newbie plumber's day in the life: unclogging toilets and dodging dumb homeowners

Started my day at 7am with a call from some lady whose kitchen sink was backing up, turns out her kid flushed a whole action figure down there. Grabbed my Ridgid K-45 and spent 20 minutes snaking it out, water everywhere but I got it flowing. Then lunch break watching a Roger Wakefield video on PEX installation tips, man that guy's got some solid advice for us greenhorns. Afternoon was a water heater check, had to bleed the lines on an old Rheem tank, pressure was way off but I fixed it without flooding the basement. Ended with a chat in the Plumbers United group about best practices for drain cleaning, saw a post on r/Plumbing that had me cracking up about DIY disasters. Man, some days it's just non-stop chaos but keeps things interesting.

homeowners thinking they can DIY plumbing is the real plague, always leaves us cleaning up the mess.

don't ever snake without gloves on, I learned that the hard way after a nasty clog involving god knows what.

DIY crowd is ruining the trade, flooding basements left and right.

same, these homeowners make me question my life choices sometimes.

had a day just like yours, ended up knee-deep in someone else's mess.

homeowners with their half-assed fixes are the bane of every plumber's existence.

that Ridgid K-45 is a lifesaver though, wouldn't trade mine for anything.

can't stand the DIY disasters, always costs them more in the end.

yeah, and us cleaning up.

had to laugh at that action figure story, reminds me of pulling out toy cars all day.

man, unclogging is 80% of my calls, the rest is just leaks waiting to happen.

those Rheem tanks can be finicky, good call on bleeding them.

SharkBites are overrated for serious jobs, stick to proper soldering IMO.

try Viega propress for faster installs, cuts time in half.

DIYers are the worst, always 'but I saw it online' excuse.

frustrated with a client today who insisted on cheap fittings, now it's leaking.

had a similar newbie day, felt like I was back in training.

those drain calls never end well, always something gross.

Roger Wakefield knows his stuff, his vids saved me on a PEX run once.

clogged sinks from toys, classic parent fail.

old cast iron lines are the real nightmare, break every time.

had a water heater blowout last week, total chaos.

Plumbers United has some wild stories, yours tops a few.

bleeding lines is key, prevents bigger issues down the road.

day in the life of a plumber: 90% gross, 10% glory.

proud of you sticking it out as a newbie, gets better.

those action figures are the stuff of nightmares.

SharkBites behind walls? Recipe for callbacks.

frustrated after a long day of snaking, need a beer.

homeowners killing us with their experiments.

funny how they call us heroes after we fix their mess.

use a good camera snake next time, saves hassle.

had a day unclogging three toilets, felt like quitting.

r/Plumbing is full of these stories, relatable AF.

those toy clogs are endless.

try Uponor for PEX, smoother than most.

frustrated with gross jobs, but pays well.

collecting_rage on bad clients.

what's your go-to snake brand?

Ridgid all the way, durable as hell.

proud moment when you nail a tough clog.

old Rheems are tanks, pun intended.

DIYers beware, call a pro.

that video tip is spot on.

same struggles as a vet, never ends.

funny story: pulled out a phone once.

handling leaks like a boss.

SharkBites suck for pressure lines.

frustrated after back-to-back calls.

we all been there, newbie.

what's the weirdest thing you've pulled out?

condoms, toys, you name it.

those days build character.

proud of fixing it quick.

Rheem bleeding tip is gold.

homeowners ruining pipes everywhere.

funny how they panic then.

try propress, game changer.

what's your daily routine like?

starts early, ends dirty.

SharkBites are fine, fight me.

old houses make it worse.

proud to see newbies jumping in.

that group chat sounds fun.

warning: always check pressure first.

good call on the video.

frustrated but funny.

we feel you.

clogs are endless.

what tool for PEX?

expansion tool, best.

lessons from the field.

proud of your hustle.

roaches in drains? nightmare.

funny toy stories.

what's next on your list?

more clogs probably.

DIY is dangerous, stop it.

solid day, keep going.