I have to become the expert at everything

teejk · Apr 4, 2016

Industrial Toys said:
If I hire contractors, I will be here to oversee them. I am usually run off my feet, more like a gopher but almost always mistakes are avoided, quality is maintained and everyone is happy.

Friends of mine, on the other hand, just don't learn. They leave contractors to their own devices and then they are utterly frustrated with the results, as if things will magically just go right. Even high end general contractors are often incapable of doing a project right, from what I have seen.

I served as my own "general" when I built this house...at the end of the process I realized that a "talented" general needs to control the process carefully...otherwise the various trades seem to have some twisted desire to goof with any trade that follows them...perhaps there is some unwritten rule about increasing the time on the job for all of them as they have to work around stuff done before them but at times it's like something got "compromised" and the owner was the loser. I did ok (and did much of the work myself) but when I hired out I couldn't help but think that a few things could have been done faster had there been better coordination...that is the job of a talented general I think. Really talented ones get subs that they learn to trust and will be called upon again and again.

von-mil · Apr 4, 2016

k0ua has somehow created TBN's first-ever quadruple post.

teejk · Apr 4, 2016

von-mil said:
k0ua has somehow created TBN's first-ever quadruple post.

The site goes through periodic "hiccups"...I posted earlier and the dial kept "spinning" until I cancelled out...my post magically appeared and guessing if I hadn't cancelled I would have beat quadruple...figure my only recourse would be to seek a refund of my subscription cost

quicksandfarmer · Apr 4, 2016

von-mil said:
k0ua has somehow created TBN's first-ever quadruple post.

Now we have to become web design experts to fix it...

k0ua · Apr 4, 2016

quicksandfarmer said:
Now we have to become web design experts to fix it...

fixed it!

The forum puked today when I posted and I got the 504 error. I deleted the other 3. Should be good to go now.

Now lets see if someone can make it 5 in a row..

teejk · Apr 4, 2016

k0ua said:
fixed it! The forum puked today when I posted and I got the 504 error. I deleted the other 3. Should be good to go now.

Now lets see if someone can make it 5 in a row..

I think if I hadn't cancelled out of an earlier post I would have the world record! "Stuff" happens...and as a subscriber that has to ante up $0 every month to use the site, I figure I have no recourse (nor should I). Actually somewhat saddened to see that somebody even mentioned it...this is why we can't have nice things...

Industrial Toys · Apr 4, 2016

I too, repaired NEC key telephones down to the component level for most of canada back in the eighties. Everything became smaller and no schematics or proprietary information kind of became the order of the day. That's not particularly a bad thing. Electronics being so cheap. I just bought a LED tach with hall effect sensor off E-Bay from China, for use on a friends lathe for about ten bucks US with free shipping!

That reveals the true cost. Now, when a company charges you hundreds or thousands for some module, and I have no way of getting in there to try and fix it, that's when I have a problem.

k0ua · Apr 5, 2016

Industrial Toys said:
I too, repaired NEC key telephones down to the component level for most of canada back in the eighties. Everything became smaller and no schematics or proprietary information kind of became the order of the day. That's not particularly a bad thing. Electronics being so cheap. I just bought a LED tach with hall effect sensor off E-Bay from China, for use on a friends lathe for about ten bucks US with free shipping!

That reveals the true cost. Now, when a company charges you hundreds or thousands for some module, and I have no way of getting in there to try and fix it, that's when I have a problem.

Old NEC Patricians? or Electra 28's?

Pirate · Apr 7, 2016

And now the sick and dramatic conclusion. I ordered a new spool of propane line based on the companies statement that no leaks present above ground. Neighbor helped me fish a wire through the conduit. We attached to new propane line and pulled/pushed new line in. The same knucklehead came out today to hook it up, free of charge of course. Initially he said it was still leaking. Huh I says. No freaking way. So he squirts the juice all around, can't find a leak. I said, try another gauge. He puts on gauge #2 and says, still leaking. I says I don't believe it. I had him squirt juice all over their 2' section of flex pipe they used to connect mine to the secondary regulator. Sure enough, now he says golly, there are a couple of leaks. Back to pressure test, and wouldn't you know it, still leaking down. So, he puts on gauge #3. Now it doesn't leak. I says to him, I have the feeling you just cost me two days hard work and $500 because your gauge was bad from the get go. No comment from the knucklehead. So I call the idiots company, Holsten Gases in Grey, TN BTW, and talk to OPS boss. Tell him same thing. I tell him, this is what I am talking about your company being unprofessional. Your man is going around leak testing people with faulty equipment. He didn't say a word, no apology, nothing. I think their lawyers already had them clam up since I already accused them of shoddy work and basically lying about the initial pressure test. So now I get to become the propane expert too and buy my own pressure gauges. Anyone want 130' of slightly used but non-leaking but now bent up propane line?