good call
My first introduction to the building trades was at about 14. A neighbor who was a plumber was also built like the typical cartoon plumber. He had a job removing ancient black and galvanized pipe and replacing with copper tubing. This was back around mid 40's right after WW II had ended. Much of the work was to be performed in a very tight crawlspace, and I had learned how to solder in HS shop class. I was "volunteered" for the job in the crawlspace as I was barely over 100 #'s wringing wet if my boots were full of water. I am claustrophobic; but was able to keep my problems with tight spaces under control by fighting thru cobwebs and my interest in the plumbing problems at hand. The old pipes had to be cut and dragged out into the cellar area. The new pipes had to be measured, dragged back in and sweat together. All of that seemed to be far more interesting than my horrors a being compressed into the narrow space. That space was so tight that each time i slid my way into the work space, i had to determine whether i had to work lying on my stomach, or lying on my back. I could not turn my shoulders without going into panic mode. I spent most of my one week vacation from school that spring fighting cobwebs, dust and claustrophobia, but i learned a lot about plumbing. The main thing I learned was that i was not very interested in working insight spaces full of spiders. The installation part was interesting. Otherwise, i could not have lasted.
Fast forward: When i came out of the army, i worked for a short time with the same plumber. By that time, he was well on the way to a very liquid diet and would leave my on the job alone while he went supposedly for materials. the main materials quite often required that i get hold of a buddy and the two of us would make the rounds of the plumber's "materials suppliers", load him into his car and my buddy would drive the plumber's car and I mine. We would deliver him to his home and i would do the bookkeeping for the days work i had done as well as keeping track of the actual plumbing materials used. I learned a lot about plumbing during the month or two I worked with the man. Eventually, he did straighten himself out and we remained friends until he moved away.
Faster forwarder: eventually, my wife and i moved into a house in Ridgefield. We were on a local water system where the water was so hard (lime) you could cut it with my stone chisels. It was not long before a valve in the system sprang a leak. since i was a "very experienced" plumber, i confidently set to work making the repair. By the time i was able to break the fitting loose, i had broken a section of rotted pipe. fixing that led to a broken rotted fitting somewhere else. What should have taken me no more than an hour, tops, ended up taking the better part of a day with several trips to the supply house in the bargain.
The next time we had a valve leak, the same sort of scenario. AND, the next time, I got smart. As the old German mason who had been a mentor back in my pre army days had said, "So soon vee grrow oldt, so late schmardt." I called a plumber friend. I have never touched a wrench to a plumbing problem since. I don't really care what he charges, it is great insurance. [smile]
Tinker
