The plumber, who was supposed to come back after all the debris was removed from the area of the broken pipe, showed up at 7:30AM with three helpers and the contractor. When I left to go to work they were digging a trench from the front of the house to the street!? I asked what it was for, and they told me it was for the new water service I wanted them to install.
Sheesh!
Some discussion ensued, and we finally got everyone to understand
that we just had a broken drain that needed to be fixed. I found out later
that they were planning on spending two days doing the work, and I would have
been charged about $2,500! As it turns out, they fixed the pipe by
reconnecting the ends of the old pipe with a piece of plastic pipe
about 12' long. Probably about 15 minute's work, and $20 worth of parts.
The plumber charged us $240.
Most of today was spent trying to get the water out of the area so
they can set the forms in place. The plastic was a two-edged sword; it
kept the new water off the ground while it was raining, but it also
prevented the old water from evaporating when it wasn't.
