[The Dane]

I am finally getting ready to start my own company. I am located in a small town 40 minutes from a supply house. I'm used to working in the bigger town 40 minutes away and ther we can go to the supply house any time we need to. Because of that I'm not used to what would make sense to stock for a rual area where you can't just go to the supply house easily. I would like to see if you guys have any suggestions to what I should add to my list of things to stock.
My list:
Assorted PVC fittings.
Assorted PEX and Propress fittings.
PVC, PEX and Copper pipe.
Assorted black iron and brass nipples.
Shower valves.
Toilets.
3 kitchen faucets, single hole pull down, with side spray and with out sidespray.
1 single handle 4" center lav faucet.
1 Ejector pump and 1 Sump pump.
1 Garbage disposal.

I'm sure there is alot more small stuff like hosebib and basket strainers and such but are there any other things you guys can come up with that i might not in a pinch be able to get at the local hardware store?

 

[skoronesa]

I am finally getting ready to start my own company. I am located in a small town 40 minutes from a supply house. I'm used to working in the bigger town 40 minutes away and ther we can go to the supply house any time we need to. Because of that I'm not used to what would make sense to stock for a rual area where you can't just go to the supply house easily. I would like to see if you guys have any suggestions to what I should add to my list of things to stock.
My list:
Assorted PVC fittings.
Assorted PEX and Propress fittings.
PVC, PEX and Copper pipe.
Assorted black iron and brass nipples.
Shower valves.
Toilets.
3 kitchen faucets, single hole pull down, with side spray and with out sidespray.
1 single handle 4" center lav faucet.
1 Ejector pump and 1 Sump pump.
1 Garbage disposal.

I'm sure there is alot more small stuff like hosebib and basket strainers and such but are there any other things you guys can come up with that i might not in a pinch be able to get at the local hardware store?

TUBULAR trap pieces. The only time I need 45 tubular offsets is when I am an hour from the shop. The hardware stores tubular selections suck big floppy donkey sticks.

Stops

SLIP COUPLINGS, I rarely even bother with regular couplings anymore. Seems you never get leaks where you can spread the pipe.

Hanging strap and 1/4" bolts/nuts. You'd be surprised how many ways you can make hangers with strap.

If you do drain cleaning you'll want ferncos/no-hubs, at least two of each size and a good selection of lead plugs and rubber plugs. 6" fernco jim caps are great when the plug doesn't seal well in the old cast iron cleanout. You can put the jim cap over the whole hub.

If you have a bad memory, a duplicate bag of hand tools. Nothing sucks worse than driving 45mins and realizing your bag is at the last job. It's also handy when you bring something out to the van to work on it and realize your main toolbag is ALL THE WAY back in the house lolz Who wants to schlep up the stairs again? lolz

 

[RichardBull]

You’ll have to have a few of everything. Two is one, one is none.

 

[skoronesa]

You’ll have to have a few of everything. Two is one, one is none.

I had ONE drop eared elbow today and my manager wanted me to use boiler drains for the washer hookup. So I used female tees and they got some dead air arrestors! Never bother with arrestors other wise but it was a double stack unit and anything else would stick out too far. Of course I also only had one IP brass 90.

 

[The Dane]

TUBULAR trap pieces. The only time I need 45 tubular offsets is when I am an hour from the shop. The hardware stores tubular selections suck big floppy donkey sticks.

Stops

SLIP COUPLINGS, I rarely even bother with regular couplings anymore. Seems you never get leaks where you can spread the pipe.

Hanging strap and 1/4" bolts/nuts. You'd be surprised how many ways you can make hangers with strap.

If you do drain cleaning you'll want ferncos/no-hubs, at least two of each size and a good selection of lead plugs and rubber plugs. 6" fernco jim caps are great when the plug doesn't seal well in the old cast iron cleanout. You can put the jim cap over the whole hub.

If you have a bad memory, a duplicate bag of hand tools. Nothing sucks worse than driving 45mins and realizing your bag is at the last job. It's also handy when you bring something out to the van to work on it and realize your main toolbag is ALL THE WAY back in the house lolz Who wants to schlep up the stairs again? lolz

I'm not sure what the lead plugs are? Other than that other than that all of the things you mention are things I already planned on stocking. I have used fernco caps over cast hubs before and they work pretty good. I have never left a tool bag on a jobsite before and have all tools and material organised on shelves I build to fit my boxes. Thank you for responding. I might post a full list when I order material. I might have not been specific enough but I was asking more about the fixtures and special stuff and not so much the everyday items such as wax rings and supply lines.

 

[The Dane]

You’ll have to have a few of everything. Two is one, one is none.

Exactly what I was thinking but where I work we stock only the most common Items and I'm pretty much at the supply house daily and often multiple times a day so I things like toilet repair flanges and such stuff I can probably remember most of for when I order stock but itds the things like shower cartridges and faucets I might not remember as I'm used to thinking of it as a non stock item.

 

[The Dane]

I had ONE drop eared elbow today and my manager wanted me to use boiler drains for the washer hookup. So I used female tees and they got some dead air arrestors! Never bother with arrestors other wise but it was a double stack unit and anything else would stick out too far. Of course I also only had one IP brass 90.

See that is where I'm used to being able to just go pick it up quickly. I like to be prepared for anything so at work I'm normally the guy who has an extra of what ever the other guy needs. Now my new challenge will be keeping a full stock updated so I don't run out.

 

[SchmitzPlumbing]

i dont stock faucets, water heaters or toilets. not my problem. ill get you one today or tomorrow.

 

[RichardBull]

Pull your past 4 years invoices. Order all the material on them. That’s pretty much what you use.

 

[The Dane]

Pull your past 4 years invoices. Order all the material on them. That’s pretty much what you use.

Kind of hard to do when starting a new business and not having any invoices.

 

[RichardBull]

Kind of hard to do when starting a new business and not having any invoices.

Did you work for a company ? Did you install materials when you worked for that company ?

 

[The Dane]

Did you work for a company ? Did you install materials when you worked for that company ?

Of course but I can't exactly go ask my current boss to see his paperwork for the last 4 years so I can use it in my newly started company.

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[RichardBull]

Of course but I can't exactly go ask my current boss to see his paperwork for the last 4 years so I can use it in my newly started company.

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You don’t remember what you e installed or used ? Are you sure you really want to start a business ?

 

[RichardBull]

Toilet parts
Faucet parts
Common household stop valves
Misc materials like pipe dope, cutting oil, oakum,lead,solder,duct tape,screws, and the list is endless.
Kitchen sink parts
Drain parts

All plumbing supplies.

you can either buy all this upfront and shop for your best Price or spend your time traveling to go get and paying top dollar.
Your choice.

 

[The Dane]

You don’t remember what you e installed or used ? Are you sure you really want to start a business ?

3/14/2017 what job did you do that day and what materials did you use?

I know generally everything I normally use and what I rarely use but you can't tell me that in order to be a business owner you need to remember every job and every material for each job for the past 4 years.

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[RichardBull]

3/14/2017 what job did you do that day and what materials did you use?

I know generally everything I normally use and what I rarely use but you can't tell me that in order to be a business owner you need to remember every job and every material for each job for the past 4 years.

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I have no idea what I used that day but I know what I use on a regular basis. After all I’m the one installing it, I know what I install. Luckily i don’t need to know what particular day of the year I installed it and neither do you.

 

[The Dane]

Toilet parts
Faucet parts
Common household stop valves
Misc materials like pipe dope, cutting oil, oakum,lead,solder,duct tape,screws, and the list is endless.
Kitchen sink parts
Drain parts

All plumbing supplies.

you can either buy all this upfront and shop for your best Price or spend your time traveling to go get and paying top dollar.
Your choice.

I see that you don't at all understand my post. Order ahead for best price or run around and pay top dollar for each part, my choice? Really? That was exactly what the whole post was about. What to order so I would not have to waste time running around as its a rual area and supply house is 40 minutes away. All the everyday stuff you mention like dope, tape, stops and supplies was not what I was asking about. I was asking about the things such as which fixtures is useful to stock. This was asked about since I have always worked no more than 10 minutes from the supply house except for a few out of town jobs. So I was trying to see if maybe outside of things used on the regular there would be something I had not thought of as practical to stock in a rual area. I was asking for differences I might not have accounted for between what is stocked rual VS city areas.

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[The Dane]

I have no idea what I used that day but I know what I use on a regular basis. After all I’m the one installing it, I know what I install. Luckily i don’t need to know what particular day of the year I installed it and neither do you.

Ok it just sounded like you wanted me to remember everything when you wrote "Pull your past 4 years invoices. Order all the material on them" and then questioned if I should be in business if I couldn't remember it.

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[RichardBull]

I’d stock 3 of everything you’d find in a house.
3 elongated toilets
3 round toilets
3 handicap
1- 10” rough
1-14 “ rough

3-stainless k-sinks
3- stainless faucets
3 chrome

3 bathtubs

3 50 gal gas and e
3 40’s gas and electric

ETc etc.

I use to stock all that and more, I live in the middle of the city. It boils down to how much you want or can invest and how much business you do.

I sell at least one water heater a week and about 4 or 5 faucets and a couple toilets.
So over a month it adds up to

 

[RichardBull]

I stock about 10-15 handheld showers.
I offer every customer one.
I sell 2-3 a week but have sold 3 at one house !
Do you like to sell? I do. I like to get as much money out of a house as I can......the ethical way of course.