Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Let's play a game!

Let's try to guess how much the bill will be for the plumber who's coming to my house tomorrow!

Yes, the plumbing has finally forced my hand.

The water heater's been leaking for a while.  It's ten years old, so it's probably on its way out.  I was delaying the inevitable by placing a drip pan underneath the leaky valve, but, well, the leakage is increasing.

Still!  While it was on my "to-do" list, it was hovering somewhere near the bottom, in the vicinity of "take down Christmas lights" and "change furnace filter".

But!  Last night, the toilet clogged.

*shudder*

Oh sweet Jeezus, if THAT'S not a worst-case scenario, I don't know what is. 

I managed to plunge it out, and this morning it's flushing, if somewhat reluctantly, but

it was time to call a plumber.  THE TOILET MUST FLUSH.

So!   What will the bill be?

I am guessing that the water heater needs to be replaced.  I am guessing that the toilet needs to be ... snaked, or whatever it is they do to reluctant toilets. 

I am guessing $759.36.  Care to take a guess?

3 comments:

Birdie said...

I don't want to guess any higher than that so I won't.

Becs said...

Snaking the pipe...do you have trees near your sewer pipes or go out to the (damn word I can't remember)septic tank empties? If so, I'd tack on at least another grand or two to that.

Because you live in the back of beyond, I'm guessing the water heater (electric or gas?) will go for $500 before installation.

Gee, I don't know. Kind of a wild eyed guess here but these days everything costs a thousand bucks.

Everything.

rockygrace said...

Ruh-roh, Birdie, do you know something I don't?

And Becs, yeah, tree roots are definitely a possibility. I've got a couple of locusts in the front yard. Thankfully, I'm on municipal sewer, not a septic system, so I would only have clear the line (approx. 50 feet) between the house and the street. Although even that can get expensive. But we do have a local pipe-clearing company who tends to be reasonable.

And I've priced (electric) water heaters - for the size I have, they're anywhere between two and four hundred, depending on the warranty.

I hope it doesn't come to a grand! Que sera, sera, I guess. *sigh*