What did you do today?

[Floorist]

Rain every day through next Wednesday......fun.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Highup, it always bothers me that speed is valued over quality & accuracy these days. Although, some people are slow & still don't have good quality/accuracy. Describes the only two plumbers in the area. They do horrible work.

I went out this morning to start working on the plumbing to my pump & hit a few snags. Wasps are building their nests right in the doorway & on the far wall so the were swarming around. My calico Aminatu came to see what I was doing & at first she was climbing up on the pressure tank & putting her paws on me bc she wanted attention. Then she went and sat on the ground. A wasp was noisily buzzing around her until she swatted it. One of the buggers landed on my sleeve for awhile & I moved very slowly so as not to make it feel threatened. I want to spray them, but not while the waterlines are cut open. I really should have measured the distances first bc I thought it was farther. The 18" hose may be too long, but I can't get the right angle without it. The threads inside the pump's inlet felt jagged & rusty but I didn't bring a flashlight. I may have to use the trick with wrapping a string/twine around the male threads. I'm hoping the teflon tape & pipe dope will work. I may have to turn the elbows down a bit more so the hose won't go above the pump if I have to bend it, although, maybe I can bend it downward a little instead. I wonder if I can bend it into an S-shape. Anyway, another snag was I didn't notice that the pipe coming out of the shutoff is full of couplings so close that there's no space to attach anything after the shutoff. Which brings me to the fact that the pipe coming directly out of the shutoff was leaking. So, I have to replace the whole shutoff. But, I can't cut it off without the water coming out of the holding tank & flooding the room. If I had all 1-1/4" fittings I could probably get it all together more easily, but bc I have to reduce it takes more fittings. I think I can still get it to go together, but it's going to be a pain.

I have the water off now and am hoping the water in the holding tank will go down on its own like it usually does when there is no pressure forcing it in there-- unless it was all just draining into the lines & the shutoff is stopping it. The shutoff was open & I let water pour out for awhile & it percolated into the ground. I'm debating just leaving it open & letting the water come out in case the water level doesn't go down on it's own. I think I'll leave it until a bit later in the day when it starts to cool off bc it was so hot I could barely think. If I had 1-1/4" coming out of the holding tank first, I'd just have that size shutoff & a threaded piece coming out to attach the hose & it would be much simpler.

I hate wasps! Last year I had 30 or more Cicada killer wasp nests in my back yard. They didn’t sting but would run into me when I was on the lawn tractor. Had the exterminator come 3 times in September. I now have the big bulb and Delta Dust. Nice stuff. Kills all bugs. Is waterproof. Doesn’t harm mammals or birds.

 

[Floorist]

I hate wasps! Last year I had 30 or more Cicada killer wasp nests in my back yard. They didn’t sting but would run into me when I was on the lawn tractor. Had the exterminator come 3 times in September. I now have the big bulb and Delta Dust. Nice stuff. Kills all bugs. Is waterproof. Doesn’t harm mammals or birds.

Where can I buy it?

 

[zannej]

Delta Dust sounds good. I've heard Diatomaceous Earth also kills bugs & doesn't harm birds or mammals. Anything with a carapace dies from it. I need to sprinkle some in the pump house. I also need to find some wasp spray, cover up the waterlines & spray that stuff bc the pump guy is allergic to wasps (I just talked to him & he's booked up next few days). It hasn't rained in a few days and the water pump for the tree nurseries broke so the trees will die. I told him I understood they will lose business if trees die so that is priority & we're OK for a couple days without water. Told him I'd still try to rig it to work but will need him to come out to put the new foot valve in. Promised I'd try to get rid of the damn wasps before he comes out. He asked if I had the number for the plumber & I reminded him that the plumber won't touch water wells or their plumbing. In fact, the time that the pump guy had to climb into the tank was right after I called the plumber, described the situation, he drove out, took one look at the situation, told me "I'm not touching it!", charged me $60 & left. He could have told me on the phone it was something he couldn't mess with.

So, I went to the local hardware store & they didn't have the fittings I need, but I did get a foot valve that adjusts from 1/2" all the way up to 1-1/2". So, I don't have to worry about whether it's 1-1/4" or 1-1/2". If I knew how to get into the tank myself and could have someone on the outside hold the fitting in place while I screwed it on, I'd do it, but I have no clue how to lift the lid high enough for my fat ass to fit in there without breaking the pipes on top. I'll have to see how he lifts it when he goes to do it. He asked me "Can't your brother help you get into the tank?" I said "He's a cook, he knows nothing about plumbing & won't go near it and we're both too fat to fit in the tank".

Oops, I'm supposed to be looking up fittings right now... Mom is getting dressed so we can go to Lowes & I'll text the pump guy to keep him appraised.

 

[Floorist]

Started rewiring the lights on my tilt trailer. There is a short I can't find. Just easier to start over. Ran out of wire connecters. Finish it tomorrow between rainstorms hopefully.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Where can I buy it?

Amazon

 

[Tom Picciani]

I found out that the dust can be mildly toxic to pets. It’s very toxic to fish and birds. So it should be used in areas they wouldn’t frequent.

I use it in their underground burrows after sunset.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Drione dust is another product. Both are silica powder and a pyrethrum based insecticide. Delta Dust is not affected by moisture. Better for underground areas.

Both are used for animal shelters and around horses and cattle.

 

[highup]

Delta Dust sounds good. I've heard Diatomaceous Earth also kills bugs & doesn't harm birds or mammals. Anything with a carapace dies from it. I need to sprinkle some in the pump house. I also need to find some wasp spray, cover up the waterlines & spray that stuff bc the pump guy is allergic to wasps (I just talked to him & he's booked up next few days). It hasn't rained in a few days and the water pump for the tree nurseries broke so the trees will die. I told him I understood they will lose business if trees die so that is priority & we're OK for a couple days without water. Told him I'd still try to rig it to work but will need him to come out to put the new foot valve in. Promised I'd try to get rid of the damn wasps before he comes out. He asked if I had the number for the plumber & I reminded him that the plumber won't touch water wells or their plumbing. In fact, the time that the pump guy had to climb into the tank was right after I called the plumber, described the situation, he drove out, took one look at the situation, told me "I'm not touching it!", charged me $60 & left. He could have told me on the phone it was something he couldn't mess with.

So, I went to the local hardware store & they didn't have the fittings I need, but I did get a foot valve that adjusts from 1/2" all the way up to 1-1/2". So, I don't have to worry about whether it's 1-1/4" or 1-1/2". If I knew how to get into the tank myself and could have someone on the outside hold the fitting in place while I screwed it on, I'd do it, but I have no clue how to lift the lid high enough for my fat ass to fit in there without breaking the pipes on top. I'll have to see how he lifts it when he goes to do it. He asked me "Can't your brother help you get into the tank?" I said "He's a cook, he knows nothing about plumbing & won't go near it and we're both too fat to fit in the tank".

Oops, I'm supposed to be looking up fittings right now... Mom is getting dressed so we can go to Lowes & I'll text the pump guy to keep him appraised.

I'd bite the bullet and let the pump guy hook everything up correctly. I don't know anything about the correct pipe size or connections for a particular pump design. Was the previous pump plumbed correctly?

 

[highup]

Day one
A guy wanted carpet installed in a living room.
He said there are "pieces" but looks like enough. He had like 6 or 7 pieces of used carpet for a 12 by 17 living room and pieces of pad. I told him all the seams would show and it won't work. Told him my minimum was $125 plus $18 for 12 feet of metal. Never talked more about prices.
Day two
A friend told me about a carpet job I can have. 140 yards in an existing home. The old carpet needed to be removed. I drove over and looked at it.
...so I called the guy up and told him I found some better used carpet from a home I will be doing in a few weeks. I drove over to look at it before calling him.
Day three
We both went over to look at it and he gave his OK.
Day four
I went went back over to the house for the third time and remove carpet and pad and cut up fill pieces to fit his living room, then transported it to his house 8 miles away.
His back was bothering him, so I removed all his previous pieces of used carpet and pad and put them in the carport 40 feet away. Next, I removed his stone wood stove hearth by prying the pieces of stone and mortar off the masonitie underlayment. I put those out in the yard in a pile............ then vacuumed the floor and brought in the pad, unrolled it, then the carpet and left.
Day five
Me and my brother were over there at 10am and left at 4pm
How'd I do?
Travel for three trips to his house and three trips to the other house totaled about 60 to 70 miles even those this was all in town.
I made $125 for my efforts and charged $15 for the metal.
My work load is so empty, it comes to this.
Tomorrow I have a repair to do fixing dog-dig-damage in bedroom doorway. A friend/clients daughter is moving out of the place and wants her deposit back. I told her $60 bucks. Probably an hour repair and 8 mile round trip.
The other job paid $125 and included 2 hrs of driving ........at say 30 mph. Then add and hour for removing the old carpet and another 2 hours to clean out the guys old carpet and pad and pry off the old hearth stones.
The today, nearly 5 hours seaming the pieces and installing the carpet............. then about $17 for gas and $6 for seam tape plus 58' of tackstrip.
Say ..........14 hours of time involved, $30 in gas, tape and tackstrip............ for $125.
Desperation is sad. The home is 100 years old and honestly needs a match and lighter fluid. The guy isn't rich, so I guess were on the same playing field.
$6.75 per hour is better then nothing because my car insurance is due tomorrow.
It's a new low for me. The guy has absolutely no clue what it took to get his living room carpeted.
Tomorrow will rake in $60 per hour minus $6 in seam tape and gas. Too bad it's only one hour.

 

[highup]

Started rewiring the lights on my tilt trailer. There is a short I can't find. Just easier to start over. Ran out of wire connectors. Finish it tomorrow between rainstorms hopefully.

I've put silicone dielectric grease on those connectors and then slid heat shrink tubing over them.

 

[zannej]

Got home after dark & thankfully the wasps are all asleep so they didn't bother me. I wore a citronella bracelet to see if it would repel the mosquitoes. I wore a flashlight on my head. Moths kept flying in my face but I didn't get chewed by mosquitoes. I started trying to piece things together & couldn't get enough bend to the hose bc the pressure tank is too close. Couldn't use a longer pipe coming out of the jet pump because the outlet piping is too close & I didn't feel like messing with all that when I was so tired. I did manage to find some fittings that weren't listed on the website. Actually, Mom found it. 1-1/4" to 3/4". Turns out what I thought was a crack on the pipe was drizzle from something but my finger couldn't tell that it bumped up, just could feel that it wasn't smooth. I cleaned it off, cut it off safely, tried to fit a shutoff on but couldn't. Ended up just cramming a female slip/socket x male threaded fitting on it & just barely got the hose to cram on (very tightly bc I had to crunch it a bit). I'm going to let the pump guy know & tell him I want to move the pressure tank & re-route some of the outlet lines a bit to give me room to run the hose to the new shutoff and foot valve. I'll have to kill the wasps as well. I'm going to go out there in a couple hours (after glue dries) to check for leaks & then spray those wasps while they sleep in their nests.

I hate to waste fittings for the temporary job, but I wanted to have running water. Hopefully everything will hold tight. If not, I got some pipe tape to wrap around stuff if there are leaks. I put a little bin out there to hold the fittings & tools.

I'm not happy with not having a shutoff right now, but at least it's connected.

Highup, I have no idea if it was ever plumbed correctly. The tenants messed with our water supply & pump quite a bit & screwed stuff up & our old pump guy who went senile wasn't exactly the most reliable person & did sloppy work. I don't know enough about pumps or water supply to know what's good & what's bad.

I hope you can find some good jobs soon. Sucks that they are disrespecting you because you're older. I'd rather have someone work slowly & get it done right the first time.

 

[highup]

I spent two days doing a 25 by 17 living room a month and a half ago. My brother helped and we had a piano and furniture to move, plus removing the old carpet. I billed em $10 per yard for the carpet and added $70 for the furniture. Came up with $600 total.
The wrote a check for $700.
The job I just mentioned......... I figure they guy could have paid more, but during our conversations, he talked about his garage sale bargains and his free couch and crap like that. Had I brought up a difference in price I may have had nothing............ just sucks because he honestly has no clue how above and beyond I went and what I did for him.
Not worth fighting over. Not going to do any more work for him either. Nice guy, but that's about it.

 

[zannej]

Ah, the guy was a bargain hunter. I can actually understand that, but it doesn't help your business any.

I went out & annihilated the wasps. The can had a pretty strong spray-- it actually knocked two of the nests off the wall. I almost felt sorry for the little buggers. They were annoying, but they didn't sting me when I was in there.

I found that the corrugated hose is leaking. Not sure if it's because it is being compressed to fit or what the deal is. It's leaking rather badly where it connects to the piece coming out of the holding tank & since there's no shutoff I can't do much about it. So, I used the patch tape & wrapped it around as best as I could but it was still leaking a bit. But, there was about that much of a leak coming from the pump before & if it gets really bad I can shut off the pump. I'm disappointed it didn't hold, but I have the pump guy coming at some point either Sunday or Monday if he's available. Might have to eliminate the corrugated hose if it leaks & just scab together the PVC & stainless steel.

I wonder if brass & stainless steel would corrode if connected together. Or maybe I can find a short brass 1-1/4" nipple to bridge to PVC.

 

[zannej]

Well, balls! Got up this morning & the water was off. Went out, checked the holding tank (full), messed with the float to see that the primary pump kicks on. Examined the pipes-- only a small leak from the hose still, but not as bad as it was initially. Tugged on the power cable to the jet pump (which sometimes makes it kick on). It kicked on, started pumping, was able to wash my hands, flush the toilet, & fill the toilet again. But after a few minutes it shut off again. I went back, tugged again, watched it. It runs normally, then makes a few faltering noises, click click click and some motor noise, and I can see blue light flashing under the plastic box on the power side. Not sure what's causing it. Insufficient water pressure? A short? I don't know enough about pumps. It's a Goulds J10 1HP shallow water pump.

I tried to call the pump guy but he must be driving or busy. I texted him yesterday & got no reply. I texted again this morning & it didn't send so I had to wander around on my lawn until I got 2 bars & was able to send. But he never replied to the text so I don't know if he got it. I'll have to try to call him again (which involves going outside again) in awhile. The plumbing on the pump has been re-done multiple times in the past, but I wonder if the corrugated hose is restricting the flow too much-- but then, it had a 3/4" PVC on for years so I don't know why that would be a problem now. Hope I didn't mess up the pump-- although the threads on the inlet were rusted-- but no leaks there.

 

[highup]

I can see blue light flashing under the plastic box on the power side. Not sure what's causing it. Insufficient water pressure? A short? I don't know enough about pumps. It's a Goulds J10 1HP shallow water pump.

Blue light is probably arcing from a faulty electrical relay.

 

[Tom Picciani]

News alert. I just opened the last box. And I counted the pieces. I don’t think I’ll have any extra, just a few scraps

 

[Floorist]

Blue light is probably arcing from a faulty electrical relay.

Lets see.....water and electricity are not friends.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Lets see.....water and electricity are not friends.

That’s why GFCI circuit breakers are pricy.

 

[zannej]

The power to it has been pissy in the past, but usually when it has a pressure problem. I wonder if any PVC glue dislodged into the corrugated hose, restricting the pressure & thus causing the water to push back toward where it was coming out-- resulting in the leak at the one end of the hose where it attached. Or if it just can't handle that much water flow. Water did still make it through enough to flow normally into our fixtures without air in the line so it could still get through, but I'm wondering if the clog moved to another spot (assuming there was a clog). I hope it didn't get into the pump. My fault for not testing the water before attaching the hose. I would ideally like to move the pump up a little higher.

I'm having communication problems though because I can't text unless I get about 2 bars of signal & I can't get that at my front porch. I have to walk out into the middle of my yard & I can't see my screen bc of the glare. I called a few times but only got voicemail. I tried to fix my phoneline problem by replacing the fried jack. I wired the new one up just the way the old one was (and the old one I tested to make sure it was done properly, but it didn't work so I'm guessing the problem is on the other end of the line at the box-- that's if they actually have it working & didn't just lie like they did when our late elderly friend had a problem. Their technician said it must be inside but my father took a tester to it on the outside & there was no power coming from their end.

At least I currently have internet. *knocks on wood*

I've got a guy who owes Mom money that will be coming out to cut back the weeds & clear a tree that keeps growing back against the house. I'll have to keep some bottled water in the fridge for him & I have otter pops he can eat. The weeds are so high it's hard to get through. As much as I like blackberries, the thorns on the blackberry pushes keep grabbing me & it's annoying. My 4-o'clocks probably have to go, but they are tuber plants so they'll grow back. Might get him to leave some of the yellow ones & when they have seeds I can plant them in a different spot so the pink ones won't overtake them.