Tech Star Services

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They didn't seem too interested in making for me so I'm not sure if I'll continue using them.

A corner in our basement, where there was a plumbing wall, was periodically seeping water. My son and I cut through the drywall and found that the PVC drain from the upstairs appliances, sinks, and showers had just been set into a rubber sleeve attached to the cast iron drainpipe in the basement floor, but never clamped in place. The rubber sleeve was deteriorating, and water was leaking out. So I bought the "Big Deal" from Pipes and Pumps, where you get a house call plus $100 towards plumbing repairs, for $39. The day I called, Ira had a cancellation and so was able to come that same morning and check out the problem. He said the rubber sleeve was dry rotted, and explained that he couldn't just replace it alone, because the pipes are not flexible to allow for maneuvering, so he would have to cut away part of the existing pipe in order to install the new rubber sleeve. As part of a routine inspection, he checked our water pressure, and found that the pressure was too high--80 psi instead of 60. He also pointed out that "code" now requires that if you have a pressure reducing valve, which we do, you also have to have a thermal expansion tank, which we do not. He said we weren?t required to install it because our plumbing was installed before the requirement became code, but it would be important to have if we were to sell the house. Ira recommended reducing the pressure by adjusting the pressure reducing valve on the house intake pipe, but when he attempted to adjust it he discovered that the valve was not functioning--it would not reduce the pressure below 80 psi. He explained that to save wear and tear on the pipes, it would be good to replace it with a valve that could lower the pressure to 60 psi. Ira told me that their fee for cutting the drywall was $150. Since we had already cut through the drywall, and it was just a question of expanding the hole a few inches in each direction, he agreed to waive the drywall charge, if I also agreed to put in a pressure expansion tank. He gave me a list of costs: $508 for the new rubber connector and pipe repair $500 for the new pressure reducing valve $210 for the expansion tank Ira did a great job. It was clear he knew what he was doing. He is skilled in cutting and fitting, and in welding. He is personable, friendly, and explains patiently what he is doing. It took him about 4 3/4 hours to finish all three tasks. He cleaned up everything before he left. I was pleased with his work. And even though it wasn?t an urgent job, I was happy to get it done that same day. Still, it seemed kind of pricey to me. Ira explained that there is a fixed price for each kind of plumbing job, regardless of how easy or how difficult it is in each particular instance. So, for example, drain repair is $508 whether it takes an hour or all day. The same for the other two jobs. In our case, there were no complications in the installations. The total was $1118. I hadn't realized how little of the total cost went for parts. The cost of the parts (including the new rubber connector and pipe, the pressure reducing valve, and the expansion tank, plus copper pipe, solder, etc.) was under $175. I had paid $39 for the ?Big Deal? (which included the house call plus $100 towards the repair.) My total at the end of the day was $1118. So that means $1043 was for labor and overhead. I haven?t hired a plumber before, so I don?t know, but $200 an hour seemed a bit steep.

With respect to the odors, the remounting of the toilet and the video examination did nothing to resolve the issue of the unpleasant odor in one of 5 bathrooms. The remounting was a necessary first step in the search for causation. The video examination was a bit of a reach since the other 4 baths are not showing any signs of issues. We agreed to replace the hot water heater and it was done quickly and professionally but the price was probably steep for installing a $800 tank. The main issue is attention to detail - note the warrantee on their work had to be requested as opposed to being left when the job was done. The cold water connection to the washer was removed to test pressure, good, but upon completion the water was not turned back on. So the wife did 3 loads of laundry with no rinse function. Annoying, not serious. Two toilets were removed and then reseated, but the owner was left to caulk the commodes to the floor. Not sure, but they cut the caulk off to remove the toilet, should it not be their responsibility to re-caulk ? Some nice black marks on the bathroom wall were the video cable went down the drain, not serious, again a little annoying. Every effort was made to put drop clothes down where the work was done, so he sensitivity is there, the execution needs improvement. Lastly, finding the source of the odor never got resolved and doing another test with peppermint oil seams both costly, $400, and not very definitive, I know where the stink is, confirming it with a different smell is not going to lead to solution? Well perhaps if it turns out to be a dead rodent and not sewer gas issue. Lastly, when I later removed the light fixture from the bathroom, the source of the smell was clarified, perhaps my expectation was too high, but I presume they have run problems like this down before and would check EVERY penetration thru the wall in the bathroom? Not to say I would not use P&P again especially on a well defined project, but the challenge of the odor was not a rewarding journey.

On time, worked rapidly through assignment, no fuss no muss.