expensive lesson

[gerard]

A little off topic but maybe I can save some here $100! Propane hot water heater, 2 years old, direct vented out of house through sidewall. Electronic ignition, no pilot. Wife calls me and says we have no hot water. I check over quick, fan for vent kicks on fine but no gas. Call service since it's still under warranty and am told if not a warranty item cost is $45 diagnoses + labor/parts for repair. OK, guy comes out, fiddles around for 5 minutes, tells partener to check outside vent for obstructions. Goes out ans sure enough the grilled exiting in the pvc pipe is clogged with cat hair. Pulls it off, blows on it to clear cat hair and all is well. Get charged $45 for diagnoses (which was earned) but then get rapped for another $40 for labor. Agway apparently has a flat rate book. Anyway if anyone gets a similar problem check for a clear vent pipe before calling. I paid $100 for that little piece of information. You all get it /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif for free!!!

 

[s1120]

Oh man, you got to hate when that sstuff happands. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif My new house has that type of HWH, and fernice, I will be sure to keep an eye on it.

 

[Docsknotinn]

heres one Ill confess too that was my own blunder. Two years ago I replaced the kitchen sink. I decided to get a nice new garbadge disposal as well. When I hooked up the dish machine I forget to punch the drian knock out in the new disposal. I just couldn't figure out why that dish machine wouldn't drain and concluded it was broke. oops. The cost...1 new dish machine /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif lol Dave

 

[ronjhall]

Had a similar leaning experience last Tuesday, A/C went out. Did some voltage checks but could not get it to run. Called the company that installed unit.
Repairman opens the side of outside unit. Looks at the relay.
He finds a earwig between the contacts of the high voltage relay. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
$190 later we have cool air again. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Could have used the old relay, but new one has sealed contacts. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif That was $52 of the bill.

 

[hfd376]

Sounds like my $80.00 plumbing lesson. Shortly after moving into the house, one of the pipes had a pinhole leak. I don't usually back down from things i don't know (it's a bad character flaw-gets me into all kinds of trouble!) but this was plumbing. No way was I going to try this on for size!

I call a plumber, said he was quite busy, but would be over sometime the next day. While I was at work, I called my wife to see if the plumber had been by and she said he was had come and gone. Wow, that was quick. He was under the house less than 5 minutes, the bill was $80.00.

I get home and inspect the work and think no more of it. A coupla weeks later at the local home depot/lowes, I see a display of qwest plumbing fittings. Hmmm, that looks familiar!
Yep that was the part that was used!

So now I have an inventory worth about $45.00 in case of emergencies, and leaks usually are repaired in about 10 minutes! I don't think I got ripped off by the plumber (he's got to eat too!) I just got taught a lesson by a good teacher!

Doug

 

[Slamfire]

Wait till you call out a service man for you AC and he replaces a fuse. Wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't retired from the Electric Company. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[BubbaJr]

<font color="blue"> He finds a earwig between the contacts of the high voltage relay. </font>

I guess I'm pretty lucky, I have enough hair growing wild in my ears that I don't need an earwig. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Sorry, I couldn't resist that.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Last night about 10 pm my says to me, can you turn down the ac ? its getting hot in hear. So I grumble and go over the the thermostat and sure enough the temp is higher than normal. My house in 8 years old and a model. I think it ran as a model for two years. I was just thinking the other day I bet that out side part (condensor ??) is gonna go bad. I mean they never put the best stuff in a model. so off to get the flash light and sure enough the fans not working. So I change the fuses, no luck. Now I was not very happy because we were going to leave for the property this morning and I have serious (wink) work to do on that tractor. I figure I gotta stay home and call a service guy. Then it happens, I sit straight up in bed at 5 am remembering something about goofs on the forum. So up I get to re-read the strand. As soon as it got light I took the out side breaker back out and replaced the old fuses. No earwigs but a few spiders. cleaned it out. put back in, gave it a kick for good measure and boom ! its workin again. I might still need a service guy but if this gets me through the holiday week end I'm gonna be very happy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Thanx for the tips. Dave

 

[twabscs]

What a hoot! That one had me rolling on the floor! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[snowman]

In my previous house, my exterior lights and outlets all of the sudden were not working. Checked all of the fuses, etc. Called the electrician - explained everything to him. He walked into the half bath by the front door, pressed the GFI switch in the bathroom outlet, gave me a bill for $65, and left.