Plumbers really don't get enough credit. Not only is the job they do super complicated, but it can also be downright frustrating, especially when they're called on to fix something that could've easily been avoided. There's no telling how many times in a day a plumber gets to someone's home only to shake their head in disbelief that they would flush their dentures down the toilet or turn an old appliance into a toilet paper holder. At least, that's probably what the plumbers who arrived at the job sites on this list did. In fact, they found themselves shaking their heads so hard that they just had to snap a photo for the rest of us to see (and laugh).
Maybe They Need a New Toilet...
It's hard to tell what happened here, but what we do know is that someone is going to have to install a new toilet. The upper part of this toilet was somehow broken or crushed, and when that happens, you typically just install a whole new toilet. Of course, that's pretty typical, and this isn't an especially big job compared to some of the other plumbing issues on this list.
Still, it would take a bit of force to do something like this, so we're kind of curious as to how this happened. Whatever happened in this bathroom, it was probably something wild.
Not All Bidets Were Created Equal
Bidets are much more popular in the U.S. than they used to be, and we're all for it. However, the more popular they get, the more you're bound to see things like this. Someone opted to make their own bidet, using what appears to be a copper tube. We mean, if it works, it works, but whoever called the plumber in obviously wanted it replaced with something more professional looking.
Still, you have to admire the ingenuity of some people. We never would've thought about installing a bidet like this, and it's probably the only thing they had on hand.
PSA: Don't Pour Concrete Down the Drain
Plumbers have to deal with all kinds of different things when it comes to clogged drains. However, we wouldn't expect someone to pour concrete down their drain for obvious reasons. But that's what this plumber found when he cut away this piece of pipe. The concrete started to solidify while it was still in this person's drain, and it was probably a pretty difficult job to try and get it all out.
In fact, we imagine that all of the pipes that ran to that drain in this home had to be replaced as once concrete solidifies, there's really no un-solidifying it.
Someone's Giving Out Mixed Signals Here
This photo has us a bit confused. There are two signs pictured next to this outdoor faucet, and they're contradicting one another. Yes, there are also two spouts, but they both appear to run to the same place, meaning the water coming out of both of them is the same. So, we're not entirely sure if it's actually safe to drink or not. And if it's not, then why not?
It looks like this is simply on the side of the house, meaning it's regular water, and it should be pretty safe to drink from. Or as safe as tap water can be.
They Forgot to Use a Measuring Tape
There's wisdom in the old saying, "Measure twice, cut once." Whoever installed this bathtub faucet must've never heard it because the spout and knob are offset in relation to the tub. They're not even a little off either; they're actually almost not even over the tub itself. This was probably a real pain for the plumber, who had to come in later and fix too, since they had to cover up the original holes.
At first, we thought that maybe someone had just downsized their tub and left the spout where it used to be, but the wall behind the faucet made it look like this tub was here the whole time.
For When You Want to Wipe and Chat at the Same Time
This is probably one of the more clever uses we've ever seen for an old telephone. Someone took a corded phone and turned it into a toilet paper holder. We aren't sure whether this is in a private home or a public bathroom, but either way, it's pretty neat. That said, you'd probably have to have a very distinct type of decor in order to really be able to pull this off.
It also has us kind of wondering if the telephone here actually works. We would think not since we can't see any other wires, but who knows, maybe it does.
Thinking of Throwing Away Your Old Blender? Think Again
Here's another plumbing photo that is sure to divide folks. Someone came across this blender that a homeowner hooked up to their garbage disposal. On the one hand, it's actually kind of genius, considering that garbage disposals always seem to get clogged up. However, it's also probably not that sanitary, and as you can see in this photo, the liquid in the blender looks kind of gross. Still, if it works, who are we to judge?
It also doesn't seem like it'd be that hard for a plumber to fix or correct. All they'd need to do is disconnect the blender and add a piece of pipe in its place.
Nothing About This Design Was a Good Idea
We aren't quite sure how this could happen. It looks like someone installed a brand-new pipe but forgot to remove their ladder before doing so. Now, they're either going to have to cut the ladder and ruin it or take the pipe out and do the job all over again. You would think that they'd notice the ladder in their way when they were installing the pipe into the wall.
That said, this one could be faked, and someone could just be holding the pipe on the other side of the photo, which, honestly, would be less surprising than if someone really forgot to remove the ladder.
"the House Is Equipped With One Toilet and Three Showers"
We say this about a lot of these photos, but that's only because it's true: nothing beats a good shower. Just take a look at this photo and tell us that you wouldn't want to take a shower here. You can't. While we've never taken a shower under three separate shower heads, we can only imagine that it'd be pretty awesome. That is, of course, if the water pressure was good.
Otherwise, it'd probably just feel like you were standing outside in the rain. We're sure this probably wouldn't take a whole lot of work to install either if you run everything from one pipe.
As If Pipes Weren't Already Hard Enough to Get to
Firstly, we'll say that it probably took some skill to install the pipe in this photo. Somehow, a plumber managed to install it and make it look like it's halfway into the wall. What's more is that it appears as though the wall is tiled, meaning they probably had to cut perfect spaces to allow the pipe to be visible. However, we wouldn't want to be the person who had to go into this bathroom and do repairs.
We couldn't imagine how hard it'd be to even do a simple job here, such as replacing the pipe. You'd have to pull out the whole tile just to get to anything.
Someone Found the Leek - And It's Not Happy
A plumber was called to a home to do some work when they peered under the sink and found this staring them straight in the face. The customer drew a frowny face on a leek and placed it next under there for the plumber to find. It's just a funny little joke, but we do hope that the customer had an actual leak in their home and didn't just call the plumber out for this.
Then again, it does look rather dry in that cabinet, so that does make us wonder if there's actually anything wrong with the plumbing in this photo.
When the Gas Company Builds Straight Through the Sewer Line
There's only one thing more frustrating than messing up your own plumbing, and that's someone else messing up your plumbing. For some reason, a gas company installed their pipe under an existing sewer line in someone's yard. As a result, the gas pipe ended up cracking the sewer line, and the homeowner had to dig everything up to find out. However, we're not sure if this happened while the workers were laying the gas pipe or after.
Still, we imagine it'd be really frustrating if you were the person taking this photo, as there are probably regulations that prevent a company from laying a gas line so close to a preexisting pipe.
Guess That's One Way to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
There are plenty of photos of plumbing fails on this list, but we're not entirely sure this is one of them. Someone obviously didn't have the correct type of spout to place in their bathtub, so they got a little creative and just used one from their hose. It's honestly kind of ingenious. We're sure the plumber who had to fix it probably wasn't as impressed as we are.
It also makes us wonder if the person taking a bath in this tub has to sit there and press on the handle the entire time for water actually to come out.
We Call This One "seconds Before Disaster Struck"
If you have any appliances in your home that run off gas, then you know that you have to be really careful when making sure the gas is turned off. If gas builds up in a home and someone lights a match or sparks a lighter, it could all end in a pretty dramatic fashion. That's why this photo actually caught us by surprise. That small flame you see is not supposed to be there.
Luckily, it appears as if there's not enough gas escaping to do any real harm, but we'd probably be pretty scared if we came home and saw this happening.
When Your Boss Is a Micromanager
If you were a plumber and you had to tackle one of the jobs on this list, then this probably wouldn't be the worst one. Someone was at home working on the plumbing, and when they looked up, they noticed that someone was looking back down at them. It turned out to be the homeowner's cat, who's pretty adorable. However, it might've also been a bit jarring at first.
If you're standing on a latter and one minute there's nothing on the other side of a pipe and then all of a sudden there's a face staring down at you, it might be a bit surprising.
The Night Shift Is Never Easy
Most plumbing jobs are relatively small. Usually, a plumber only has to deal with simple fixes, but every now and then, they come across something major, such as this extremely leaky pipe. We aren't sure if it burst by itself or if someone was digging and ruptured it, but either way, the guy in this photo has to go in and fix it. And he doesn't look very happy to be doing so.
We probably wouldn't be too happy to be doing so either, especially if all we had was a thing rain jacket and it was wet, cold, and muddy outside.
That Plumber Is a Liar
It's not uncommon to find a pack of wet wipes with some kind of "safe for toilets" advertising on them. However, that is just simply untrue. A plumber will tell you that it's usually not a good idea to flush even the best wipes. They simply don't work well with sewage systems, and they can quickly clog up a toilet. So, this message, probably written by a homeowner, is completely understandable.
What's more, they probably had to find out the hard way after their toilet got clogged, or else we couldn't see them going through the trouble of writing this message.
Found Grandpa's Dentures
This photo actually looks extremely gruesome at first. We're sure the plumber was pretty surprised when they opened this up and found a pair of teeth blocking the pipe. They might've even been a little freaked out. Luckily, this was just someone's dentures that were accidentally flushed down the drain, although they probably had to go out and buy a new pair because these seemed like they'd be unusable.
At least, we hope they went out and bought a new pair after this. If there's one thing you want to keep as sanitary as possible, we'd imagine that it'd be dentures.
This Is Weirdly Satisfying to Stare at
If you're a plumber, then this photo is probably a thing of beauty. Someone took the time to arrange everything here in an orderly fashion, and while it probably took them a while, we're sure it will save someone else a lot of time in the future if they ever need to go in and fix something. It's also just really satisfying to look at, especially compared to some of the other pipe arrangements on this list.
It would be interesting to know what this assortment of pipes actually did, though, or what it all ran to, as we couldn't imagine anything needing this many gauges and fixtures.
It's Nature's Expanda Foam
No, this isn't an area of someone's garden. A homeowner found these mushrooms growing out from under one of their pipes. How this happens is anyone's guess, but there probably has to be some soil underneath there or something in order for these to be able to actually grow. We're not sure if this is the homeowner's fault or the fault of the plumber who originally installed this pipe.
What's for certain is that someone has to now take that pipe out and clean out whatever else is in there because we imagine there's more than mushrooms in the pipes.
This Gas Station Used a Tire to Create a Themed Sink
There are a couple of different photos on this list that may divide opinions, but we don't think this is one of them. Someone shot a photo of this sink and faucet, which were made using an old tire and a gas pump handle. We can only imagine that this was found either in a gas station or a mechanic's shop somewhere. Either way, it's pretty inventive and probably took a lot of work.
It also looks like it's perfectly functional, unlike some of the other DIY fixes on this list. While we wouldn't put it in our homes, it looks perfectly fine here.
Think We Found Your Leak
If you're a plumber, then you already know that sometimes it's just plain difficult to figure out where a leak is. Pipes are often either hidden behind walls or buried underground. While the leak in this pipe was definitely underground, we imagine the plumber who took this photo didn't have to search for long to find the leak. There's only one patch of green grass in this entire yard.
That means that it's the only place getting any kind of water, and that water has to be coming from a leaky pipe buried somewhere in the ground.
Alright, Time to Move Out
We imagine that plumbers find all kinds of weird things when they start working on a job. And while it might seem weird to find the skeleton of a dead animal somewhere in or under a home, we're sure this happens a lot more often than people realize. This little guy was found in what appears to be the space between a wall, as you can see baseboards in the photo.
However, there's no telling how he got back there or why he died. This does mean that there's probably an opening somewhere in that house where animals can get in, though.
This Fancy Tub Has Freshwater Taps and Saltwater Taps
Everyone is pretty familiar with what a faucet should look like. You usually have two taps, one for cold water and another for hot water. So, this one kind of caught us by surprise. It appears as though this tub has four taps, and we have no idea what they're all there for. That said, the bathtub looks pretty old and nice. The taps themselves also don't look too bad.
However, we imagine it's kind of a chore to sit there and play around with them until you figure out which one is hot, cold, warm, or whatever else they control.
Someone's Attempt at Home Repair
Before we get started, we just want to say they we'd never dissuade someone from trying to install something themselves or keep up with home repairs. However, it's usually best to read some directions or watch a video before tackling a project. This photo shows the result of a home repair project where someone tried to install a spout and handle for their tub but ended up using way too much caulk.
Inevitably, they ended up having to call a professional plumber to come and fix the issue. Honestly, if it weren't for all the caulk, this really wouldn't have been a bad job.
Turning Ordinary Plumbing Into a Work of Art
They say that if you do just about anything at a high enough level, it can be considered art. We aren't so sure about that, but we will say that this plumbing fixture is certainly borderline art. An establishment or someone who worked there decided to run old copper pipes on the outside of their wall and add a bunch of gauges. The end result is this wacky-looking wall decoration/functional plumbing for the urinals.
It's definitely not the worst thing we've seen in a public bathroom when it comes to plumbing. And it also probably took a bit of skill on behalf of the plumber who pulled it off.
A New Take on the Rainfall Shower
For many, taking a shower or a bath is one of the best parts of their day. There are few things better than coming home after a long day at work and enjoying a nice shower with proper water pressure. And if you don't have that, you know there are few things as frustrating. So, it's understandable that whoever owns this bathroom went all out and added a shower head to their skylight.
We imagine taking a shower here would feel something like taking a shower out in the rain, but with proper water pressure. It actually looks really relaxing.
Time For Some New Pipes
It doesn't matter what kind of work you're in; there's nothing worse than having to follow after someone and fix their "work." We imagine that's especially true when it comes to plumbing, as pipes usually aren't very easy to get to. For example, take a look at this photo. The plumber who installed all of these pipes did it in a way that makes it extremely hard to fix or replace.
They just look like a tangled mess, and we're sure it probably adds a lot of time onto the job for whoever has to go in and fix all of this.
Ever Wonder What an Aquarium's Piping Looks Like?
Plumbing can take all kinds of different forms, and when most people think of a typical plumbing job, they don't usually think of something like this. A plumber had to go in and build the piping for a bunch of different tanks or aquariums. And it turned out really nice looking. Everything looks like it was installed perfectly, and we're sure there are going to be some happy fish in those tanks.
And if they're not very happy, at least they're going to be really clean because we don't see algae building up in the tanks with a plumbing system like this.
Mario and Luigi Take on Toilets
We've never really thought about it before, but we guess that even sometimes plumbers get into the spirit of Halloween and dress up. And what do you dress up as when you're a plumber? Well, two of the most famous plumbers in pop culture aren't a bad choice. These two decided to dress up as Mario and Luigi, and we can only hope that they went to the job site in these costumes.
If we'd called the plumbers and they came dressed up like this, we'd probably laugh the entire time they were there, especially if they could do the voices.
Who Knew Plumbing Could Be So Satisfying
If you're the type of person who just loves looking at satisfying videos and photos of things arranged neatly, then this photo is for you. It shows a wall of pipes, gauges, and pumps all aligned and installed neatly. We aren't too sure what they actually go to, but it is nice to look at, and it stands in stark contrast to some of the other plumbing jobs on this list.
Whoever did this job honestly deserves a raise because we imagine it took some know-how and time to get everything to look this perfect. We'd just like to know what this is being used for.
Sometimes, It Pays to Call a Professional
All things considered, this isn't that bad of a job. It appears as if someone installed a toilet on their own and ended up using way too much sealant. You're not supposed to even be able to see where you seal a toilet, so whoever did this job went a little overboard. That said, it's definitely not as bad as a lot of other DIY jobs on this list.
We imagine that if they'd looked up a video of how to properly seal a toilet or call a professional plumber, then the toilet in this photo wouldn't look like the floor is bubbling up beneath it.
And They Were Wondering Why They're Dryer Wasn't Actually Drying Anything
When most people think of a plumber, they think of work in the bathroom or under the sink. However, plumbers can and often do specialize in a lot of other types of home improvement work. This plumber was working in someone's home when they noticed that their dryer hadn't been cleaned in a while. There's no telling how long this lint was allowed to build up in this person's dryer.
Luckily, the plumber who took this photo managed to notice it before it became a real problem. Excess lint in a dryer can often lead to a house fire.
Plumbers Get the Best Office Views
This photo was taken by a plumber who was asked to install a shower head in this bathroom. He ended up taking a photo of the spot where the tub was already installed, and we can't blame him. The view looking out from this bathroom is pretty amazing. However, there does seem to be one little problem. We don't actually see a place to install a showerhead anywhere.
However, when you have a view this good, why would you really need to worry about where the shower head will go? Why would you really need to worry about anything?
These Plumbing Set-Ups Are Starting to Look Like Modern Art Installations
We're not plumbers, meaning there could be a perfectly valid explanation for why this piping system looks like a giant octopus. However, we will say that we've never quite seen anything like it, and it appears as if whatever is coming from the main pipe has about eight different options once it hits the center connector. So, we're not really sure what is going on with all of these different outlets.
Again, we're not plumbers. So, this could totally have a legitimate purpose, and we could be completely wrong, but it still looks kind of funny and reminds us of something in "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea."
They Don't Make Things Like They Used To
We know it sounds cliche to say that they don't make things like they used to. However, in many cases, that saying really has merit, such as when it comes to furniture or even plumbing fixtures. For example, take a look at this faucet and knob. They are remarkably ornate, and you'd be hard-pressed to find something similar for your home today. Most plumbing fixtures today come one way: in stainless steel.
Luckily, it's still fairly easy to find ornate plumbing fixtures like these in places like antique stores if you're getting ready for a home improvement project or simply want to change things up.
Add Kitty Litter to the List of Things Not to Flush
Most people would probably know better than to flush things like concrete down the drain or toilet. However, we've never even thought about flushing something like kitty litter down the drain. Apparently, if you do, then this is the result you get. It appears the kitty litter has clumped up and expanded or solidified while running through this person's pipes. It makes sense, considering it's meant to absorb moisture.
However, we never would've guessed it would be this bad. It looks like concrete, and we're sure that these pipes are going to have to be replaced completely, which isn't cheap.
This Is How You Heat Water With Style
More modern water heaters might be more economical and better for the environment. However, they have nothing on this antique water heater when it comes to aesthetics. You could probably set this thing up in a living room as decoration, and it'd be perfectly acceptable. Try doing that with a newer water heater, and people will think you're trashing your home. Presumably, a plumber came across this while working on a home.
It even appears as if it's still hooked up and working, although we imagine that it's probably pretty expensive to maintain and use compared to a modern water heater.
A Sink From Another Time
Plumbing is a really interesting job. Not only do you make pretty good money, but you also get to go to random houses and see all kinds of different homes. This plumber walked into the bathroom in this photo and noticed that the home had a pretty elaborate sink and wallpaper on the wall. The sink itself has a marble top and gold trimming, but the wallpaper is really what caught our eyes.
It's colorful and unique. Everything together makes the bathroom look like it belongs in a different era. Just what that era is, though, is a bit hard to tell.
Someone Likes To Keep Things Organized
If you've ever worked in construction or on vehicles, then you probably know how frustrating it can be when tools and other equipment aren't organized. It often leads to people losing expensive equipment, and it takes time off a job when you spend 30 minutes looking for something you need. That's why this picture is so satisfying. This plumber knows how to take care of their tools.
We're sure it's something they're probably pretty proud of and protective over because all it takes is one person to come in during one job to leave everything a mess.