$200 to remove a toilet?!?!

[Kermit]

We had to call a plumber today because my mom (who's in town helping out since I just had a baby) somehow accidently flushed a rag down our toilet. All of the toilets upstairs just started gurgling all of a sudden, and the bath tubs filled up with some nasty water. So we called the plumber, and he said that it was going to cost over $600 to fix the clog! DH asked how that was possible, and he said that the cost for running the snake was around $350, and they charge $199 to remove the toilet. How on earth can they justify that? It only takes DH a few minutes to remove a toilet, and I'm sure it takes a plumber a fraction of that time.

DH sent the plumber packing. My BIL is very handy, so he's going to come over and try to help him fix it. I'd appreciate some potty pixie dust if you have any.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

That does seem to be rather pricey.

Good luck.

Here is some PD****** , but don't put anything else in the toilet.

 

[TinkerPixie]

Sending potty dust your way!!!!!*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

DH just replaced our master bath toilet. I'm glad we didn't have to call a plumber, not at those prices!!!!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

We had the snake run from the street to our toilet for under $100, maybe just $50!

 

[becka]

That does seem awfully high for both things.

I would start looking for another plumber. Once you find a good one keep the number handy because someday Jacob will take after Grandma and will start throwing things in the toilet as well.

 

[kejoda]

What Becka has said is so true. can't tell you how many times Tim has taken the toilet apart. Your dh will become an expert!

 

[we3luvdisney]

I would rate this as a non-fluff post

 

[nativetxn]

That's very expensive, have you used this plumber before? I'm no plumber so I don't know how much it should cost. Hope your bil and your dh can get this repaired themselves.

 

[goofygirl]

My toliet recently had to be replaced. I did not get a plumber, I went with a handyman- the kind who places small ads in classifieds that say "no job too big or too small". It was a much cheaper route.

I had my old toliet taken out, and a brand new Kohler toliet installed for only $200! Insist on getting a white toliet, because colored ones are MUCH more money!

 

[KimRaye]

I'm gonna tell my dad, uncle, 2 brothers and several cousins!! At those prices, I think they'd all move down there!

It seems fishy AND overpriced to me but, I've never paid any of them to do the little work around here. When I needed major sewer work done, it cost $6,000.

Up here, you can rent a commercial snake for under $50 for about 2-3 hours. Even my brothers had to do that when trying to fix my problems here. (I paid for that of course)

Did the plumber think he was REPLACING the toilet with a brand-new one, too????

 

[olena]

That is ridiculous! Shame on that plumber for trying to swindle such nice people! Lots of potty PD for you!

 

[Doctor P]

It does seem a little high to me, also, but it actually may not be. First of all, you are going to be paying for temporarily sealing the water lines, completely emptying the toilet, removing the toilet, cleaning up the seating of the old toilet, replacing the seating materials, and then reseating the toilet. Unless this is a brand new house and brand new toilet, it would not surprise me if the plumber is including replacing all the seating bolts also. The only thing that you are not paying for in this repair as compared with the cost of actually fully replacing the toilet is the toilet fixture itself. In our area, the cost of replacing a toilet through a plumber is in the range of $300 and the cost of the toilet itself (basic) is in the $100 range, so the labor cost would be in the range of $200. Having done this repair myself recently, I would not underestimate the time necessary to do it right (even from a licensed plumber). Thus, it may be a little high, but not grossly.

The other part of the repair I am going to speculate about. If you are talking about a cloth rag that has gotten into your plumbing system (which is what it sounds like the problem is), this is not necessarily a really straightforward rodding job (though it may be). You have to be able to get to the rag (which may be difficult given some the turns that may occur in the pipes) and due to the material you will have to catch the rag on the router and pull it back out.

I'm glad it is not me, and I sure would get another quote or two, but you may find that this price is not that far out of line (I am sorry to say).

 

[marlasmom]

Lowes took out the toilet we had and replaced it with a handicapped model for $100. Just a couple of months ago.

 

[ncligs]

We purchased the toilet from Lowes and called a plumber to install it and take out the old one, and the total for his labor was $75.

 

[mickeyfan1]

DH does floors, we get $25.00 or $35.00 to pull and replace a toilet when we do bathrooms. Out of that, we have to supply the new wax ring, too. We must be in the wrong business!

PS If you are getting new floors in your bathroom, make sure they pull the toilet, it is the only professional way to go.