Spurred by my recent plumbing problems, MJ wrote an excellent post on his blog concerning dealing with contractors, getting quotes, and following up on progress.

Anyone who’s never worked with contractors before will learn a thing or two based on MJ’s experience as a manufacturing engineer.

…any actual contractor should be able to cover all the costs of the work until it is complete, if it is a big project expect to pay 75% of the project costs when the work is 75% of the way done. In other words, the project should be close to finish at that point, and hold the last 25% for the actual project completion. -Source

I can’t agree more.

He also recommends using union labor because it is an indication that the worker has been through some sort of apprenticeship and been “certified”. I think this notion really depends on the type of job being done and of course the scale.

If you’re doing some light demolition work, union labor may end up costing you more for labor a high school kid could cost you. By in large, he’s right though, and the following rule of thumb applies to every project, regardless of scale:

You get what you pay for.

General, Rental Property contractor, labor, plumbing, unions

So I made the handyman trip to my rental unit last evening after the tenant called and told me that the washer was spewing water all over the place.

A few things crossed my mind when she described what was happening:

1. The outflow tubing came out of the drain fitting and when the spin cycle started the water ended up on the floor instead of in the drain.
2. The outflow tubing disconnected itself from the pump.
3. The drain backed up and when the washer tried to pump all that water down the drain, it back flowed out the pipe.
4. The water pump case cracked and is leaking from inside the washer.

Any one of the above I could have taken care of myself.

Unfortunately, none of those scenarios existed. At least not entirely.

After I arrived, I fired up the old Whirlpool about half way with water, and then put it right into the spin cycle. I can hear the water being sent down the pipe, and then I start to notice something.

Water is seeping in through the foundation wall right where the drain pipe goes through the concrete floor.

Evidently the drain pipe (that’s been buried in the concrete floor, has become partially blocked to the point where the high flow rate from the spin cycle pressurizes the pipe, and the water then makes its way either through a hole in the pipe or a broken fitting.

Regardless, the washer isn’t broken. It’s much worse then that.

I attempted to snake the line to try and relieve the clog, and those of you who have done that know what a joy it is. I ended up with a black greasy sludge from my finger tips to my elbows. Regular soap wouldn’t even cut it. I had to wait till I got home to wash my hands with the orange pumice hand cleaner… that was a long drive home.

Anyway, I was able to free up the clog, at least partially. There’s not nearly as much water coming through the wall as there was with the clog, but it does still come through the wall.

So I’ve called my buddy Paul who’s a plumber and asked him how I should proceed. Naturally I knew that the concrete was going to have to come up, but didn’t know how big of a job I was really in for. Plumbing I can do. I can work with copper and plastic PEX (wiki: PEX), but interfacing new PVC with old cast iron is out of my realm.

Paul indicated that any good plumber could do the work, and that he’d done a similar project for a guy a while back and it ended up costing the guy around $500 start to finish, and that included pouring the cement to fill the trench after the new pipe was laid.

So now I have to figure out where I stand. I have to fix the problem, and I’m leaning towards contracting it out. Breaking up 10 feet of concrete with a sledge hammer doesn’t sound like any fun, and may make a case for paying a pro to furnish the back breaking labor.

What do you think? Break my back tearing up the old concrete and learn how to replace the pipe, or just write the check?

In the mean time, I’ve told the tenants that they can use the sink (which drains into the same line) and can even wash their clothes, just expect some water to come in through the foundation when they do. It’s not a big deal, the basement is unfinished and the water will make its way down the floor drain, no problem.

Rental Property landlord, plumbing, rental propert, repairs

I just received a call from one of the tenants at my first rental property. The clothes washer is leaking all over the basement floor.

Just last night I was thinking about how I hadn’t been called to fix anything lately…

Go figure.

So tomorrow I play appliance repair man.

It’s interesting to note that of all the appliances I have bought brand new, I have not had to fix, repair or replace anything. However, initially I bought both the washer and dryer used. I replaced the dryer with a new $200 version from Home Depot less than 60 days after the used dryer was purchased (the warranty was only 30 days). I’ve had to go back and fix a switch already on the used washer, and now it’s leaking all over the place.

I remember the debate when I first bought the appliances, whether to buy new or used, and the overall consensus was that the used appliances were a better way to go, as it would save me money. But now I have to spend another evening troubleshooting a broken washer, and may end up spending money to have an appliance repair company come out and fix it…

I understand the logic behind going with used appliances in a rental unit, but I would have gladly paid the extra $200 for new units up front if I new how much time and aggrevation it would save me down the road.

I suppose that’s what they call “hindsight”.

Rental Property appliances, landlording, Rental Property