# Question I Always Wanted to Ask



## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

I've never seen this question ask before, but here goes. Do you ask the HO to use their restroom? I know what most would do if they were there without the HO. Just curious how you all handle that. Just one of them things you don't discuss much.:blush:


----------



## thegoldenboy (Aug 15, 2010)

I threw up in a guys bathroom once, it was either in the toilet or on the hardwood. He opted for the toilet.


----------



## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

If I just have to take a leak I ask. If it's a deuce i go to the gas station.


----------



## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

If they are present, I'll ask.

And I'll $hit in there too, hope they have a fan or some kind of air freshener.


----------



## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

Frasbee said:


> If they are present, I'll ask.
> 
> And I'll $hit in there too, hope they have a fan or some kind of air freshener.


Always check for a plunger first if it's in a customers home if you are going to do office work there.


----------



## Chris Kennedy (Nov 19, 2007)

MF Dagger said:


> If it's a deuce i go to the gas station.


That sounds pleasant.


----------



## ichimo23 (Nov 30, 2009)

A few years ago another guy on my crew and I got dropped off at a house in the middle of a residential neighborhood to rough in some landscape lighting. No one was home, and we were about 1.5miles from the nearest gas station/store. My buddy suddenly had a deuce on deck, with no where to drop anchor. The man door on the garage was open and he located a old 5 gal paint bucket. About 30 seconds after he went into the garage I heard the main garage door opening. Home owner rolled in after picking up her daughter from pre-school. Not a pretty scene....


----------



## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

We bond with the customers right away so asking to use their bathroom is no big deal. Some times, if they weren't around, I woudn't even bother to ask.

If they give off a heavy nut case vibe, we'd pick up on it and make other arangements.


----------



## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

Frasbee said:


> If they are present, I'll ask.
> 
> And I'll $hit in there too, hope they have a fan or some kind of air freshener.


I was working in a panel in a house that the HO was just getting moved in to. I had the power off and "mother nature" called. I knew the HO well enough that I didn't ask, I just went in the restroom. After I got in there I realized I had the power off and had to come back out and get my flash light. I also realized that no power meant no exhaust fan. When I came back out the HO and her Mother were cleaning right outside the door. I'm sure they got their sinuses opened up good.


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

I can't imagine having someone in my house and refusing them the bathroom or a drink.

Anyone who thought so little of me to refuse allow me a bathroom break, I wouldn't want their money, either.

-John


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Little-Lectric said:


> I was working in a panel in a house that the HO was just getting moved in to. I had the power off and "mother nature" called. I knew the HO well enough that I didn't ask, I just went in the restroom. After I got in there I realized I had the power off and had to come back out and get my flash light. I also realized that no power meant no exhaust fan. When I came back out the HO and her Mother were cleaning right outside the door. I'm sure they got their sinuses opened up good.


I just about died of laughter reading that. :lol:


----------



## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

I have had customers offer use of the bathroom if needed I have no problem asking.Of course I never pass up a chance to use the bathroom.:whistling2:


----------



## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

I generally don't use the customer's restroom unless it is a Subway emergency:laughing:


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

InPhase277 said:


> I generally don't use the customer's restroom unless it is a Subway emergency:laughing:


Hey, that's my specialty! :laughing:


----------



## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Little-Lectric said:


> I've never seen this question ask before, but here goes. Do you ask the HO to use their restroom? I know what most would do if they were there without the HO. Just curious how you all handle that. Just one of them things you don't discuss much.:blush:


Somehow it has become "so terrible" to use a customer's restroom. It is a normal function. Why would a customer be afraid to crap when the "HELP" just did it? Not all of us has HERPES, do we?


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

ichimo23 said:


> A few years ago another guy on my crew and I got dropped off at a house in the middle of a residential neighborhood to rough in some landscape lighting. No one was home, and we were about 1.5miles from the nearest gas station/store. My buddy suddenly had a deuce on deck, with no where to drop anchor. The man door on the garage was open and he located a old 5 gal paint bucket. About 30 seconds after he went into the garage I heard the main garage door opening. Home owner rolled in after picking up her daughter from pre-school. Not a pretty scene....


:laughing::laughing:


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Some of the high end costomers have the porta john on site for those small aditions and no one is allowed inside the main house...:no:


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Some of the high end costomers have the porta john on site for those small aditions and no one is allowed inside the main house...:no:


Imagine that. They don't want a bunch of unknown dirty tradesmen trashing their house and bathrooms. Just crazy. :laughing:


----------



## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

RIVETER said:


> Somehow it has become "so terrible" to use a customer's restroom. It is a normal function. Why would a customer be afraid to crap when the "HELP" just did it? Not all of us has HERPES, do we?


No, but let ten or fifteen different guys use YOUR bathroom for a week. Your tune will quickly change.


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

RIVETER said:


> Somehow it has become "so terrible" to use a customer's restroom. It is a normal function. Why would a customer be afraid to crap when the "HELP" just did it? Not all of us has HERPES, do we?


I worked for a guy that you would never catch him having to GO,,

He expected the same from you he would say you should have done that before work and expect long hours with no breaks.. 

That was a high stress job..

Never work for HOLD IT ELECTRICIC..:laughing::laughing:


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Imagine that. They don't want a bunch of unknown dirty tradesmen trashing their house and bathrooms. Just crazy. :laughing:


Yes it would make life hard for their cleaning crew..:blink::laughing::laughing:


----------



## NacBooster29 (Oct 25, 2010)

Last summer I was updating a space from a clothing store to a restaraunt. I had been in there for 3 days prior and on day 4 I had to drop anchor. Went to the only bathroom on site. Went to flush and nothing. I walked out of the bathroom and found that the carpenters had cut through the copper water lines to the bathroom.....I went to the main downstairs and brought a big bucket i found on site and filled it up with water. Luckily they didn't cut through the drain...
:blink::blink:


----------



## I_get_shocked (Apr 6, 2009)

Rules are we can use the sh!tter on a job, but not on an estimate. I have taken a sh!t in the back of the van as a result.


----------



## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

You mean you guys didn't opt for the super deluxe service van that includes a full bath with jacuzzi and luxury kitchen for lunch?


----------



## sarness (Sep 14, 2010)

I usually do commercial, but for residential I always ask, just think its more polite and considerate.


----------



## danj1997 (Mar 23, 2011)

Had a guy in the company I used to work at drop deuce overflow toilet
soak brand new pool table down below.


----------



## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

It is a personal thing for some. My neighbor is a plumber and will not use the toilet in someones home. I will ask and I will also ask if the preferred a particular bathroom they wanted me to use.


----------



## OaklandElec (Jan 4, 2011)

I usually do commercial, but one time I was doing a service call in some rich lady's house. She was busy in the other end of the house, and the kids were at some summer activity. Her eight year old son's room had a private bath, and I figured it would be a good place to deposit my sudden need, since it would air out with the kid gone. No sooner do I finish then the ten year old sister comes home, walks into the room, and then runs out screaming for her mom, "something smells HORRIBLE in Bobby's room." she even dragged her mom in there to check for herself. I had to go pretend to dig through the truck for parts for a while!


----------



## Aegis (Mar 18, 2011)

I went on a service call to a place operated by a very nice and sweet old chinese couple. While I was there I got the feeling that something big was coming, I asked if i could use the washroom and they said 'yes' with a big smile. It was starting to prairie dog so I made haste.

After a crap load of courtesy flushes i was finished. After washing up I was drying my hands and decided to give one more flush, just in case.

It started backing up. My eyes widen as I see the water rise. I frantically look around for a plunger, none!

I open the door and ask the couple 
"Do you have a plunger?!"
"Huh?"
"A plunger!"
*blank look on thier face*
"A plung...Do you have a mop?"

They come over and realise whats happening and grab a mop. Thankfully it was only water and there wasnt one of my new borns floating on the floor. I felt so bad and apologized repeatedly and offered to clean it up. But they said it was ok and kept smiling "Its ok Its ok." They just wanted me to keep working.

The water had reached past the tiled floor of the washroom and had seeped into the carpet of the hallway. So there I was with this poor couple on their hands and knees drying the carpet while Im fixing a light.

ALWAYS ASK.
NEVER CLOG.


----------



## Sparky J (May 17, 2011)

Hello all! 
New here and wanted to chime in. A few years back working new construction track houses 2nd phase on a really hot summer day. There was a really heavy set (fat) HVAC guy got called out by a HO to fix his A/C he really had to #2, HO specifically asked #1 or #2 when he said #2 the HO said h*ll no go to a gas station! Ended up costing HO double and the parts (on the van by the way) suddenly special order and took 2 weeks to come in. 
Just saying.


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Edrick said:


> You mean you guys didn't opt for the super deluxe service van that includes a full bath with jacuzzi and luxury kitchen for lunch?



That works good you just need a bucket truck to get the ladders off the roof:laughing:


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Aegis said:


> I went on a service call to a place operated by a very nice and sweet old chinese couple. While I was there I got the feeling that something big was coming, I asked if i could use the washroom and they said 'yes' with a big smile. It was starting to prairie dog so I made haste.
> 
> After a crap load of courtesy flushes i was finished. After washing up I was drying my hands and decided to give one more flush, just in case.
> 
> ...


:laughing:

Those extra slow refill toilets always make it more stessfull..:laughing:


----------



## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Aegis said:


> I went on a service call to a place operated by a very nice and sweet old chinese couple. While I was there I got the feeling that something big was coming, I asked if i could use the washroom and they said 'yes' with a big smile. It was starting to prairie dog so I made haste.
> 
> After a crap load of courtesy flushes i was finished. After washing up I was drying my hands and decided to give one more flush, just in case.
> 
> ...


Theres chinese people in canada huh?:001_huh:


----------



## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

Hehehe I've plugged a toilet or two at customers houses, it's pretty embarrassing to have to ask for a plunger. I was working on a small commercial job where the plumber had disconnected the drain to a toilet in the room where he was keeping all his fittings and tools (toilet was directly above the storage room). Well, the tile setter decided to come in on the weekend and do some work and used the toilet for #2, realized the water was off so he dumped a bucket of water into the bowl. Monday morning plumber comes back in to find that his tools and all of his fittings were covered in crap, the apprentice had to clean everything up because he did not put a bag over the toilet when his JW asked him to.


----------



## Aegis (Mar 18, 2011)

cdnelectrician said:


> Hehehe I've plugged a toilet or two at customers houses, it's pretty embarrassing to have to ask for a plunger. I was working on a small commercial job where the plumber had disconnected the drain to a toilet in the room where he was keeping all his fittings and tools (toilet was directly above the storage room). Well, the tile setter decided to come in on the weekend and do some work and used the toilet for #2, realized the water was off so he dumped a bucket of water into the bowl. Monday morning plumber comes back in to find that his tools and all of his fittings were covered in crap, the apprentice had to clean everything up because he did not put a bag over the toilet when his JW asked him to.


LOL

Reading this reminded me of the time we saw insulation that some idiot used to wipe his ass.


----------



## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

We were doing new floating docks at this marina and the dock workers would not use the porta john. They said they get used to not having one. This one guy would crap right next to the porta john and wipe his ass with dunkin donut napkins because he said it was to disgusting in there. A lot of there work is under the high rises of Manhattan, same thing just hang there ass over the side of the float! Wow... talk about where men are men and the sheep are scared!


----------



## keithbussanich (Apr 3, 2011)

cabletie said:


> We were doing new floating docks at this marina and the dock workers would not use the porta john. They said they get used to not having one. This one guy would crap right next to the porta john and wipe his ass with dunkin donut napkins because he said it was to disgusting in there. A lot of there work is under the high rises of Manhattan, same thing just hang there ass over the side of the float! Wow... talk about where men are men and the sheep are scared!


That's really disgusting


----------



## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

We were doing this new house in the middle of an existing neighborhood. The plumber has to go, so for whatever reason decides to set up a make shift latrine in the front yard out of cardboard. The first we here of this is because his partner is laughing at him out the window. We look out to see what is going on. The wind must have picked up and there he was crouching around the front yard with his pants down to his knees trying to collect cardboard to cover himself!


----------



## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Usually I have to take a dump at 9 AM. Rarely any exceptions. Sometimes it's an awkward time.

Haven't had to s**t in a customer's house yet, but I did use a homeowner's bathroom to pee in once and it was a two-streamer


----------



## Hippie (May 12, 2011)

I've never used customers bathroom while they were there, kinda feel like its unprofessional and they're not paying me to take a ****. If no ones around whatever it saves a trip out lol.. I had a journeyman that took a dump in a bucket and left it at the house lol we were probably 20 miles from any store and 40 to a decent one. It was a farmhouse remodel in the middle of nowhere and lots of people were there working so it could have been blamed on anyone


----------



## Aegis (Mar 18, 2011)

There were over 30 guys on the jobsite and the site super only got one 'jerry on the spot', he didnt even get the large one. I think for every 9 guys you need one. 

Anyway it was in the freezing winter time and the guy forgot to come and empty it. So the guys just kept using it until it filled up and overflowed and there was a mound on the seat.....frozen... And guys were still dropping steamers on it!


----------



## Whatevva (May 18, 2011)

Same rules for me and my employees...pee no poop...ask to use if the customer is home. If you have to poop...drive somewhere else.


----------

