Vent: I spent 6 months fighting a septic system that just needed a $15 part

Three years ago I was doing a bathroom remodel for a client in rural Oregon. Their septic kept backing up, blamed my work. Plumber came out, said I messed up the vent line. Redid it. Cost me 2 grand out of pocket. Still backed up. Last month I was at a supply house bitching to an old timer named Hank. He said check the baffle cap. I laughed. But I drove out there, popped it off, and sure enough the rubber gasket had dry rotted. $15 at Ace Hardware fixed it. I should have trusted the simple stuff first instead of letting the plumber talk me into a whole repipe. Has anyone else had a specialist snow you into expensive work when the fix was basic?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_gonzalez4626d ago

Dude, that reminds me of when my dishwasher was leaking and I paid a repair guy $300 to tell me the drain hose was just twisted under the cabinet. Took me thirty seconds to fix it myself after he left.

wells.karen25d ago

$300 for a diagnosis that took 30 seconds to fix. That's like paying for a gourmet meal and getting a glass of water. At least you got a good story out of it... and a free lesson in checking the obvious stuff first. Your wallet is now smarter and your dishwasher is running, so I call that a win in the end.