Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

[PLUMB-KING]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

indeed i have heard of the old bread trick and personally think its gotta be one of the roughest approaches ever. people pay hundreds of pounds protecting central heating systems from sludge and debris with things like magnacleans, spirotechs etc for people such as yourselves to introduce bread into the system. me thinks its not going too be very good for them heat exchangers, or even if its on hot / cold pipework its gonna get stuck in a filter somewhere. but thats just my tuppence worth. im all for having the correct tool for the job.

I was taught by an old school plumber,so from time to time I use old school methods.I was talking small amounts of bread & for smaller pipe.The bread when soaked through will just dissolve.

Tip: dont go pushing a french stick up a pipe that wont dissolve!🙄

 

[Guest123]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

I always put a 5pence piece and a washer in a open end of a ballafix if i leave a job for a while and there are others on site
blank off a 22mm pipe the same with a 10p piece and washer

I always fit a screw on end cap to blank off open ended valves. Cheaper than using your hard earned cash in a fitting.

 

[dontknowitall]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

If you're unsure when you cut through a pipe about the amount of water involved that might come out, keep a couple of Speedfit push fit stop ends (2 in case you drop/lose one in your panic and put them a good foot or two from each other in case you lose them both at the same time).

 

[tamz]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

A true plumber should NEVER panic even when it is all coming down around him😛

 

[breg]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

i made a little something for my bending guides to keep them in good condition, consists of 2no 2" coupler (solvent) 2no 2"access plugs short piece of 2" pipe, glue together and you have yourself a nice place to keep your guides safe 🙂

 

[Zorro]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

Replace 3ports one wire at a time!!!!

 

[dontknowitall]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

When hanging radiators use two spirit levels. Attach first bracket, then measure distance to next bracket. Put long spirit level on top of both and use small one to make the next bracket vertical. If one hole goes wrong when drilling, make another hole. (For the less experienced, short side out for double rads and long side out for singles.)

When using spirit levels there's no need to paint a Tony Hart sketch all over the wall. Just one small (maybe 2) pencil marks.

 

[Bartdude]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

Buy a mechanics magnetic dish for servicing and repairs on boilers,fires,etc. Put all the screws,bolts and nuts in it,saves a lot of hassle trying to find bits that have fallen into the dustsheet!

 

[fagsanbooz]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

sometimes use a household mop to 'plunge' the trap/water seal on a wc pan for releasing some blockages. Take the bucket as well though, doesn't drip on the carpet then!!!!

 

[PLUMB-KING]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

A true plumber should NEVER panic even when it is all coming down around him😛

That's my boss for you! he never panics.

Many years ago I cut through a 28mm mains feed pipe with a skill saw!
( I didn't know the pipe was there ) anyway,you can imagine the mess this must of made,water poring through the kitchen ceiling below!who walks in right at this moment,my boss...😱 he says & I quote " what happened?" so I told him,he say's "oh,water off?" told him it was off, he said "ok,good,did you fill the kettle before you turned it off?" I said kettle was full,he said "good lad make me a coffee!" & that was it! & he's never changed!😀

So there's another tip for you "always make sure kettle is full before you turn any water off,no matter the situation!"

 

[GQuigley67]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

use this tool handy peace of kit small mirror extends to 610mm ideal for inspecting and a magnet on end of it for catching screws etc

http://www.sc r e w
fix.com/search.do;jsessionid=I3ZUU4VFVDZNYCSTHZOCFFQ?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=64760

 

[WHPES]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

Don't make a small cut with a hacksaw if you're not 100% sure the pipe is isolated -use a 3mm drill bit and have a short self tapping screw wound with PTFE handy which you can screw into the hole and stop the water completely if you are wrong!

When using the bread trick make sure it is sufficiently down the pipe that it won't carbonise when soldering or it WILL cause a blockage!!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

when i am soldering and i cannot see right round the fitting i use a dentists mirror to see all round to make sure it is properly soldered.

 

[Dannypipe]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

Don't make a small cut with a hacksaw if you're not 100% sure the pipe is isolated -use a 3mm drill bit and have a short self tapping screw wound with PTFE handy which you can screw into the hole and stop the water completely if you are wrong!

When using the bread trick make sure it is sufficiently down the pipe that it won't carbonise when soldering or it WILL cause a blockage!!

I can go one better than that!!

On the very rare occasions that I'm unsure of isolation in a pipe, I use a self cutting washing machine valve (£4 at screwfix).

It cuts and seals at the same time. You turn the little tap head that is attached to the valve and it opens the valve. If there is a long dead leg, you can drain it off with control, if its still live, you just close the tap and sort it.

Here you go, a link to a self cutting/sealing drain valve, under four quid. Drain valve is even better than a W/M valve as you can attach a hose to drain it down.

Check Valves & Strainers & Drain Cocks

 

[WHPES]

Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing

When you need to fasten a condenser to the motor casing (for oil boilers) you will find that the space where the nut goes you can't get a ring spanner or socket into as it's too small. However what is perfect for the job is a 13mm box spanner of the type used for tightening monoblock taps which most plumbers will have in their toolkit.


This bit. The nut is recessed in the flange casting. Those who do oil will know what I am on about.

 

[WaterTight]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

When taking WC cistern off pan and faced with undoing the metal nut that connects to the plastic thread of a toilet inlet valve - if there is the opporunity to undo a metal-to-metal or push-fit connection further down the pipe (if it's flexi tap connector or there's a compression coupler or isolation valve) undo that instead. Worse that can happen on reassebly is you need a bit of ptfe round the olive and you eliminate chance of cross-threading inlet on re-attaching nut.

When putting your silicone away give the gun a little squeeze and leave a little bit peeking out the end. That way when you come back and it's dried over you've something to grab on to pull out the dried top bit.

When offering tips and secrets of plumbing start every sentence with when.

 

[noleaksihope]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

spot on WaterTight , always look for a metal to metal connection that can be disconnected , removing the tap adapter from the plastic thread is the last resort!

keep both foam and rubber doughnuts in the van , and always replace if you ve had the cistern off to replace the syphon/washer. silicone , p's mate or putty is rough rough .


wipe your feet at the custards door, carry non slip over shoe covers for expensive looking carpets .

 

[dontknowitall]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

I use two dust sheets in wet weather. First one goes on top of customer's doormat and second one where I'm working. Usually this means I don't have to take my feet off, but if I'm working in the snow I take my wellies and work in my socks.

 

[quality]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

I know what ya mean I carry a small 1/4 drive socket set shallow and deep sockets

 

[crunchy]

re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

always have ya aqua vac at hand on old heating systems that have more sludge than water in them sudden releases of air blockages are rather annoying especially when you think you have drained a system down