Post Tricks Of The Plumbing Trade Here.

mickeyco

Correctly sized pants or a long t-shirt can eliminate plumbers crack.







.

__________________
Some people climb mountains. I take out the trash. But we both do it for the same reason.

retired rooter

I used to hate back to back lavs..Try plunging one side holding the other, still wont drain?Go to roof vent if possible and if its a small stack blow down it ,feel pressure if so run your small cable down stack,,but what if they go into 3 or 4 inch main vent.Drop a penny or pebble down the stack if it splashes ,take a stick of 1/2 inch pvc drop it down stack the stoppage is just above toilet and below where both lavs connect its easy to knock most stoppages out , .Or do it the messy way cut pipe close to wall on one side look in pipe with small light and fish small cable thru arm, its messy as hell this way. .I like the roof better its alot cleaner same with kitchen sinks when my 50ft 1/4 inch cable thru trap wont reach the stoppage then I take my old my tana apart and run 100ft down stack if necessary (I like to run water to wash mess off the cable before putting it back in drum or reel).I use a gorlitz mini for most inside jobs it carrys 50 ft of 1/4 inch cable .I usually cut the coil off the end and drop cable thru strainer alot of plumbers argue about which machine is best I say its not the machine its the man using it .Drain cleaning kept me going when new work faded out and I usually work for other plumbers now all my reg customers are dying off , taking stuff they dont want.the fellows that give me the most work usually get use of my camera and locator for free we swap work around ( Im not as good as I once was but good once as I ever was)

mrmike

Not a plumber but learned a few tricks working around some thru the years. One is when you are wrapping teflon tape around a thread, use the outer side of the tape on your index finger and wrap it going against the way it is wound. It does not slip this way.
Another is to rap hard on a stubborn threaded connection all the way around it with a hammer. It usually loosens it up
Use a wet rag to run around your solder joint before solder is set up to make a nice looking smooth shiney joint with no globs........... Mike

Jayrek

Cant get the key to grab the main shut off at the curb box?? (deep valve)

They move over time, ground shifting and traffic on street.

Locate it before you put the key in the hole.

Take a small mirror.

Remember when you were a kid and you would move a reflection around the wall?

Direct the sunlight in the hole with the mirror.

Locate valve.

Turn valve.

When replacing a main valve in a house, leave it open, (as the water at the street does not always get shut off all the way.) When it is on the fitting then close it for a reasonably dry job.

Ninga Plumber

Use a guitar string, they work great and don't snap when they get hot. plus it works under water. just like a back pack saw

Jayrek

I cant believe you guys did not say this.

Tired of making a mess with your pvc purple primer.

1)Take a decent sized cardboard box w/ no big holes.
2)Keep can in box.
3) When you remove dauber, give it a quick snap of the wrist to shake off the excess.
4)No mess. Except what is in the box.

skyhook

I wrap duct tape around the Purple Primer, Red Hot Blue Glue and ABS cement cans together in a triangle, keeps them from tipping over and always easy to find.

__________________

Jayrek

Top Notch. Top Notch.

I would have thanked you sooner, but I was too busy trying to tip over my primer, cement, and real-tuff.

No matter how tight you put the cap on the primer, if you tilt it a little you will wear some of it. Not my problem anymore.

rselectric1

Don't convicts use that trick to saw through the bars too?

__________________
220...221...whatever it takes!

winkle

use copper cutters to cut copper

Bonafide

Cut off excess copper pipe bracket and use for vertical supply lines, keeps em nice and sturdy

plummen

ive had the pipes blow off bottem of sink doing that!

ljw24

I'm new here, can anyone tell me if kitec piping and fittings are or are not in use. We are alittle behind the times uup here in the COLD ARCTIC. Have 3 5-plexes to do and I here itec is now a no no

ljw24

is KITEC pping and fittings a no or a go

TravelTradesman

Just put a little food coloring in the tank. You will see it for shure running in the bowl if there is a leak. Its a good way to get a complaining customer to shut up! Or get yourself burned!! LOL

__________________
J&J Plumbing and HVAC

peters702

I have been using this for about 3 years with no failure of loss of pressure. Get a 4' piece of 1/2" pex and insert into old fitting with a nice seal of silicon. Reinstall fill tank slowly and you have a repair. Total cost is less than $5.00 in parts.

leaky56

I was amazed to find a customer who had a burst copper pipe, due to frost, in his attic had pushed on a potato which kept it leak free for 48 hours at about 4 bar.

Plumbermurrieta

If you have a toilet flange that needs to be anchored to slab, but there's too much crete missing, or is too grainy to bite the screw threads, hammer slivers of wood in there as tight as you can.or still ask for a plumber contractor for it

plummen

works great on car/truck radiators also for temp fix

William James

An old-timer showed me this trick about 5 years ago. I don't know the name for them, but they're an old cast-iron lever valve with a nut on one side. In CT, they're found mostly in Stamford. You have to slowly loosen the nut on the side, then take 1 1/4" copper pipe (1-2' long) and put it on lever. Pull the lever. Loosen nut some more (might squirt alittle, but that's normal. Keep pulling lever down. Repeat until you got it shut off.

Does anyone know the name of this valve? Pain in the butt-valve.