arkon

I've been here 13 months now in rural NSW and have been giving a lot of thought as to exactly why the place and the people piss me off so much and after today’s incident I think I've found the answer, It also probably explains why a lot of the people on here that live in the few cities or those still in the UK just don't get it happening to them or if it does why it doesn't upset them so much. So here’s an insight into one of my typical frustrating days that leave me scratching my head unable to work out the people and the businesses Modus Operandi (hence the title).

Today I went over an irrigation pipe in one of the fields with the tractor, clumsy I know but it was well hidden, I now had a 45mm pipe rupture flooding the fields at the rate of about 7 mega liters a day. Doesn’t take long at that rate to make me go bankrupt and need a boat. I had 2 male 45mm threaded PVC adaptors but no way to join them so I needed a 45mm male to male PVC couple about $4 worth by my reckoning. I go into town to the 1st plumbing supplies shop and tell the really nice friendly guy what I need, “no problem” he says and walks over to the only empty component bin on the rack that is supposed it contain the part, “Oh we’ve run our” he says. So I ask when will the new stock be coming in to which he replies “Oh it won’t be coming in anytime soon as we won’t have ordered any”. Ok I say with pictures of the Alpacas wearing life jackets in my mind. What if I change the 2 male ends to females then so I can have a female to female couple, “Good idea” he says and pulls out a female 45mm couple, Ok so now I need 2 male threaded adapters…….Over we go to the other empty bin!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway I thank him politely when all I really want to do is shout “How the fccc do you make any money?!” and shove the empty bin up his jacksy.

Off to the only other plumbing supplies shop in town and the exact same thing happens….The empty storage bins are only empty on the bits I desperately need. So tomorrow I’m off to port Mcquarrie to try there while a banana wrapped in a rag tied to the pipe tries to hold back the tide.

Now the reason this is so bad for me and winds me up so much is after exhausting the only 2 shops that sell those bits there is nowhere else to go and I can’t wait up to a month for them to get the parts in. Whereas if you live in or near Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane I am 100% certain that the same will happen to you BUT it, your stress and frustration will be mitigated by the fact there will be 10 such shops within a 50km radius and one of them is bound to have it and although a minor irritation by no means the end of the world as you managed to not come back empty handed (except for a banana!)

I know the nice chap in shop No.1 won’t have ordered new parts as it’s probably not his job, Nor will he pass the information on to the person that orders the stock, so the next poor sucker that goes in for the same thing will also come out empty handed and he is probably a plumber that now can’t turn up to an appointment for lack of bits!

I just can’t for the life of me see how they stay in business, You all just don’t know how lucky you are to live in cities! To Pacify those that think this is a slagging off of Australia then I’m sure this happens in the UK too with things that run out of stock and you’re the unlucky muppet that needed it then and there, BUT the difference is you can go elsewhere and get it, Also you can be pretty sure that the new stock was ordered BEFORE it ran out and if it wasn’t then when someone noticed it was out of stock it would by and large get ordered. Hopefully this post has helped to show what’s wrong here in rural NSW and why I do think it is endemic but not so likely to annoy you if you live in the cities. (After all you probably don’t have a tractor and a new guiser in the middle of your property!)

ABCDiamond

You've explained it well.

I'm almost tempted to nip into one of my local Bunnings (closest being 1.5km away) and see if they have a '45mm male to male PVC coupling" for you.

Buzzy--Bee

Hmmm maybe see the new law about same-sex marriages and immigration!

Cheers

Buzzy

spalen

I just tried to google it to see if we could help our disadvantaged friend by some e-delivery. But the only thing on offer for a male-male coupling wouldnt probably have helped... well it may have helped him forget the problem in the field for a few minutes....

Centurion

I'm really sorry to hear your tale. Frustration is obvious. However, I think that you might find the same tale in any rural part of most countries. The difference is in the UK there is nowhere actually that rural anymore, not by the comparison to Australia, the USA or many parts of Europe for example. As you rightly say in the UK you can go somewhere else.

But looking at the big picture here the UK is the 33rd most densly populated country in the world, compared to say Australia at 191st, 143rd for the USA.

Now lets imagine your predicament if you were located by a small ranch in rural USA. Would the outcome actually be much different. Not really is my suggestion.

Doesnt really help you, your field or your Alpacas who are in need of scuba kit - but, I'll be entirely honest here and in the nicest way I'd say that your woes are indeed probably because you do in fact live in the arse end of nowhere. Much like any other places around the world that would fall into said catagory.

Best of luck with those parts tho and sorry to hear your woes.

Buzzy--Bee

Yeh seriously my sympathies Arkon. All you wanted was "the good life" and you ended up with "house trapped in the sun".

Cheers

Buzzy

moneypenny20

Totally the wrong place. Doesn't live in the civilised world where stuff is readily available and doesn't live in the Outback where they have to be very very organised to have stuff flown in every few months. Wonder how any of us would get on in real Woop woop.

fraser

Is it solvent weld plastic? If so can't you just cut it and get a coupling and glue it.

Or try some lsx with a bandage if they sell that here.

How big's the hole?

cresta57

A couple of things sprung instantly to mind when I first read your latest tale of woe.
Firstly you could turn off the irrigation pump for a couple of days and it won't be detrimental to your fields? Secondly you live in a remote area mate you really ought to learn to keep a few spares and repair kits about the place. A metre length of 45mm galv pipe and a few jubilee clips would have solved the latest problem umpteen times over. You haven't learned to adapt improvise and overcome yet. You live on the banks of a river don't you? Water will hardly be costing you a fortune chuck a pump in and pump as much out as you like. As for the banana you can't be serious anyone with a grain of common sense would simply bend the pipe back on itself and either tie it or wire it off. Did the local merchants sell the pipe as you could have used 2 straight connectors and a short length of pipe. In this post you sound like [and I don't like to generalise] a white collar worker trying to do a blue collar job without any experience or commonsense.
Out of curiosity what job did you do in the U.K as you sound like your way out of your depth excuse the pun trying the farming game?
I do agree with a lot of what you say about the laid back attitude surely that's why a lot of people move here to escape and lead that more relaxed lifestyle. Maybe if you channeled as much effort into solving your problems as you do posting them on here you'd be in a better position.

cresta57

7 mega litres a day is a hell of a hole the old inner tube and copper wire dodge might not hold it.

fraser

Can't be that big, well no bigger than 45 mm

arkon

Its a fair sized whole and under immense mains pressure, I calculated the loss of 7 mega litres bassed on the last time I had a rupture and didn't notice it for a quarter of a year. In 3 months I lost 600 Mega Litres so thats 90 days divided into 600 = 6.6 Cost me over $600 that leak did!!

As for having spares thats a laugh, The farm is jury rigged with every possible bore and type of fitting and pipe, I would have to stock a huge number of items to be safe. And I do indeed have plenty of spares, a whole massive shed full of them but obviously not the part to fix it properly. I have made a temporary repair until tommorrow where I'll go into port to try again and get my bits.

Thanks for all the offers of bits, and I will take people up on it if I cant get my humble bit tommorrow.

arkon

There is no irrigation pump, as I say the place is jury rigged well bad. The Mains water pipe comes onto the land and the irrigation tap off comes directly off it BEFORE it reaches the stop cock!!! So when it ruptures in the field its a hell of a job to fix it. Also as its the mains supply it supplys the house and with a baby we need constant water. I could shut the cock off but all this would do is cut the house off, The fields would still flood!

<")))><

PMSL.....can't you nick one from a neighbour's field under the cover of darkness, me old china?

arkon

Well I would if I knew where to dig!! She'll be alright tommorrow so long as the bananna holds. If not I'll try an orange. In hindsight an orange would have been a much better fit but it's too dark to go and fight the torrent if I was to remove the banana now.