed and have a sysytem which does not work properly added bonus the boiler is out of some ancient stock it was probalby stat of art in like 1974 can't make it up ,peace and good luck clammy just wondering am i the only one out there that constantly gets a look see at ever BS hack job that has been done it just be the birth sign

STEVEusaPA

I feel your pain...

Hi Clammy, I think we all get a peek at some turds...mail them the proposal of what needs to be done to make it right, (don't give them all the details or exactly how), give them your price.  Then give them a second price, adding about 30-40%, telling them this is the new price when you call me in December.

At least you got to take a nice ride with your friend.  Hopefully he bought you lunch.

btw, next time get the address, and look it up.  For 65 miles each way, no freebie look for anyone.

Some people have thick skulls, and you'll never get thru.  Case in point, have a steamy customer (his plumber friend does the service), residential house, puts 250-300 gallons of make up water a month into the system in the winter.  Asked me to service it last year.  2 many things wrong, tagged it, told him it's a goner.  His buddy came back, fired it up, and he still buys oil from me.  Reason for not replacing--he's moving in 'a few' years, let the buyer worry about it...

clammy

have not heard that for a while

Steve have not heard that we going to move dealo in a while usually my rebutal is well then remenber that they will take 10 to 20 grand off your asking price for the replacement of your steam boiler and straightening out of the rest of your system and then you get the holiday glazed ham look .It just seems that after the HO gets taken by the  shoemakers they are relucent to listen to anyone and fiqure that we all just theives .The funniest is what i see in workmanship out of alot of area contractors that i have been told where really good and did good work but upon seeing mainly felt sick and though to myself why am i not getting these jobs only to realize i just do not have the BS skills and silver tongue that these guys possese.Pretty early for rant   not  peace and good luck clammy