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[Roger Austin <raustin3 AT nc.rr.com>]

Bill Geschwind wrote:
> ... HOWEVER I will still replace it since I live in a condo and
> when it comes time to sell the place I may have difficulties explaining

 Enough said.

 My favorite plumber was an aging hippie I knew from years before. He 
would sort of fade in to the real world for a while to fix the pipes and 
then fade back to where ever he resided. He didn't move too fast, but 
dang things worked when he finished. He wasn't too expensive either, but 
was usually substantially soiled. I lost track of him years ago, but I 
wish I knew how to get in touch with him now.
 Nileen and I just used a guy who was sent over by the new house 
warranty people to fix some annoying things. Ransom's Plumbing 
919-782-7455 and he seemed to be quite competent. He was a huge man so 
confined spaces could be an issue. We would call him again if we needed 
a plumber even without the warranty.

 Back on subject, I would look at the home centers for the range of 
devices they sell. A quick look at the Lowe's website gives 
http://170.224.4.200/lkn?action=productList&catalogId=T050700 where they 
sell in the $50-300 range. Go for one about $75-85 since you probably 
don't want the bottom of the range. Check the plate on the old one and 
replace it with the same type (hp, model, brand).
 Then, I would call a number of the plumbers in the yellow pages and 
get about four-five estimates. I would say that a job like that would 
probably be $150-250 for a real plumber (not including what you pay for 
the device.) This amounts to about $50/hour.

 Frankly, most of the tradespersons that I have talked with were honest 
people. Those that were a little too slick could be figured out really 
fast just by talking with them about the problem. Ask for references if 
you are worried about it. You might call the Ransom's Plumbing place and 
ask if they would recommend a unit that is easier (i.e., cheaper) to 
install. I'm sure they would give you an estimate.
 Good luck, Roger (not in RTP now)