On 19/12/2016 11:16, Scott M wrote:
Chud wrote:

Thinking about it later I guess a plumber would have started where I
finished and saved a lot of time.

A plumber would have just replaced it. Partly as (IME) they don't
understand the inside of things but because it's simpler and more
profitful. Prosaically, as someone who mends many things, there's also
always a danger that a fix won't stay fixed.

Indeed. If you were doing this for a living, you would have to guarantee
any fixes. So, if say 1 in 5 need replacing in the end, you'd have to
add 1/5th of the cost of replacement (the item plus the extra call-out
costs) to the price of every fix.