Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Long story but I'll try to keep it short. I noticed a slab leak in my 3 year old home Sunday morning. Water was not entering the house but I noticed the slab was very wet along the outside wall of our home. I had a slab leak repair guy come out yesterday morning. We have PEX in our home. So finding the leak is not as easy. He spends the whole day here. Got here at 9 and left at 5 with a 1 hour lunch. Slab leak was never found and he jackhammered a hole in my laundry room as well as 2 small drill holes that need to be re-grouted. He tells me before he leaves that it's the water supply line coming in from outside. He wants to do a re-route through the attic. Price... $3500. So I tell him I want another opinion. A plumber is here now that came recommended. He determined it is not the supply line. I have a leak from the manifold under the water heater to my guest bathroom. Price for this fix should be under $1000. So the original plumber told me if I have someone else fix the leak, would I still pay him for his time. I have no problem paying him something. But he wants $700 for basically hanging out all day and jackhammering. What's a fair price for his labor? Keep in mind he fixed nothing, was wrong on where the leak was, and now I have to have my tile fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) What makes the plumber so sure its the line from the manifold to the guest bath? Oh, and did the slab guy discuss any of this with you before he started jackhammering? Edited July 29, 2009 by The Irish Doggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulzale Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I the other guy fixes it and that is indeed the problem, I say the other plumber gets nothing or next to nothing. I mean he tore stuff up and recommended a pricely re-route, which wasn't even the issue and you have other things to fix now! I say $60 per hour minus the other repairs you need to make (figure time and materials) I think anything to him over $200 is being very generous and I would probably say $0. Just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I think you owe the guy nothing at this point. He screwed up your house. What did he give you in exchange for this money you would be paying him? And the worst is, he wouldn't have even fixed the problem and had you paying through the nose for his incompetence if you'd have just told him to go ahead with the repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 What makes the plumber so sure its the line from the manifold to the guest bath? Oh, and did the slab guy discuss any of this with you before he started jackhammering? He disconnected pipes from the manifold and went through process of elimination with his equipment. We have water turned on to every place in the house except that bathroom and the water meter is moving. I can already tell this guys knows what he's doing. The original slab guy quoted me a price of $1200 to fix the slab leak. Once he realized he couldn't find it, the price went to $3500 to do a re-route. Problem is, this guy may have done the re-route and that wasn't even the bad line. I want to pay the other guy something. But it's not going to be anywhere close to $700. $200 sounded fair last night when I thought about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 He disconnected pipes from the manifold and went through process of elimination with his equipment. We have water turned on to every place in the house except that bathroom and the water meter is moving. I can already tell this guys knows what he's doing. The original slab guy quoted me a price of $1200 to fix the slab leak. Once he realized he couldn't find it, the price went to $3500 to do a re-route. Problem is, this guy may have done the re-route and that wasn't even the bad line. I want to pay the other guy something. But it's not going to be anywhere close to $700. $200 sounded fair last night when I thought about it. A price wasn't discussed prior? Usually, something is discussed, but if nothing was I'd say give him close to zero or $100-$200 *MAX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 A price wasn't discussed prior? Usually, something is discussed, but if nothing was I'd say give him close to zero or $100-$200 *MAX The price discussed was $1200 to fix the leak. Obviously that didn't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The price discussed was $1200 to fix the leak. Obviously that didn't happen. Tough call, I usually ask how much it costs to find the problem but not fix the problem until its determined what the problem is. I'd give him 100-200 tops and call it a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Ask the reputable plumber guy his opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Ask the reputable plumber guy his opinion. I did. He said it's a tough call. He thought $300 would be fair. But he also said the guy should have found the problem within a couple hours and there was no reason to spend the entire day out here destroying stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I did. He said it's a tough call. He thought $300 would be fair. But he also said the guy should have found the problem within a couple hours and there was no reason to spend the entire day out here destroying stuff. Then I'd offer him $150-200. Tell him that's what this plumber guy - who you trust - said that was fair (bending the truth a little bit, but he did say that it was generally unnecessary to burn up an entire day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I think maybe a couple hundred for the house call is appropriate...though he woudln't have a very strong argument to come back with if you decided to be a hard ass and pay him nothing. I mean, the guy fixed nothing, had no idea what was actually wrong, made holes and stuff, and tried to get you to do a very costly repair that wouldn't have fixed the problem. he gave you nothing of any value whatsoever and actually cost you time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Can't wait until my wife gets home. They're having to take drywall out of the nursery wall to access the bathroom manifold. We just finished this nursery a couple weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Was the original guy who came out a plumber? If so, he's not very good. Plumbing 101 is to isolate the lines one by one to determine where the problem might be, NOT to start Jackhammer hit or miss. If he wan't a plumber and just a concrete guy looking for a slab leak, you called the wrong guy. This isn't that big of a deal and we would have located and fixed for well under $1000. I would pay the guy no more then $300 for his time. It was his misrepresentation of what qualifications he has to locate a leak timely that led to his time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Can't wait until my wife gets home. They're having to take drywall out of the nursery wall to access the bathroom manifold. We just finished this nursery a couple weeks ago. Why not abandon the lines, and feed a new one in the attic and insulate it, cheaper, quicker and no damage. Just like feeding a wire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Was the original guy who came out a plumber? I found him standing outside of Home Depot looking for work. He said he was a plumber. Just kidding. He is a Master Plumber. Just apparently not very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I think maybe a couple hundred for the house call is appropriate...though he woudln't have a very strong argument to come back with if you decided to be a hard ass and pay him nothing. I mean, the guy fixed nothing, had no idea what was actually wrong, made holes and stuff, and tried to get you to do a very costly repair that wouldn't have fixed the problem. he gave you nothing of any value whatsoever and actually cost you time and money. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 very similar to what happened to us. had a leak on an outside wall. guy comes in, tears out the drywall, replaces wet insulation, then does the most horrendous drywall work i have ever seen. he says he needs to come back to finish. so the next day, i call him and tell him not to come back and that he does poopyty work. he sends me a letter requesting 1000 bucks or he will place a lien on the house. i call him up, tell him i will give him 200 bucks for his time and he refuses. so i say go ahead and place a lien on my house, you can get your money in 20y when i sell the place. he never called back or placed a lien. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Why not abandon the lines, and feed a new one in the attic and insulate it, cheaper, quicker and no damage. Just like feeding a wire He still has to tie into the manifold in the bathroom. I guess the only way to access it was through the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 He still has to tie into the manifold in the bathroom. I guess the only way to access it was through the wall. Eh.....it's only drywall. If she had some intricate painting/wallpaper or a hard color to match......yeah it's a PITA. Much better than fixing a concrete slab, tilework or masonry. Plumbers I know around here get anywhere from about $80-$120 an hour. Keep in mind they also work for larger companies who I'm sure take a big cut of that. In addition.....your other plumber is right.....it should only have taken him 3-4 hours to find the exact problem anyway. I think $200 is more than fair. He'll grumble about wasting an entire day. You just grumble back about having to fix his holes. If he still grumbles......throw in a "you didn't even find the real problem." He'll take the $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Eh.....it's only drywall. If she had some intricate painting/wallpaper or a hard color to match......yeah it's a PITA. Color is easy to match and we still have paint left over. No big deal. Problem is fixed. Plumber is insulating the pipe now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 He disconnected pipes from the manifold and went through process of elimination with his equipment. We have water turned on to every place in the house except that bathroom and the water meter is moving. I can already tell this guys knows what he's doing. The original slab guy quoted me a price of $1200 to fix the slab leak. Once he realized he couldn't find it, the price went to $3500 to do a re-route. Problem is, this guy may have done the re-route and that wasn't even the bad line. I want to pay the other guy something. But it's not going to be anywhere close to $700. $200 sounded fair last night when I thought about it. I think the 2nd plumber knows what he is doing. I think you meant to say that the water is OFF i.e isolated to everywhere except the bathroom and the meter is turning. Therefore the leak is in the water line to the bathroom. The 1st plumber took a hit and miss approach, kinda like a parts changer. Someone who changes parts until he gets to the problem. I don't know if I would pay the first guy anything but if I did I would write a check and put FINAL PAYMENT on it. He may take it a be gone or he coud try to sue. Be sure to have the repairs of the 2nd plaumber well documented. Take pictures if its not to late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 I think the 2nd plumber knows what he is doing. I think you meant to say that the water is OFF i.e isolated to everywhere except the bathroom and the meter is turning. Therefore the leak is in the water line to the bathroom. The 1st plumber took a hit and miss approach, kinda like a parts changer. Someone who changes parts until he gets to the problem. I don't know if I would pay the first guy anything but if I did I would write a check and put FINAL PAYMENT on it. He may take it a be gone or he coud try to sue. Be sure to have the repairs of the 2nd plaumber well documented. Take pictures if its not to late. I meant the water meter isn't moving. Pictures have been taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelBunz Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 If you put "final payment" or "Paid in Full" on the check.....and he cashes it......he's agreeing that it IS the final payment. Good call FBJ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Plumber is done. Total due: $531.65. I called old plumber. We agreed on $200. Now I just need to get the drywall and tile repaired. I'll take care of what little painting there will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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