Follow up to \"Help, I'm in trouble\"

Ken C.

I'm the guy who messed up the threads on the riser for a radiator valve while attempting to cut off the valve with a sawzall. First, I want to thank everyone for their excellent suggestions, many which I never would have though of. The short version of the follow up is, I never got a chance to try any of these suggestions. A coworker and I went back to the house a few days later. After looking more closely at the situation, we determined that it wasn't worth trying to unscrew or rethread the riser because the elbow beneath the floor was badly corroded. We recommended to the homeowner that we replace the main riser, from the first floor to the second floor, and replace the tee, elbow and nipples to that second floor radiator. The homeowner agreed to the proposed price, if we could do the work the next day. After re-arranging our scheduling, we told him that we would be there the next day. Usually, we get a deposit from a customer on larger jobs where we have to come back another day, but the homeowner refused to give a deposit. Sure enough, the customer called the next morning to cancel because a contractor he knows told him the price was too high. Keep in mind, the homeowner is a professional who lives in a mansion that is worth around $1 million. I had a bad feeling about this guy from the beginning, so I'm glad he's going with someone else.