Things that piss you off Page 1,712

My boss is pissing me off by refusing to sign my form to take a single unpaid day off next month so that I can see my brother and sister-in-law when they fly in for their baby shower. I've been working there for 6 months and have already covered at least 30 of other people's shifts so they could go on holiday. In fact, I just did 13 days of consecutive coverage for my boss herself. I have not had a single sick day or taken any days off at this job, and my two co-workers (one who has worked for 2 months longer than me, and one who has worked 3 months less than me) have both taken 2 week's of holiday, and yet somehow, asking for one day off is unreasonable of me? I'm not even asking for the day off. I'm asking to trade one day for a different day. I'm happy to work the next day (a Monday) if I can take the day before off to host the baby shower. Only chance to see my brother in 2 years. Grrrrr. I've been asking her for the past 3 weeks, and up until now it was "Yes, I'll try my best to get you coverage", then "We'll see", then "I don't know who can cover for you, so it might not work out", then yesterday "I don't know...Can we talk about it tomorrow?" (she has today off). What a wretched human being. One day.

It does sound like your boss is being very unfair Davida, I'm not surprised you're annoyed. It's as if she encouraging people to come up with reasons she can't refuse (like being sick) rather than being considerate and booking time off in advance.

Can you line up somebody else who'll agree to cover for you and then face her with that option?

There should be a thread entitled "Things that make you happy" too, but I'll stick it in here because it is something that had me pissed off for days but am happy as it's working again.

Paid the bloody plumber £60 last year to change a bloody washer in my toilet cistern when it stopped filling up. I was sure it was some sort of blockage, but he insisted replacing the washer would do it. Whatever he did when I wasn't looking sorted it . . . until a few days ago when it wouldn't flush and I just knew the tank was empty.

Now I drink a lot of tea, so it's ironic that I'm flushing my own system through about 20 times a day, only the appliance that facilitates this will not perform that very function itself - and the only one it has. Annoying, because I have to fill with 3 buckets of water each time, though I did wonder how on earth people with higher tanks manage this problem.

But determined not to call the plumber, I was convinced it must be a blockage so tried running some bleach through. Started dripping after a while, but no stream, so added more. A day later, dripping a lot faster - I was right, at least - maybe. But then it stopped completely last night. Illogical. I must have a toilet goblin.

Fast forward to this morning, after hunting out plumber's number to ring on Monday - I was filling the bucket again and did a double take . . . the ball seemed elevated as I walked past, noticed it was full again so flushed it and it started filling up again as normal straightaway.

I will never understand why things just stop working if there's no logic - and I did nothing between it not working at all to working fine. Random, but am happy until another goblin comes along to piss me off . . .

Unfortunate about the £60 though.

Quote: keewik @ 22nd April 2017, 11:19 AM

Unfortunate about the £60 though.

View original

I know. Bastard.

Might find out where he lives and do £60 worth of damage to his hydrangeas.

(that was a subtle joke in reference to water . . . but I don't expect any credit for it as you are all a shower of bastards too).

You usually change a cystern washer because it is perished and the flow won't stop. Not because it won't flow at all.
The whole ballcock device can be bought for about ten to twenty quid.

Quote: fopdoodle @ 22nd April 2017, 7:46 AM

Annoying, because I have to fill with 3 buckets of water each time, though I did wonder how on earth people with higher tanks manage this problem.

View original

Blimey, what is the capacity of a bucket? Seems a criminal waste of water. Just pee on your feet in the shower (old Army trick for preventing athlete's foot and onychophagia of the feet).

Quote: fopdoodle @ 22nd April 2017, 7:46 AM

There should be a thread entitled "Things that make you happy" too, but I'll stick it in here because it is something that had me pissed off for days but am happy as it's working again.

Paid the bloody plumber £60 last year to change a bloody washer in my toilet cistern when it stopped filling up. I was sure it was some sort of blockage, but he insisted replacing the washer would do it. Whatever he did when I wasn't looking sorted it . . . until a few days ago when it wouldn't flush and I just knew the tank was empty.

Now I drink a lot of tea, so it's ironic that I'm flushing my own system through about 20 times a day, only the appliance that facilitates this will not perform that very function itself - and the only one it has. Annoying, because I have to fill with 3 buckets of water each time, though I did wonder how on earth people with higher tanks manage this problem.

But determined not to call the plumber, I was convinced it must be a blockage so tried running some bleach through. Started dripping after a while, but no stream, so added more. A day later, dripping a lot faster - I was right, at least - maybe. But then it stopped completely last night. Illogical. I must have a toilet goblin.

Fast forward to this morning, after hunting out plumber's number to ring on Monday - I was filling the bucket again and did a double take . . . the ball seemed elevated as I walked past, noticed it was full again so flushed it and it started filling up again as normal straightaway.

I will never understand why things just stop working if there's no logic - and I did nothing between it not working at all to working fine. Random, but am happy until another goblin comes along to piss me off . . .

View original

The ball valve was probably stuck in the up position, by a small amount of crud which eventually broke away.

If you are in a hard-water area, things stop working because they build up a layer of limestone crud, especially where water drips from fittings. Same principle as builds stalactites & stalagmites.

These are pretty feeble at first and you could probably have resolved your problem, simply by waggling the float ball up and down and scraping away any lime crud that you can see.

The washer replaced was probably the one that the ball valve seats onto to stop the flow, it was probably covered in crud. It was better, having taken the valve apart, to fit a new one rather than clean up the old washer. Your £60 paid for the plumber's knowledge & time. not the washer itself.

Soft water area, and am aware of simple mechanics of domestic devices and cost for call-out fees.

That's why you put bleach on it

I can think of a few people who could use a flush through to shift detritus from their valves.

I've often wondered about the UK's toilets with cisterns set up high on the wall. Why not just use the typical compact toilet like we have in the States and most of the rest of the world? Is it just an old timey thing?

Our flush must achieve 40 Newton/pounds per square inch and a water velocity of 33mph. This is to remove even stubborn clag and huge logs lurking round the bend.
It needs such pressure to flush away the 'torn into squares' newspaper used as toilet paper over here.

Quote: DaButt @ 22nd April 2017, 5:00 PM

I've often wondered about the UK's toilets with cisterns set up high on the wall. Why not just use the typical compact toilet like we have in the States and most of the rest of the world? Is it just an old timey thing?

View original

The ones I was thinking of are vintage and you only really see in wine bars/similar establishments which have either kept as part of old building or found and restored from a reclamation yard. Probably quite wise to have elevated tanks in bars too so people can't stash drugs in them! But I think the Victorian ones were that high for assisted gravity rather than aesthetics, though possibly considered vulgar to have near eye level as they even covered their toilet rolls, as some oddballs still do.