Ever just do something retarded? - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

scrapecc · 11-07-2009, 08:45 PM

So I bought an airless today, Used to have a couple. ( mom is a painting contractor.) Anyways I am just helping my dad out and painting a couple of houses for him. Time has come to sell one of them, and the other is just in need of a decent paint job. So to the story, I was putting a new tip guard on the machine, and forgot about the gasket for the tip, needless to say i painted half my face. I just started laughing, how dumb of me. I just wanted to post this, and maybe hear about some dumb mishaps anybody else has done to themselves. Make me chuckle a bit and not feel like such a dumbass.

Willie T · 11-07-2009, 08:47 PM

Better than sticking your finger in front of the nozzle to "feel" the spray. That guy's finger blew up like a balloon.

rselectric1 · 11-07-2009, 10:11 PM

If there was a video camera around I would win the biggest dumba** award.

About 8-9 years ago, I was going to clean out the gutters on my house. Tossed the hose nozzle (gun type) to let it hook on the edge of the gutter so I could then go up to the roof and grab it from there.

Something went wrong and the spray opened directly in my face, and while trying to avoid the blast I stepped back and my foot went through the top of one of those doggie waste systems. (Doggie Dooley)

So there I was with my foot over the ankle in dog "stuff" 2 feet underground and a hose aiming full blast at my face.

scrapecc · 11-07-2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rselectric1

If there was a video camera around I would win the biggest dumba** award.

About 8-9 years ago, I was going to clean out the gutters on my house. Tossed the hose nozzle (gun type) to let it hook on the edge of the gutter so I could then go up to the roof and grab it from there.

Something went wrong and the spray opened directly in my face, and while trying to avoid the blast I stepped back and my foot went through the top of one of those doggie waste systems. (Doggie Dooley)

So there I was with my foot over the ankle in dog "stuff" 2 feet underground and a hose aiming full blast at my face.

That just made my day all better! lmao. what part of chicagoland are you from?

rselectric1 · 11-07-2009, 10:18 PM

Western suburbs. Most of my jobs are in Naperville area.

bartnc37 · 11-07-2009, 10:20 PM

went to replace a well pump pressure tank in a basement. Flipped breaker, drained water at laundry tub, forgot i had shut off the main control valve after the tank. cut the 1" copper line with my midget cutter and a 100 gallon pressure tank at roughly 65 psi emptied straight up in the air in about 10 seconds, it actually pushed up through the floor decking and got the carpet wet on the first floor, it all happened so fast and was so loud i just stood there, hell there wasn't much i could do at that point anyway. Keep in mind i was 17 at the time working for a hack plumber that didn't believe in licensing or supervision. Taught myself in a hurry to pay attention to things after that one.

JumboJack · 11-07-2009, 10:23 PM

In the bathroom I just finished I had just replaced the toilet tank that I took off prior to painting.Made good and sure that the bolts where good and snug before I turned the angle stop.BUT I forgot to hook the hose back up to the bowl..

Got a face full of water and had to repaint the door I had just had painted...

scrapecc · 11-07-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rselectric1

Western suburbs. Most of my jobs are in Naperville area.

I love workin in naperville, or downers. My office is in Wheaton.

rselectric1 · 11-07-2009, 10:30 PM

I live one town east of your office.

There are a lot of great locals here. We're talking about a little CT "get together" sometime in January at Hooters at Fox Valley. Oops, spilled the beans.

Stay tuned.

rselectric1 · 11-07-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JumboJack

In the bathroom I just finished I had just replaced the toilet tank that I took off prior to painting.Made good and sure that the bolts where good and snug before I turned the angle stop.BUT I forgot to hook the hose back up to the bowl..

Got a face full of water and had to repaint the door I had just had painted...

Wow, and that's one big face

Jumbo!

LOL

parkers5150 · 11-07-2009, 11:36 PM

6:00 am; start the truck to start my day. ( oh sh*t belt sander !) Bail out of the truck (never closing driver door)to retrieve the almost forgotten belt sander. ten paces towards the garage my trusty gut tells me that something is awry!!

...looking over my shoulder, (note to self) ** gut is ALWAYS right**. looking back over my shoulder i see proof that i indeed failed to re-engage my parking brake before exiting the ole' rig. instantly i begin to do the math and being a carpenter by trade, i humbly consider myself pretty good at math. Equation= ( can i get inside the moving truck and stop it before it rolls downhill through the fence into the neighbors new pickup?) Mind you this equation is compounded exponentially by the fact that the driver side door is still open, and i love a good challenge!

.
Flash forward .5 seconds as i'm witnessing the open door now making full contact with a very nearby pepper tree; the math is done!( NO Chance!!) but wait!!!, now factoring in the pepper tree, i now had a whole new equation to work out

. My newly remodeled truck after contact w/said tree seems was no longer headed for the neighbors rig

. instead of its' original B-line, the truck was now making a nice arc towards the main road!

perfect no?? the truck then clips an 1 1/2" pvc pipe just before it tacos its ass end on a large palm tree. ...Well ...at least it stopped,

yes??. So now my broke ass truck is getting rained on ( with door twisted open) by the newly busted pipe... good times

!! now please don't blame this long winded story on me, rather blame it on that little black cloud that follows me every where i go!! ya see' i'd only been in this newly aquired house for two (count em' two) weeks and therefore had no idea where on this 3 acres the main shutoff was located. Yaaa boy!! Now i'm not sure how many actual yards i coverd while doing wind sprints looking for that effin' main, but i can tell you thatwhen i finally found it, i was very winded. and i can also tell you , the last thing i needed was to open the vault to find it back filled to the RIM with dirt by our friend MR. Gopher. I'm kidding right?? he## no!!! ....didn't go to work that day, bought another truck (used) the next. Still laugh about that one

480sparky · 11-07-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parkers5150

.......... ten paces towards the garage my trusty gut tells me that something is awry!! ..........

You're doing better than this guy:

+ YouTube Video

angus242 · 11-07-2009, 11:49 PM

I showed up to a tile job today. Both me and my partner forgot our mixing drills

Mixing buckets of thinset with an 18V cordless drill was NOT fun

480sparky · 11-07-2009, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angus242

I showed up to a tile job today. Both me and my partner forgot our mixing drills

Mixing buckets of thinset with an 18V cordless drill was NOT fun

More than once I've taken my pouch, cordless drill, even ladders and a bunch of other tools out of my work van to do something around my house, only to drive to the jobsite Monday morning and leave all my good tools at home.

I do carry a spare set of old tools, but they're dull, rusty and worn out.

WarnerConstInc. · 11-07-2009, 11:57 PM

I try and do one random act of stupidity a day.

angus242 · 11-07-2009, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 480sparky

More than once I've taken my pouch, cordless drill, even ladders and a bunch of other tools out of my work van to do something around my house, only to drive to the jobsite Monday morning and leave all my good tools at home.

Honestly, I have no idea where my drill is. Maybe in my garage (didn't check yet) or at another jobsite I've been doing a backsplash.

I swear I ALWAYS forget to bring at least 1 important tool at every job.