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

[REDSAW]

put your hints and tips that may help others in this thread guys,






http://brittgas.weebly.com/ http://brittgas.weebly.com/

 

[stevie t]

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

Lighting your BBQ with your blowtorch is safer than using BBQ fluid!

 

[stevie t]

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

Pipe splicers are handy for cutting copper pipe however if theres water in the pipework theres no going back. Alternatively a hacksaw slightly cuts into the pipe at first. When in doubt use a hacksaw!

 

[stevie t]

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

If powerflushing a heating system and the cylinder is a prismatic type runaway. Or to aviod bursting the cylinders bubble disconnect it and loop the pipework. Personnally I'd leave it alone.

 

[stevie t]

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

Radiator htg probs:

1. Upstairs rads not working (gravity sys): Check for water in F&E tank (ballcock may have jammed) or check htg pump is working.

2. Downstairs rads not working (gavity & sealed sys): Sys may need cleaned/flushed (cost eg £250.00 for 8 rads and £10 for every rad thereafter. Price incl VAT and chemicals, doesnt incl any valves that may need changing say £15 - £25 per pair depending if TRV or not) or new pump required which is more likely (approx £75.00 incl supply and VAT).

3. All rads up and downstairs cold at bottom but hot on top: Sys needs flushed and cleaned (cost as above).

4. If for some reason a rad stops working close all other rads, put on CH and push hot water through the rad that ain't working. If it heats up there maybe air in sys. If it doesnt heat up valves could be faulty (cost as above, plus time to drain/plug sys plus inhibitor if required).

Note: Vent your rads every 6 months or so and on sealed sys check your pressure gauge is around 1.25 bar. Rem htg inhibitor/protector in your CH sys doenst last forever, replenish every few years and the odd powerflush wont go amiss.

Please note prices subject to change. All work guaranteed till check clears LOL!

 

[stevie t]

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

100% fuzzy even if cust insists you should insist more tell them its all part of the service even if you take the rough off and bin it.



All work guaranteed till cheque clears... lol

 

[stevie t]

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

Always carry a tub of plumbers mait in your van it comes in v handy at times. For example when changing a syphon on a close coupling toilet you notice the spongey flange that sits between the cisterin and the pan is shot to bits its easier to make one up with your plumbers mait than leave the job and run back to the plumbers merchants for a new flange. You can never go wrong extra PTFE either. Better lookin at it than for it!

All work guaranteed till cheque clears... lol

 

[Phil]

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

If you've just frozen a pipe that is over the louge ceiling for instance and you absolutly need to make sure its safe before cutting into it - 28mm gravity circs from a primatic clyinder?

Get a clamp type temporary pipe repair with a rubber gasket and fit it to the pipe with the nuts almost nipped up and then drill a 3mm hole in the top of the pipe right next to it. If it should spray out the slide the clamp over the hole and tighten up.

 

[helpsy]

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

Always carry a tub of plumbers mait in your van it comes in v handy at times. For example when changing a syphon on a close coupling toilet you notice the spongey flange that sits between the cisterin and the pan is shot to bits its easier to make one up with your plumbers mait than leave the job and run back to the plumbers merchants for a new flange. You can never go wrong extra PTFE either. Better lookin at it than for it!

All work guaranteed till cheque clears... lol

I always apply Plumbers Gold to syphons,floats and doughnuts and never had a problem......that's tempted fate now!!!!

 

[stevie t]

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

If you need to replace a gasket on a boiler, say around the burner, cos the old one disentegrates once removed (which happens) and your supplier wont have them for a day or 2 go to your nearest garage/car workshop and buy a sheet of gasket fibre and make your own using the old one as a template. It does the same job! Same applies to oil fire burner gaskets.

 

[shorticus]

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

If you need to replace a gasket on a boiler, say around the burner, cos the old one disentegrates once removed (which happens) and your supplier wont have them for a day or 2 go to your nearest garage/car workshop and buy a sheet of gasket fibre and make your own using the old one as a template. It does the same job! Same applies to oil fire burner gaskets.

er, that's certainly not a good idea on Vaillants and it may even be illegal!

 

[GQuigley67]

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

If you need to replace a gasket on a boiler, say around the burner, cos the old one disentegrates once removed (which happens) and your supplier wont have them for a day or 2 go to your nearest garage/car workshop and buy a sheet of gasket fibre and make your own using the old one as a template. It does the same job! Same applies to oil fire burner gaskets.

have done this type of thing before on plumbing, wouldnt entertain it though on boilers

 

[stevie t]

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

have done this type of thing before on plumbing, wouldnt entertain it though on boilers

I got this tip off a htg engr a few years back, I know of others who have done the same over time, just make sure the depth of the gasket is enough to ensure its tightness.

 

[WHPES]

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

Never try and use a brass olive reducing set in an Oventrop TRV or lockshield as the fittings aren't deep enough to accomodate them. Use a copper reducing solder fitting instead.

 

[WHPES]

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

Pipe splicers are handy for cutting copper pipe however if theres water in the pipework theres no going back. Alternatively a hacksaw slightly cuts into the pipe at first. When in doubt use a hacksaw!

Even better drill a small hole in it and if its still full screw a self tapping screw in wrapped with PTFE to stop the water.

 

[stevie t]

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

Nice one. As we live we learn

 

[tweakyboy]

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

Or just put a small slice in the pipe with a hacksaw and if there is still water in it wrap some insulation tape around the pipe. Saves fiddling about with a screw and no doubt you will end up loosing it in the insulation!

 

[WHPES]

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

Quick fix for a perforated pipe - jubilee clip and a square of car innertube. For some houses round here with private water supplies (the water can be quite corrosive) you find pipe covered with such repairs.

 

[Phil]

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

Flimsy bath panels?

You know when fitting a bath panel you ALWAYS need to slice 20mm off one end to get it in and it leaves one end mis shapen and flaping about?

What I did today on a micron thin Homebase bath panel (slightly curved) was silicone the cut off back on the end of the panel.(front face of cut off glued to back of panel) This gives you the shape and strength back on that side, and a return.

You'll have to give yourself say 2 - 3 hours for the Dow Corning to set so glue it early in the day but apart from that it worked a treat.

 

[REDSAW]

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

for gluing up bath panels, invest in a set of acrylic superglue sold at your local pvc merchant for around £8.
sets in 15 seconds.

 

[WaterTight]

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

Pipe splicers are handy for cutting copper pipe however if theres water in the pipework theres no going back. Alternatively a hacksaw slightly cuts into the pipe at first. When in doubt use a hacksaw!

Even better drill a small hole in it and if its still full screw a self tapping screw in wrapped with PTFE to stop the water.

Or just put a small slice in the pipe with a hacksaw and if there is still water in it wrap some insulation tape around the pipe. Saves fiddling about with a screw and no doubt you will end up loosing it in the insulation!

If worried about whether there's water in a 15mm pipe - especially during freezing it - best thing is to put on a a self-cutting isolation valve.



Available at bes.co.uk

 

[mikejthomas]

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

Keep a 40mm to 43mm (1.5" solvent weld pipe size) adaptor in your van for when you are fitting a waste trap from our continental friends! They come 40mm OD and our UK pipe doesn't fit!! I can tell you where to buy them, Sanifix on 0845 450 1940 or 01902 636095

 

[mikejthomas]

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

Don't lick your finger before smoothing silicone! It adds bacteria into the silicone and relicking your finger puts silicone in your mouth and it's NOT good for you!!

 

[mikejthomas]

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

ALWAYS use the correct cutter and not a hacksaw when cutting JG Speedfit or Hep20 etc. O rings can get damaged otherwise....

 

[mikejthomas]

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

I don't sell it, stock it, work for them or have anything to gain but try out Everbuild Styxall, especially the crystal clear one! I use it all the time for applications where you need to seal in a shower screen and test it immediately.

 

[dontknowitall]

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

Black marks on glass - lighter fuel and WD40 are useful weapons.

Also WD40 (with kitchen roll) makes many scratches on your car/van disappear and it also clears those annoying tar spots that find their way around the wheel arches and up the doors. (Wash off with car shampoo after using WD40.)

 

[mikejthomas]

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

WD40 is good for loads of things. I polish out black marks and improve scratches if not deep using T-Cut and mix in some talcum powder or jeweller's rouge for extra cutting action. Mix just water with them too. You have to rub really really hard and be patient but it can save a costly piece of glass.

 

[mikejthomas]

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

Only hand tighten basin mixer flexible hoses. Never allow any twisting of the braiding and be careful not to bend them more than 30 degrees - read the installation instructions to double check. I've known manufacturers of the hose to invalidate the warranty when a hose has failed.

 

[mikejthomas]

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

Get a pop-up waste mechanism working smoothly by making sure the horizontal and vertical bars actually touch before fitting the connecting joint. You will probably have to carefully bend the horizontal bar when in place to do this - never bend it near a threaded connection though.

 

[mikejthomas]

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

If you are fitting a waste to an acrylic bath and the layer of fibreglass to acrylic is not sealed to draining water (OR overflowing water) then seal it in with a little silicone (there are loads of tiny holes that can allow water to drain into the sandwich layer of some bath shells and materialise as mysterious leaks on the outside of the fibreglass....). Some wastes come with double seals to encapsulate this area for a good reason!

 

[Guest123]

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

When using a flexi bath overflow tube for a combined waste and overflow that is going to be way out of reach, say on a double ended bath and in the centre of the bath at the back wall, for extra security, fix it with a jubilee clip. Never comes off and gives peace of mind.