Blew a gasket on a job last Tuesday, cost me 3 hours of billing

I was sweeping a 6-inch flue liner and the rotary brush jammed up on some old creosote chunks that must have been caked on for years. Ended up snapping the flex rod and had to fish the broken piece out with a magnet on a stick. Has anyone else had to deal with hidden debris that just ruins your day?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_fox5014d ago

Had a guy once ask me to snake his main line, forgot to mention he'd been dumping concrete washout down the sink for years. Took me four hours and two broken cables to get through that mess.

christopher_wells414d ago

And that flex rod snapping is the worst because now you're not just out time, you're out a tool too. I had a similar thing happen with a dryer vent where some moron had packed insulation right up against the pipe. The brush grabbed it and twisted the cable into a pretzel before I could pull it back. Took me almost two hours to cut the insulation away and clear the mess, and the customer didn't want to pay for the extra time since they thought it was "part of the job." Next time I'm charging a debris surcharge if there's any sign of crap that shouldn't be there.

-1

the_parker14d ago

Part of the job" my ass. @christopher_wells4, I bet that same customer would lose their mind if you showed up and said their broken furnace is "part of the job" too. It's like some people think our tools are made of magic and can handle anything. I had a buddy snap a rod on a clogged bathroom sink where someone had poured a whole bottle of Drano down it. The chemical ate through the rubber coupling on his cable before he even got halfway down. Two hours and a ruined tool later, the guy tries to haggle the price down. Next time I'm adding a "what did you do to your pipes" fee upfront if the water smells like a chemical factory.