The Lemonade and Silver Lining

Have I mentioned how much I hate Murphy? 

Have I mentioned how much I love Murphy's opposite?

Remember last week, when I told you about the toilet clog that wasn't and how I was waiting for the plumber?

Well, let me clarify - I was waiting for Roto Rooter.  You see, I have a regular plumber who has fixed two issues in my house thus far.  His name is Dave and he's got a great southern accent and he answers every question I have and tells me what he's doing while I watch him. 

I'm a watcher - and it's not that I'm trying to be creepy or anything, I just like to know how things are done.  How does that clog get fixed?  How was that pipe changed?  How do you put that shelf up?  Many service-people find that very creepy, and I can understand that.  Who wants to be stared at?  Most people just want to get the job done and be left alone to accomplish it as quickly as possible while figuring out a solution to the Middle East Peace Process. 

But Dave explains everything in great detail and doesn't get upset at me at all for asking.

Now, you may wonder why I called Roto Rooter for this clog instead of Dave.  Well, Dave is based about 45 minutes to an hour away and I didn't want to make him drive so far for (what I thought) was a silly little problem. 

Yeah - well, after a few hundred dollars (amount to remain anonymous in case Air Force Guy reads this and has a heart attack) to Roto Rooter I thought the problem was solved.

Until several gallons of water started cascading from my pipes and back into my washing machine this morning.  What an after-Thanksgiving treat to wake to, I tell you.

With a sinking heart and near tears at the thought of how many thousands of dollars this was going to cost us, I called Dave.  I felt AWFUL.  This is a holiday weekend and I'm interrupting family time!  AWFUL. 

Dave drove all the way out to my place, though, instead of recommending I call a more local emergency plumber.  He came all the way out here and pulled out his camera thingie.  Then he explained everything to me on the camera and... wonder of wonders, the clog wasn't in my line!  It's a city sewer problem! 

I nearly collapsed on the sidewalk I was so relieved!  Plus, I had the added advantage of getting to see inside my main sewer line and noticing that those tree roots we were so worried about aren't in there! 

SpouseBUZZ likes to recognize businesses that go the extra mile for military and businesses that are trustworthy.  Military families move a lot, we don't have the time to develop trusted business relationships everywhere we go. Quite often military families get the short end of the stick in services because we don't know who to call to fix the floor, fix the wall, fix the heater, or fix the plumbing.  Word of mouth is our single most important tool to find competent service professionals that don't take advantage of us.

So, if you are in the Northern Virginia or Stafford/Quantico/Belvoir area and need a plumber, you really should call Carl R. Jackson and Sons - and ask for Dave at 540-752-0100.

As an awesome added bonus - Dave's assistant was Air Force. 

And if you do contact Carl R Jackson and Sons for one of their services (in addition to plumbing, they do heating, air conditioning, and excavating), please do tell them that you heard about them on SpouseBUZZ from airforcewife.  It's always good to let people know how well word of mouth for excellent service works in the military community.

Comments

[DL Sly]

I believe I would be contacting Roto Rooter and demanding the refund of all but the initial cost of the service call -- which should have ended the same way the call to Dave did.

[liberal army wife]

Yeah, I'd be calling RotoRooter... and demanding my money back, and the cost of Dave's visit too! and I'd be sending a copy of this article to the BBB.

I'll keep his name in the book.

LAW

[Kel]

wow.. I love when i find people like Dave. I agree with PP i would want my monies back. Good luck with further non-clog clogs!

[amber]

When stationed at Ft. Belvoir in Northern VA, I found some great service people through Angie's List. It's an online word-of-mouth thing.

[She of the Sea]

I'm curious...how long will it take the city to come fix this problem? Probably because the house was empty for so long...we have to clear out our line every time our house is empty for more than a couple of months.

Good luck!

[SeabeeSeniorWife]

AFW - My hubby's civilian job is working for a city's water dept. I told him about your situation here and he said to contact the city about the problem and then ask for them to reimburse you for the expenses you incurred trying to figure it out. If your plumber is willing to put on record that it was the sewer causing the situation, etc. It shouldn't be a problem and if it is, contact your councilman about the reimbursement.

Long term, his advice to anyone with a plumbing clog type thing is to always contact the city first if you have an idea that it's more than just that one toilet or that one sink but a flow from the whole house issue. Because, the city will usually send someone out for free and if it isn't their responsibility, they can usually point you in the direction of what needs done and give you the name of a reputable plumber in the area. Again, just some FYI that is hopefully helpful to someone.

[airforcewife]

Thanks for the info all - it is definitely being processed!

And especially from you, Seabee Senior Wife! I think we need to have a quick reference list of all these wonderful nuggets of information we get from the broad backgrounds of military spouses!

[kannie]

Yay! I'm so glad you were able to get things figured out, and that it isn't "your problem!" (Although plumbing issues due to *anyone's* problem still stink... harhar...)

Best wishes for cost recovery!!! :-)

[Ann - AF spouse]

that's great! I love the idea of having a list of reliable service people available.

It seems like the craziest things ALWAYS happen when my husband is gone! The upside, is that I call a profesional to fix problems instead of having my husband think it's not a real problem, or worse, that he can fix it himself.

A Good plumber is a gift from GOD! I have been dealing with century old plumbing in England for the last year, and had men fixing a leak in the bathroom ceiling just yesterday. I wonder where the next drip will be. Scary when water from the ceiling is normal.