Post Tricks Of The Plumbing Trade Here.

Ron The Plumber

CPVC also

rhinoguy

That shop vac is plastic. Poke a hole in the bottom and insert whatever big valve you have laying around. I used the drain valve from a water heater headed for the trash. Takes a garden hose, too!
Most rubber products companies sell hoses for shop vacs by the foot. Get twenty feet. Hose goes where vacs don't, like crawl spaces. I HATE puddles under a house.
Another shop vac trick: push the center of a 1.5" plastic tee onto the end of the hose. Then slip the tee onto the drill so the hole saw sticks out one end, the chuck in the other. When the saw cuts dust it gets sucked through the holes in the back of the bit. And spray some WD-40 inside the saw. Sure made that last dryer installation go easier.

Ishmael

I once used 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" Cherne test balls to stop the flow in a monoflo loop so I could cut in some new tees. I slipped some 1/2" Type L copper over the extension hoses to protect them while I soldered an 1 1/4" ball valve on either side.

TurdMaster

I dont know if its legal where I live but, that sure is a hack way of doing things!

Ron The Plumber

Dam rusted tight old pipe threads

Take your torch to the rusted galv nipple or pipe threads, get it hot, this will help in freeing it for disassembly.

BCSPARKS4

Hey Ron, Could you go to the electrical posts and help "Magnettica" with the sump pump install, he should have came here (plumbing)Thanks

ninja plumber

try using a guitar string to cut pvc, it will not heat up and break as fast

KKD Michaels

Drilling with a hole saw bit in wood and your pilot bit breaks or you simply don't have one. It's almost impossible to keep the bit from walking all over the place. Try this, tighten the bit in the drill nice and tight and try drilling the hole in reverse just long enough to score a groove for the bit to ride in. The smooth backs of the teeth won't grab and walk. Then switch back to forward and drilling the rest of the way is no problem. I've even done this with fiberglass tubs but wouldn't recommend it. I should probably invest in some spare bits

Grumpyplumber

We call them "tectite", made by Elkhart in my state...they are very newly accepted in the code here...
Also, if you EVER have to adapt cpvc to copper...NEVER EVER use plain CPVC adapters....use the threaded brass adapters with CPVC glue hubs....CPVC adapters develope small cracks if you over tighten them....they can last days before blowing from water pressure.

sonny

Take some duct tape and wrap it around the end of your plumbing

snake - about the size of a golf ball - now start ramming that grease

remove snake & run super hot water - Never & I mean Never pour

sulfuric acid down the drain

westcoastplumb

if the tank has a leak, this won't work, but I have a fail safe, i use a 3/4 ips ball valve, a 3/4 a 3" nipple and on the other side, install a 3/4 mip x 3/4 hose bibb adapter, vapor lock the water heater, remove the drain, have a hose on the adapter loosly with ball valve open, screw in the nipple, once in, close valve, tighten hose and then drain with a flex line off to let air in the top. Takes about 10-15 mins total to drain a 40-50 gallon, done it inside houses, outside, do it a few times and you will become really good at finding the hole

Grumpyplumber

If you're looking for a clean cut on cast iron, or if you're worried about shattering older corroded cast iron using a ratchet cutter:

Tighten the cutter till it's snug around the pipe but can still rotate around the diameter, then rotate it back and forth a few times....tighten it a little more, then rotate again.
Do this a few times...then snap it.
What you're doing is grooving the pipe along the cut very slightly so it cuts more evenly...good idea especially on older pipe.
Just be careful not to tighten it too much as you rotate it...you can move the pipe inside the adjacent hubs with too much force.

KillerToiletSpider

I just use a porta-band.

__________________
A flush is better than a full house.

Grumpyplumber

Portaband...inside a chase or wall?

A stud has about 14-1/2" between...a portaband fits?

crb555

I have used a portaband before to cut cast.... when I didnt have a set of rachets or snaps with me. But, it isnt real good on the blades, and they are not cheap. The stainelss steel blades do OK, but they are very pricey.


Here's my tip... when installing commercial basket strainers on kitchen equipment, take a short length of 2" cu pipe, flatten one end with a hammer, it fits perfectly in the top of the strainer. I usually install the strainers hand tight, the pipe up the indirect waste line... then tighten from the top side with a pipe wrench on the 2" copper. Once the drains are tied together, it keeps the lever handles on the strainers perfectly in place.

Much better on your back that trying to tighten from underneath.


Crb5

Grumpyplumber

I've done that with 1" BM pipe on an old trip waste shoe that only had a small nub on the side and my drain tool wouldn't grab...flattened the pipe then cut a notch in it to catch the nub...carefully used a pipe wrench wrapped in a rag to not whack the tub if it slipped....worked like a charm..no torch needed.

tzzzz216

wrong topic sorry

The plumber

on some frostproof hosebibs the body is 3/4 pipe, you can sweat the head off and solder on a 3/4x1/2 female adapter and screw a 1/2 male hosebib right on. I do this when a customer does not want the expense of replacing the frostproof. Some are brazed on though, then their s.o.l.

4" closet riser to short? A 3" coupling will glue right in there. Glue in a 3" bullet, flange and you're in business.

Bore under a sidewalk with a $3.00 sweeper nozzle. 1" p.v.c pipe with a 1"x3/4 male adapter and a 1"x3/4 female glued on the ends. Screw the hose in the female the sweeper nozzle on the other turn the water on and push it through. It does not work well in rocky terrains though.

Blow out hot water line to clean out debris/dip tube. Turn off water heater valve connect water hose to hot side flex line/water line at water heater and unscrew aerator or shower head and put a small piece of plastic bag to stop up the head or aerator then screw it back in and turn on the hot and cold at the valve and the cold water will flush out the hot water line.

Knock the socket part of a long fireplace key and the square shaft fits Indiana Brass seats Which as far as I know of they do not make a seat wrench for

The plumber

GENIUS!!!! I have never waited for an inspection on a sewer replacement with a glass of water in hand, but if I did which I'm not saying I have this would be the tip of the year. I love this web site

PARA 1

make a sewer camera turn anyway U want. tie a string at tip of head ,running camera upstream from c/o make turns at wye into secondary drain line. tip: jet all lines before beginning search for leaks.