Scenario.

Over at in-las the other week to make a little step down to the patio
(aged legs etc)...
"Can you fix our water"

"What's wrong with it"
"The hot tap's don't work"

Crawl up in loft with torch. Twin header tanks, both empty although CH
one was full. Wiggling ballcocks - nothing.

"When did it happen"

"Oh well they were doing work on the mains, and the water all went off,
and then it came back all muddy and brown and full of stuff, the cold
water works in the sink, but thats all"

Head scratch time. Tied slamming me hand over the kitchen mixer and back
flushing the hearer tank...seemed to be enough pressure..couldn';t
understand it at all.

I had just about given up when FIL said 'is it anything to do with this'
leading me to a cupboard I had never seen before "I don't know what that
is, but it never seems to do anything but it has lots of pipes on it"
(he's been in the house for 5 years)

And lo and behold there was a softener..complete with isolation valves
and a bypass loop.

"Do you ever fill it up with salt or anything" "No. I didn't know I hasd to"

A quick check of the valves immediately resulted in water rushing
through the bypass, although the unit stubbornly resisted any attempts
to get water to flow through it.

I left it that way, concluding that the **** that had come down the
mains had probably blocked the ion exchange unit beyond anything short
of a reverse flushing...of course the hot water STILL didn't work, but
the good old Mk1 hand slammed over the kitchen mixer with all taps on
soon put the air back where it belonged.

I told him to claim for a plumbers call out fee and a new softener from
the water company :-)

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

And lo and behold there was a softener..complete with isolation valves
and a bypass loop.

Set it to regenerate and the backwash cycle will shift some of the crud
down the drain. Failing that, replace the resin. The resin acts as a
filter media. Has it been trying to regenerate, without the brine, for
5 years?

Aidan wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

And lo and behold there was a softener..complete with isolation valves
and a bypass loop.

Set it to regenerate and the backwash cycle will shift some of the crud
down the drain. Failing that, replace the resin. The resin acts as a
filter media. Has it been trying to regenerate, without the brine, for
5 years?

Lord knows what its been doing.

I am not sure how to get it to regenerate even...or even if there is a
manual.

I have to say that since they don't seem to have missed its absence, I
rather thought it was time to lay the steps, and leave it as it was...

There comes a pint when fixing friends and relatives stuff, where you
realise your own sense of perfection and 'everything in good working
order' is wasted...they simply want to stumble through life with the
minimum of hassle, and besides, I doubt the old boy could lift a bag of
salt these days..

Nah. They are delighted. They got their hot water back and it didn't
cost em a penny.

On 2006-07-25 15:40:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher said:

Aidan wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

And lo and behold there was a softener..complete with isolation valves
and a bypass loop.

Set it to regenerate and the backwash cycle will shift some of the crud
down the drain. Failing that, replace the resin. The resin acts as a
filter media. Has it been trying to regenerate, without the brine, for
5 years?

Lord knows what its been doing.

I am not sure how to get it to regenerate even...or even if there is a manual.

I have to say that since they don't seem to have missed its absence, I
rather thought it was time to lay the steps, and leave it as it was...

There comes a pint when fixing friends and relatives stuff, where you
realise your own sense of perfection and 'everything in good working
order' is wasted...they simply want to stumble through life with the
minimum of hassle, and besides, I doubt the old boy could lift a bag of
salt these days..

Nah. They are delighted. They got their hot water back and it didn't
cost em a penny.

Yes, I'm intimately familiar with this scenario.

I recently had a PC saga with my silver surfers. They have become
addicted to the internet and get a lot from emails with interest
groups, volunteer work for "old people" and so on.

Three failures in a row and battling with Billyware and I was ready to
throw in the towel.
I was seriously thinking about buying them one of those little Mac
biscuit tins. It would have done the job.. Even a ten year old knows
Unix (according to Spielberg).

You're right though. I set a very high standard for things working
for me and for services and purchases so have a perfectionist view of
that. Sometimes I forget that others don't set their horizons as high
and are perfectly happy with a lesser outcome.

I do constantly battle with them with their healthcare. They are
willing to sit back and do what the doctor says because they don't want
to bother him. Realistically, is it the right thing to do to bang the
table when the subjects are in their mid to late 80s and happy with
their lot in life? I wouldn't accept it for me and am frustrated when
others accept second best.

Whether the issue is a water softener or a life threatening health
condition, perhaps the issue is being sensitive to what the customer
wants. Even if he is a relative....

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...

... perhaps the issue is being sensitive to what the customer wants. Even
if he is a relative....

Yes - and they're old enhough to make up their own minds and not be told
what to do by a patronising whippersnapper.

You might change your outlook when you mature.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...

... perhaps the issue is being sensitive to what the customer wants.
Even
if he is a relative....

Yes - and they're old enhough to make up their own minds and not be told
what to do by a patronising whippersnapper.

You might change your outlook when you mature.

Mary

Possibly he might, however, better he and many more of us vent our
frustrations before we get to that point of no return, ehh? Mary?

Fascinates me, eg MILaw pays £175 pm after her 25% single discount for her
council tax. No street lights, no bus service, station 10 miles away,
hospital 15 miles away, roads not taken over by the council, (house is 37
years old) and MIL thinks its all ok. PLEASE dont let me be so accomodating
when I'm an old fart (next year?)
Some things are just plain wrong and sometimes it just needs saying.
Even by immature whippersnappers.

P

On 2006-07-25 17:04:51 +0100, "Mary Fisher" said:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message ...

... perhaps the issue is being sensitive to what the customer wants.
Even if he is a relative....

Yes - and they're old enhough to make up their own minds and not be
told what to do by a patronising whippersnapper.

You might change your outlook when you mature.

Mary

That's an inappropriate comment when you have no idea of situations
beyond your own experience, and you don't.

I set a very high standard for things working for
me and for services and purchases so have a perfectionist view of
that.

Puts you out of step with the rest of the world then. I'm amazed that
anything works given that most of it is held together with string.

On 2006-07-25 18:13:55 +0100, Stuart Noble
said:

I set a very high standard for things working for
me and for services and purchases so have a perfectionist view of that.

Puts you out of step with the rest of the world then. I'm amazed that
anything works given that most of it is held together with string.

You would be surprised at what can be achieved if one does not accept
second and third best.

Unfortunately, most people are willing to do that, but I'm afraid I'm
not - never have and never will do.

I never ask people to do more than they have said that they will do,
but it amazes me when they are shocked if they are called to deliver on
what they said they would do. Perhaps they didn't expect it - I don't
know.

I don't apologise though. If it means that I get what is reasonable to
expect (i.e. what has been agreed and/or paid for) then I think the
expectation is reasonable. if it further means that those in the
position of supplying realise that they can't get away with sloppiness
without being found out and others benefit as a result, then that's
fine as well.

Actually I don't even mind being out of step with the rest of the world
either if it results in it becoming better than it was. I've never
considered myself as being part of the herd - doesn't mean better or
worse - just an individual - and I don't apologise for that either.

Andy Hall wrote:
perhaps the issue is being sensitive to what the customer
wants. Even if he is a relative....


I went to my doctor to ask advice about my mother some time befire we
had to put her in care. Her driving was the most appallingly frightening
experience I have ever been subjected to.

His attitude? "Old people take risks: they haven't that much to lose"