Da Stoopid TAx

GoldenMotor.com

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
That's what my son in law calls it, when it cost you money. purely because you are a dumb a**.

Last night, which was Saturday, there was suddenly a high pitch whine coming from my basement. There are two appliances there a gas hot water heater and a gas boiler. Being gas I was concerned. That and the whine was driving my wife crazy. I couldn't find the where the noise was coming from, so I turned the hot water heater to pilot and drained the pressure off. nothing changed. I went to the boiler which had not been on for weeks. I drained some water from it and killed the gas feed just to be sure it hadn't gone crazy. No change.

I finally found a plumber who would come out for $145 and check to see if he could find it. To make the long story short it was a 9v battery powered water detector. I bought it to alert me to a dangerously flooded basement. The basement was dry but the 9v battery had died. I didn't remember that I even had the darn thing, till the plumber for $145 handed me the battery.

He expected me to raise the devil, but I only laughed and said, This weeks stupid tax.. Since my wife had been to the basement and didn't locate the noise, and since it took him twenty minutes with better hearing than either of us to locate it, neither she nor I can blame the other. It is just the stoopid tax in play. That's why it costs more to be old.
 

Al.Fisherman

New Member
Sep 9, 2009
1,966
5
0
Calera, Alabama
I'll make a bet.... If you ever hear that pitch again you'll save $145.00 and fix the problem yourself. Probably the easiest, and cleanest $145.00 he ever made. Laughing all the way to the bank.
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
Thats what he said as he left. I said well at least you didn't have to get dirty, and he said yep easiest money I ever made.
 

dmb

Active Member
Dec 4, 2010
1,354
3
36
lakewood ca
15 yrs i lost hearing in my left ear due to a infection [my hmo didnt want to pay for top line drugs] so i lost the ability to radar in on noise. when the phone rings i can here it but cant find it. anything. when i went to partys i would be overwelmed with noise. unable to converse because it was all noise. dad's a pain because he always says uh! hearing aids dont work if you cant hear. but im lucky to have 1 kinda good ear and i can hear i love you gran papa so i consider myself blessed.. dennis
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
I have all my function on the right side of my body timed wrong. I have a non cancerous but growing brain tumor that effects that side of my body. My hearing in the right is so much lower than my left that I have a hard time hearing anything directional as well. But my wife was there as well and she couldn't tell either. I think it just needed younger ears and eyes to spot the little plastic box which is the color of concrete for some stupid reason.

My wife said it was for the 145 to shut it up even if it wasn't dangerous. We had no idea that it would eventually stop by itself.
 

Russell

Well-Known Member
Apr 19, 2009
1,276
154
63
MA
I got a trouble call from a customer, electrical outlet not working. Travel time 1/2 hr each way. Found the problem, it was a switched outlet and the switch was in the off position!
Stupid tax $80
 

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
Working as a uniformed security guard up in Cleveland, I could have (maybe should have) made a tidy bit of extra cash helping people whose cars wouldn't start - by getting in, placing the gearshift lever firmly in park, and starting them up.

I make a habit of checkin' the easy stuff, 'cause I'm poor.