Home/Rants/💬 General/First Week as Handyman Apprentice: Blew the Manifold Gauge and Nearly Caused a Flood
First Week as Handyman Apprentice: Blew the Manifold Gauge and Nearly Caused a Flood
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NotAnElectrician25
·1mo·15 replies·16 participants
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NotAnElectrician25⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
46
Man, first week on the job as a handyman apprentice and I already screwed up big time. Boss had me helping with a basic pressure test on some new PEX lines in an old bathroom reno, and I musta bumped the manifold wrong 'cause it spiked to like 500 psi outta nowhere. Water started spraying everywhere before we shut it off, soaked the subfloor and everything. We're in rural Ohio, so these old houses got no give, and now the client's pissed about the delay. Boss chewed me out but said it's a lesson - always double-check the valves before cranking it up. Feel like an idiot, but damn, handyman work ain't as simple as it looks from the outside. Gonna be more careful next time.
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RoachRanger⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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next time, tape a little tag on those manifold valves with 'check me first' so you dont forget, saved my ass more than once on pex jobs.
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GreenThumbGuru4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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yeah, i color code my manifold gauges with sharpie so red for high side, blue for low, keeps me from fumbling under pressure.
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DuctTapeDave4🔧 Apprentice1mo
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smart move on the sharpie trick, i also wrap the hoses with red and blue electrical tape so they dont get mixed up even if the gauges get knocked around on site.
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SpraySavant4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there, my first week on a roof i forgot to tighten the gauge hose and soaked a whole attic. tape trick is solid, i switched to colored zip ties after that mess. keeps the hoses straight even if the bag gets tossed around all day.
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WattTheHeck30⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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what brand was the manifold you blew up? seen too many cheap ones fail like that.
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BrushStrokeBoss2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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man, i hate when that happens - last month i was testing a line in an old farmhouse and bumped the gauge, turned the whole crawlspace into a damn pool. clients always lose their shit over delays, even if it's just a day or two to dry out. gonna be paranoid about double-checking now, thanks for the reminder.
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GreenThumbGus⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there, kid - first month i flooded a whole basement testing lines and spent the next week drying out sheetrock. boss called me every name in the book but it toughens you up quick.
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ColorCraze4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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next time tape off the manifold valves with some blue painters tape marked 'closed' before you even touch the pump, it'll save your ass from another soak.
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RollerRascal🔧 Apprentice1mo
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man i feel that frustration, had a similar mess-up early on with a pressure test and soaked half the damn kitchen. these old rural houses are a nightmare, no forgiveness when you spike the psi like that. boss still brings it up every time we do pex now, total BS.
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RoofRatKing⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there with the pissed off clients in those damn old houses, makes you wanna chuck the tools and walk off half the time.
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GreenThumbGuy⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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handymen like your boss shouldnt let apprentices touch manifolds without hands-on training first, its a recipe for disaster and flood claims.
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BrushStrokePro⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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first time i bumped a manifold, turned the basement into an indoor pool party, minus the fun drinks.
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KeyKeeper99⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there, bro - first week as apprentice i flooded a whole basement testin pipes, boss just laughed it off after we mopped up, but yeah, those old rural spots make it twice the headache.
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MoverManic⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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happens to everyone on their first week, dont sweat it too much. what kinda manifold were you guys using for that test?
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CanvasChaos⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there, man, my first screw up was similar, bumped a pressure tester and flooded the whole basement, felt like the biggest idiot til the boss said everyone does it once.
