# It was one of THOSE days today..............



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Had to do some plumbing repairs in the bathroom off of our bedroom today. 

It should have gone quickly and smoothly. Then........I remembered water was involved. Nothing involving water goes smoothly. :smt091

Anyways, it's done, the day sucked, I'm going to drink beer tonight and try to put it all out of my mind. :smt076


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I understand completely I hate doing plumbing also, but I am the only plumber I can afford.


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## Philco (Apr 17, 2012)

Last home plumbing job I did involved replacing a faucet on a bathroom vanity. In order to reach in and tighten everything up properly I had to lie on my back partially inside the vanity reaching up to do the tightening while holding a flashlight in my mouth so I could see what I was doing. The next day my back looked like I'd been beaten by an iron rod. There were bruises all over my back. I was sore for days after that but my wife was delighted with her new faucet. Yay.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Philco said:


> Last home plumbing job I did involved replacing a faucet on a bathroom vanity. In order to reach in and tighten everything up properly I had to lie on my back partially inside the vanity reaching up to do the tightening while holding a flashlight in my mouth so I could see what I was doing. The next day my back looked like I'd been beaten by an iron rod. There were bruises all over my back. I was sore for days after that but my wife was delighted with her new faucet. Yay.


Yup......I was primarily lying on my side, and trying to get my hands and arms to do things that simple physics and physical space simply would not allow, considering the position(s) I was in, and what I wanted to achieve at that moment.

With all the twisting and squirming that I was doing, I was rather pleased at how well my new right knee held up.

Did I happen to mention the cursing and swearing that occurred? It was nothing short of a drunken sailor on leave, losing all of his money to a female of questionable character, morals, and ethics, running out the door, never to be seen again.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Oh, I am so very happy that now I am too old and stiff to be able to do that stuff any more.

Our kitchen faucet needs to be replaced. And _somebody else is gonna do it!_ :smt041


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Ya gotta love Murphy's Law.........
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law


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## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

paratrooper said:


> I'm going to drink beer tonight and try to put it all out of my mind. :smt076


Um, beer makes water :supz:


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Oh, I am so very happy that now I am too old and stiff to be able to do that stuff any more.
> 
> Our kitchen faucet needs to be replaced. *And somebody else is gonna do it!* :smt041


I've never agreed with Steve more. LOL None the less, I'm glad our friend's knee held up to the task as well as the ability to top it off with a beer or two. :drinkers:

Beer = Something I miss, but can no longer have, darnit.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Did I happen to mention the cursing and swearing that occurred

My children were not allowed in the same county when I did plumbing because of my expressing my displeasure.


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## Tip (Aug 22, 2012)

Beer & plumbing go perfectly together. Have a cousin's kid (well if a40+ something is still a kid, is to me) who works in the maintenance field - jack of all trades, great plumber. Works perfectly, he does the plumbing, I pay him with a six pack. He usually doesn't want paid, I usually have to insist he take it - turns into a bit of a game but we both enjoy it (and the time spent together).


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

BackyardCowboy said:


> Um, beer makes water :supz:


Since I usually have to get up 4-5 times during the night anyways to pee, I felt that it wasn't a big deal.

BTW.....I'm not much of a drinker. For me to drink beer, I have to be in the right mood. I wasn't in the right mood and I still had a few.


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## CW (Mar 20, 2015)

Considering the complexity [and pain] of Biological plumbing repairs,

copper pipes are a breeze especially with the new _Shark Bite _stuff.

You do have a point though, every plumbing job looks simple, until you start the repair......


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## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

Ah yes....plumbing. My sister & I moved into a two-house property our parents left us after they passed. It was built in 1954. They didn't want to spend money on plumbing repairs & had "Know-nothing handymen" do repairs CHEAP. We had to have all of it re-done. So far the tab is $55,000.00. That includes a new, legal washer/dryer hookup to the city sewer, instead of the drain pipe into the backyard by our parents' handyman. Complete PEX re-pipe for the front house, new drains under the house, new supply line to the city, faucets, toilets, etc.

Our plumber told us, "We love old houses." $$$$$$.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> Had to do some plumbing repairs in the bathroom off of our bedroom today.
> 
> It should have gone quickly and smoothly. Then........I remembered water was involved. Nothing involving water goes smoothly. :smt091
> 
> Anyways, it's done, the day sucked, I'm going to drink beer tonight and try to put it all out of my mind. :smt076


What was the repair? I'll bet you needed the one tool you didn't own.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Philco said:


> Last home plumbing job I did involved replacing a faucet on a bathroom vanity. In order to reach in and tighten everything up properly I had to lie on my back partially inside the vanity reaching up to do the tightening while holding a flashlight in my mouth so I could see what I was doing. The next day my back looked like I'd been beaten by an iron rod. There were bruises all over my back. I was sore for days after that but my wife was delighted with her new faucet. Yay.


the funny thing about changing a faucet . You can have the correct tool , but still need to be on your back,lol


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

pic said:


> What was the repair? I'll bet you needed the one tool you didn't own.


I wanted to replace the water shut-off valves inside the vanity. They are original to our house, which was built in 1988. I knew that they would most likely be corroded.

The hot side valve was corroded solid in the open position . The cold side valve was fine, but I decided to replace it anyways.

Long story made short. The hot water valve was a relatively easy fix. The cold valve was the one that gave me the most problems. And, I really didn't even need to replace it.

That, and we had to run a new drain line from under our new wash basin to the drain outlet in the wall.

But, it's all behind me now and it all seems to be water tight. Now all we have to do is hang the new large mirror. As simple a task as that might sound to the most of you, dollars to doughnuts, something will give me fits. :numbchuck:


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> I wanted to replace the water shut-off valves inside the vanity. They are original to our house, which was built in 1988. I knew that they would most likely be corroded.
> 
> The hot side valve was corroded solid in the open position . The cold side valve was fine, but I decided to replace it anyways.
> 
> ...


lol, that's funny, but aggravating I know.
I'm not saying this crao happened to you. 
BUT
I was healing and taking some pain meds,, something about those pain meds that'll make you want to fix something,lol
especially when it's not broke yet.

I've gotta visual in my mind laughing my Arse off. I'm completely making up this visual in my OWN mind that belongs to my own experience .

:smt033


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

We stopped by ACE Hardware and bought some dry wall anchors. The ones I had on hand, weren't big enough in my opinion, to hang the mirror with. 

Anyways, I asked for, and was granted a reprieve not to hang the mirror until tomorrow. 

I'm thinking, drill two 3/8" holes in the wall at the appropriate height and width, install the wall anchors, line up the mirror hanging brackets with the wall anchors, and presto, it's done. 

I mean come on, what could possibly go wrong................:watching:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Mr. Murphy?
Paging Mr. Murphy!
Mr. Murphy: Please go to the Paratrooper's home.
Paging Mr. Murphy...


Just kidding...I think...:smt083


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> We stopped by ACE Hardware and bought some dry wall anchors. The ones I had on hand, weren't big enough in my opinion, to hang the mirror with.
> 
> Anyways, I asked for, and was granted a reprieve not to hang the mirror until tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Holy shit, lol. It's gotta be perfectly level. Are there fasteners already attached to the back of the mirror that you have to match up (level wise ) to the drywall anchors ?


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

That's to much work, I would get my old knee back.


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## RK3369 (Aug 12, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> We stopped by ACE Hardware and bought some dry wall anchors. The ones I had on hand, weren't big enough in my opinion, to hang the mirror with.
> 
> Anyways, I asked for, and was granted a reprieve not to hang the mirror until tomorrow.
> 
> ...


Depends on how big the mirror is. You might want to try to find the wall studs to attach the mirror mounts to rather than drywall anchors. Just sayin......


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Steve Mr. Murphy is living at my house I'll send him over.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

RK3369 said:


> Depends on how big the mirror is. You might want to try to find the wall studs to attach the mirror mounts to rather than drywall anchors. Just sayin......


As usual, the studs are not in the best location (are they ever). The mirror is 34" X 44". It's larger than what I would prefer, but my wife has assured me it makes the bathroom feel larger.

How can that be? The room is what it is. Women!!


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

pic said:


> Holy shit, lol. It's gotta be perfectly level. Are there fasteners already attached to the back of the mirror that you have to match up (level wise ) to the drywall anchors ?


We already attached the fasteners to the back of the mirror. They are good and secure.

My wife then measured down from the light above the vanity, taking into consideration the distance from the fasteners on the back of the mirror to the top of the frame, and the distance from the bathroom wall to the other side of the top of the vanity, to make sure the mirror is centered.

I feel confident in her calculations. In college, she got a B in Algebra and I squeaked by with a D. And I was struggling just to get that. That was the only D I ever received in any of my college courses. My GPA was 3.2

Did I mention I patently hate math of any kind?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Obviously, you never served with the US Army Engineers...
But then, a US Army Engineer wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

:yawinkle:


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

You are in my wheelhouse 'Troop. I do believe I could knock the job out and half a six pack of your beer in a couple of hours. I've been doing just that for decades. (- the beer of course.):drinkers:

GW


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> I wanted to replace the water shut-off valves inside the vanity. They are original to our house, which was built in 1988. I knew that they would most likely be corroded.
> 
> The hot side valve was corroded solid in the open position . The cold side valve was fine, but I decided to replace it anyways.
> 
> ...


Toggle or molly bolts for drywall,, Murphy recommends using non expanding plastic anchors .

:watching:


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

goldwing said:


> You are in my wheelhouse 'Troop. I do believe I could knock the job out and half a six pack of your beer in a couple of hours. I've been doing just that for decades. (- the beer of course.):drinkers:
> 
> GW


I try to avoid doing plumbing work whenever I can. But, some times my pride gets the best of me and I say to myself, just how hard of a task can it be?

That is of course, long before I actually start the work. :watching:


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Obviously, you never served with the US Army Engineers...
> But then, a US Army Engineer wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
> 
> :yawinkle:


I've been told by numerous sources, that there's really no such thing as a _perfectly good airplane_.

I feel it's safer to jump out of them than it is to fly in them. When was the last time you heard of numerous parachuters dying while jumping out of a plane?

And yet, it's not all that uncommon for planes to crash killing upwards of 100 or many more at a time.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> I've been told by numerous sources, that there's really no such thing as a _perfectly good airplane_.
> 
> I feel it's safer to jump out of them than it is to fly in them...


I've flown in a helicopter only a couple of times, and, man, that's something I definitely feel like jumping out of.

Someone once said that a helicopter is a set of unrelated parts, all flying in formation.
Come to think of it, it was the Medivac Nurse sitting next to me, who said it...


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I've flown in a helicopter only a couple of times, and, man, that's something I definitely feel like jumping out of.
> 
> Someone once said that a helicopter is a set of unrelated parts, all flying in formation.
> Come to think of it, it was the Medivac Nurse sitting next to me, who said it...


Never had any urge to get a fixed wing pilot's license. But, I'd sure love to learn how to fly a copter. I've jumped out of them too, as well as fast-roping out of them. Loved it!

Jumping out of planes and copters is one thing, and it's another thing entirely to jump out of a balloon. Much more unnerving.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Waiting for the mirror installation report. 
Photos would be nice, three different views should suffice 
:watching:


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

pic said:


> Waiting for the mirror installation report.
> Photos would be nice, three different views should suffice
> :watching:


The mirror was hung today. Our first choice of a dry wall anchor wasn't the best. Luckily, we bought a few variations at the hardware store and then went with another style anchor.

Did it go smooth as silk? Nope! Did it turn out *EXACTLY* as we had hoped? Nope!

But, it did turn out good enough. It looks okay and it's even level. :smt033


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I no long fly because the TSA will not let me carry plan "B" with me. I understand that flying is safer than driving, I understand that the percent of crashes vs. flying hours is very low. I also know flying is a unnatural act getting in a metal tube with a bunch of people you don't know and letting a stranger hurl you through the sky at 1,000's of feet above the earth is not natural.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

tony pasley said:


> I no long fly because the TSA will not let me carry plan "B" with me. I understand that flying is safer than driving, I understand that the percent of crashes vs. flying hours is very low. I also know flying is a unnatural act getting in a metal tube with a bunch of people you don't know and letting a stranger hurl you through the sky at 1,000's of feet above the earth is not natural.


Flying is a royal PITA from start to finish anymore. Nothing about flying is getting any better. I mean nothing!

I hope to Hell that I never have to fly again. If I even have to step foot in an airport before I die, it'll be too soon. :smt076


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

paratrooper said:


> ...I hope to Hell that I never have to fly again...


A very emphatic *+1*


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

I have never been a plumber or ever will be. Let a man do those jobs who knows what's up! I'm a retired gunsmith galldangit!


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## Argon18smith (Nov 4, 2016)

Spent my entire working career at airports and flying. I worked for a Canadian company that was the equivalent of the FAA (not in size though). A few close calls but nothing serious. I too am done flying and will leave that to the risk takers. Most of my flying was into the "boonies" when the Navaid equipment wasn't working - I was the repair guy and couldn't come home till it was fixed. The good old days as they say.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Argon18smith said:


> Spent my entire working career at airports and flying. I worked for a Canadian company that was the equivalent of the FAA (not in size though). A few close calls but nothing serious. I too am done flying and will leave that to the risk takers. Most of my flying was into the "boonies" when the Navaid equipment wasn't working - I was the repair guy and couldn't come home till it was fixed. The good old days as they say.


Ah, what a choice:
Working outside in the frozen north, repairing essential electronics...
Or working up to your elbows in excrement, repairing essential plumbing...
Hmmm... Gotta think about this...

:yawinkle:


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Just watched Tom Hanks starring in the movie "Sully" .
A true story about the jet plane that had to land in the Hudson River. Not A bad movie, Tom Hanks always seems to get it done


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