Money Down the Drain

Today's Calvin was close to life for me this week!

Last weekend I tried to remove my gross and corroded drain from my tub. As I began it broke apart in pieces but the core part was corroded onto the treads of the pipe, so alas it could not be removed. By the time I figured this out, I had removed enough of it that there was no turning back.

I had no choice but to call in a plumber. It took the plumber 3 visits to get it done because twice they didn't have the right part or tool. He did assured me that the first two visits wouldn't cost me because they didn't have the right tools.

He went and got a special tool called "the extractor" which he was sure he could get it out with. My hopes were high, but eventually he too had to admit it was not coming out. He had to cut the pipe under the tub itself and install a new pipe and drain shoe. Then the new drain screwed right in. A costly $185 repair! He tried to tell me that a competitor would have charged me $517 so I was getting a deal for $185 (now really, who is he kidding?)

Here is the lovely $185 new drain!

By contrast, I bought a drain part for $15 at Home Depot and in 5 minutes changed the one in my hall bathroom. It wasn't corroded and unscrewed fairly easy. What a difference in time and costs. Here is the beautiful drain I replaced for a bargin of $15.

Am I the only one that thinks they look a lot alike? I'm tempted for a career change to a plumber. It appears that it might be more lucrative then selling insurance.