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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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| Quote: | | Quote: | Originally posted by BajaNuts
And don't even get me started about the electrical wiring. |
aw, come on now,
spill the beans.... what's wrong with your wire hoses? |
Well, you asked. Instead of being wired in a proper circuit, the electrical outlets were wired in a sort of "octopus" fashion, with the wiring (not
romex, of course, just stranded wire with taped connections that were not properly sealed), buried in the grout between floor tiles and wall bricks
(floor tiles and grout, by the way, are not waterproof). This was mainly in the kitchen, with runs going off to several other rooms -- all on a
single circuit. A series of shorts, the last of which was untraceable (one of my neighbors is a contractor and spent hours trying to run it down
before pronouncing the situation FUBAR) required us to bypass this whole POS and rewire the outlets and floor runs with properly connected and
heat-shrink sealed wiring. That in turn required us to cut holes in the backs of under-counter kitchen cabinets to reach the walls under the kitchen
outlets (the alternative would have been to remove all the kitchen cabinets and tile countertops), jack hammer through those holes to reach the old
junctions inside the brick walls so we could rewire them without digging into the walls above the countertops, and cut new grooves in the floor grout
and underlying concrete to deal with the runs to other rooms and the circuit breaker. We didn't bother trying to repair the damage to the walls and
cabinet backs, as that was all hidden under the countertops and behind all the stuff in the cabinets, and I still haven't gotten around to re-grouting
the grooves we dug in the floor. What a #$%^ing mess.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
What a #$%^ing mess. |
Aw C'mon, DanO. Look at the brite side of it. 
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
What a #$%^ing mess. |
Aw C'mon, DanO. Look at the brite side of it. |
Good point. The blender is now functional, and I own a hammer drill and a couple of concrete saw blades.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
Good point. The blender is now functional, and I own a hammer drill and a couple of concrete saw blades. |
I know how complete that makes you feel. I had to buy a Makita jack hammer to build my house and if I don't give it away, I'll get to take it to my
grave.
Life is good. 
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wsdunc
Nomad
Posts: 179
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: So Cal
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Mood: Upbeat
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I have lived on a septic system in So Cal for a few years now, we put somehting similar on our vents (sweetair?) anyhow an activated charcoal vent
filter. Seems to work well, we are normally OK unless there are very specific airflow conditions, when we occasionally get some septic tank odor.
Even then its hard to tell if its ours or a neighbors.
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
Registered: 7-2-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
Good point. The blender is now functional, and I own a hammer drill and a couple of concrete saw blades. |
I know how complete that makes you feel. I had to buy a Makita jack hammer to build my house and if I don't give it away, I'll get to take it to my
grave.
Life is good. |
When your plumber says "no te preocupes" that means "I have no idea what I am doing."
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
When your plumber says "no te preocupes" that means "I have no idea what I am doing." |
Most of them should put that to music.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by gnukid
When your plumber says "no te preocupes" that means "I have no idea what I am doing." |
You mean they actually have words for that? I always went by the "Thousand Yard Stare."
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snowcat5
Junior Nomad
Posts: 71
Registered: 5-14-2009
Location: Plumas county, CA.
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Hi, You could try making your own p-trap out of elbows, installing a vent pipe, up the wall and 8-10 feet or so above the roof, nearby, outside of
your house, where the pipe exits the foundation on it's way to the tank. I don't know if this will work for a large house but I have seen it work on
several smaller, 2-bathroom casitas Cap -off the vent pipe at the tank- a real septic tank should not be vented- this extra air can keep the tank
from working properly and require more pump-outs. This worked on my place in Southern Baja- my contractor built without p-traps because he "Couldn't
justify the extra money for p-traps and vents" he claimed. My fix worked for my place.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by snowcat5
a real septic tank should not be vented- this extra air can keep the tank from working properly and require more pump-outs.
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Somebody gave you some bad info, snowcat.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Septic_tank_vent
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/sewe...
[Edited on 10-8-2009 by DENNIS]
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tehag
Super Nomad
Posts: 1248
Registered: 1-8-2005
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Plumbing
Hey, the plumbing down here was all outside not too long ago. I think they're learning pretty fast. For the stinky shower a small plastic grocery bag
filled with water, tied off, and placed over the drain works when you're not showering, when you are, the water flow cuts the smell down. We finally
had the shower floor cut and a p-trap installed, now the drain has gone from slow to slooowwwwer and must be cleared with bleach or caustic soda and
water pressure much more often. Seems like I have lived in plumbing hell forever, it's kinda like taxes, messy and stinky but whatcha gonna do?
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tehag
whatcha gonna do? |
I guess you could put it back outside.
If you're on a septic system, all that bleach and caustic soda will be a lethal additive to the live little critters in the tank.
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BajaNuts
Super Nomad
Posts: 1085
Registered: 5-11-2008
Location: eastern WA, the DRY side
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Mood: no worry, no hurry....it's all good!
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| Quote: | DanO-
"Well, you asked...... What a #$%^ing mess. |
DanO, I did ask, and I think you have one of the top stories I've heard. Not even gonna try to comment on that one.............
My sympathies are with you, my friend......
I have mixed feelings about storied like these.
One is that situations like these would usually not happen NOB (USA/Canada) due to building/plumbing/electrical inspections that are mandatory during
construction.
Is the work standard so low in Baja that stories like these are common? and are there no electrical/plumbing/building inspections?
And where's the pride? well, I guess I can answer that one myself. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. When people are being paid a descent wage
for the skilled work they do, the work will reflect their talent and the pride of the workman.
Why would someone pay top dollar for a craftsman tile installer to create a beautiful shower enclosure with a surround underwater scene.....and then
pass off the electrical or plumbing work to ....any joe-blow?
And before "you" reply, ....you're right! It that nasty gringo attitude of "doing a job right" that's rearing it's ugly head right now. We bust our
butts to make sure all the circuits work (DUH!), the boxes are level and we even align the trim plate screws when the devices are trimmed out....
it's just hard to understand why others would do things that way.........just hate to hear of the unfortunate times of others....
edit to include- and it ticks me off that we are prohibited from coming to Mexico to work and do a better/faster/maybenotlessmoney/but
definitelylessheadaches....job when I know there are homeowners out there who would rather pay a little more and have the job done right.
(Okay- lay it on me....)
[Edited on 10-8-2009 by BajaNuts]
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
Registered: 7-2-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaNuts
DanO-
"Well, you asked...... What a #$%^ing mess. |
| Quote: |
it's just hard to understand why others would do things that way.........just hate to hear of the unfortunate times of others....
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I know you didn't ask me, but[t], isn't it the age-old cultural contrast of sensibilities. The American client assumes that the only way to do it is
to standard US building code while the plumber has no such desire, the right parts are hard to come by, more expensive and often they are factory
seconds so when the plumber says, "don't you worry about it" the customer thinks that means it will be fine, while they both gloss over this huge
chasm of understanding/agreement the result is a big misunderstanding naturally.
Even a good plumber north or south won't or can't always do a good job without the right parts-right now, so, they make do. Besides, the feeling is,
this is better than most.
In the US, lots of water is used and wasted to carry sewage and create proper functioning p traps, that is less often the norm to the south due to
less water, less pipes etc...
There is never a better time to check all work than in advance, then check progress, and immediately putting a stop to drains that aren't lining up to
be in the right spot, that don't have a proper trap, a proper fall and always use pipes that meet or beat code. And check it again, if it doesn't work
right away, you pull it out and do it again. If you don't fix it right away in progress you will do it later again and have to damage the pipes, tile
and cement and redo all that, what a waste-you pay twice or more.
Of course you could end up with 50lbs plus water pressure that will blow out pipes and faucets that are not well glued, clamped down and installed and
a whole new slew of problems that occur when only when you turn on the water pressure, you up the standard on one end but not the other.
Some people project their expectations upon others without being specific about what that entails, and how to achieve it, the only possible result is
disappointment.
If x and y are not done to a defined standard, just don't expect anyone but you to care.
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k-rico
Super Nomad
Posts: 2079
Registered: 7-10-2008
Location: Playas de Tijuana
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Reading all this makes me wonder if the inferior workmanship could make a case for trade unions. In the US and elsewhere, for what? 300 years?, trade
unions and guilds have apprenticeship programs where the young workers learn the trade and eventually become journeymen, who pass along the skillset
to new appentices. It seems that in Mexico, you become a tradesman by saying you are one. No training nor licensing required. Proper tools (half the
trade) optional. Finding a good tradesman is purely a word of mouth task.
I see this with the maintenance guys where I live. I had to explain to a gardener yesterday that perhaps he didn't need to water the grass (soaking
it) everyday. He was actually killing the grass with too much water because the low spots were flooded everyday. I chalked it up to the probable fact
that the guy is completely unfamilar with grass. Then you wonder, why are there low spots in an area that was greated with fill?
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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I don't worry about my plumbing in the bathroom so much but I do like it to be neat and clean. So I bought some real nice carpet, installed it and I
tell ya, it looks so nice I'm thinking about running it all the way up to the house.
[Edited on 10-8-2009 by Osprey]
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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Thanks, Jorge.
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 7-2-2006
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Not sure this helps for everyone, I found that a typical Mexico shower trap is about 6 inches of PVC drain pipe which has a side outlet, like a T on
its side, there is a cone placed in the drain (cone often comes attached to the drain cover) to make the water pass down into the bottom pool and
then come up to the outlet to make a water seal.
Well, they sell many different size cones to place inside the drain to make a proper water seal into the standing water to reduce back flow of odor.
All you do is go a buy a variety of these plastic cones, pull out the drain and build up the outer wall space with cement a bit as needed, place the
cone to be sure it is deep enough to touch the water, but not too deep and voila-water seal-no more odor.
Place the drain cover over the space and regrout it in place or place it temporarily (to remove occasionally) and live happily ever-after, no odor or
bugs can pass.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Thanks, Jorge. |
Ditto that.
As for my place, I never expected it to be built to U.S. code. What I wanted was something that was built to work, but, unfortunately, it didn't,
because, as G-kid notes, I wasn't there every day to supervise (and who knows whether I'd have noticed anyway). As a consequence, I had to spend a
few days doing some ugly repair work. However, notwithstanding my screed above, I didn't mind doing it -- what little boy doesn't like playing with
jackhammers, concrete saws and blowtorches? It was cleaning up the resulting mess, mainly the concrete dust from the sawing, that truly sucked.
Still, I'm not complaining, because I'd still rather be in Baja doing an ugly job than doing that same job anywhere else.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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snowcat5
Junior Nomad
Posts: 71
Registered: 5-14-2009
Location: Plumas county, CA.
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Hi Dennis, I've been installing septic tanks and leach fields in California for years, as a licensed contractor. In California, septic tanks with
leach fields are not installed with a breather pipe at the tank ( a venting system for the house-side of the system is a must) because the
decomposition process does not need air. If there is a vent pipe at the tank, their system was probably installed without a leach field and the tank
is just saturating the untreated waste into the ground- which has lead to many system failures both North and South of the boarder. I have found
that the Infiltrator System ( for leach field construction), connected to a two compartment tank, is superior than the traditional 3" or 4" perf.ed
pipe and is easier to install because it does not need to be back-filled with gravel, just native soil. Home Depot in Ensenada has carried the
Infiltrator plastic kits in the past. With plastic leach pipe the rule of thumb is 80' of leach line per toilet- the Infiltrator needs only 32' of
leach line for the same application. OK, that's enough of chit talking!
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