Reheat Solder When You Can’t Cut a Pipe

The best way to disconnect a soldered pipe is to cut it. But sometimes you can’t—either because you can’t get a cutting tool into the space or because cutting would leave the pipe too short to make a new connection. The solution is to heat the joint and pull off the fitting as the solder melts.

Have a wet rag handy and immediately wipe away the molten solder before it hardens. (Wear gloves to prevent burning your fingers!) Sometimes a quick wipe will leave the pipe ready for a new fitting. More likely, you’ll have to scour off some excess solder with sandpaper or emery cloth before you can slip on a new fitting.

Replace Metal Drain Lines with Plastic

Metal drain lines under sinks look a lot more reliable than plastic. But plastic is better in almost every way. It’s cheaper, easier to install, and easier to adjust or tighten if a leak develops. And unlike metal, plastic won’t corrode. So when a metal drain leaks, often the smartest move is to replace the entire assembly with plastic.

Loosen Stuck Pipes with Heat

When a threaded connection won’t budge, heat sometimes does the trick, especially on ancient connections that were sealed with pipe dope that hardened over time. Be patient. Getting the metal hot enough can take a couple of minutes. Protect nearby surfaces with a flame-resistant cloth. This method is for water and waste pipes only, never for gas or fuel lines. Find out how to open up a stuck cleanout plug, too.

Piggyback Stubborn Shutoffs

Shutoff valves under sinks and toilets have a rotten reliability record. Sometimes they won’t close completely; sometimes they won’t close at all. In either case, there’s an alternative to replacing the shutoff. Most home centers carry “piggyback” shutoff valves that connect to existing shutoffs. Just disconnect the supply line and install the new valve (a new supply line is a good idea, too). If the old shutoff closes most of the way, you won’t even have to turn off the main water valve; just set a container under the valve to catch the trickle while you work.

Fix a Clog in Seconds

Before you run a drain snake into a clogged pipe or disassemble the trap, there are a few other tricks worth trying: Often, you can yank out a clog with a flexible-shaft pick-up tool (shown above) or a Zip-It (below). Likewise, a wet/dry vacuum just might suck out the clog.

Don’t Overtighten Supply Lines

It’s tempting to crank supply lines on tight, just to be safe. But overtightening supply lines is actually riskier than undertightening. A loose connection that leaks is easy to tighten, but overtightening can wreck rubber seals and crack the threaded nuts. So get into this habit: Make the connections at both ends of the supply line finger-tight, then give them another one-eighth to one-quarter turn with pliers. If they leak, snug them up a little more.

Don’t Reuse Supply Lines

When you’re replacing a toilet or a faucet, you can save a few bucks by reusing the old flexible supply lines. But don’t. Plastic degrades over time, and even a small leak can lead to catastrophic water damage. It’s a small risk, but not one worth taking. Buy new lines that are encased in braided stainless steel; they’re much less likely to burst. But even if you already have braided lines that are several years old, replace them.

Tips for Using Thread Tape

Tape and dope are equally reliable for sealing pipe threads. The main advantage of tape is that it won’t smear onto your hands or tools and end up on the carpet. Here are some tips for tape:

• Cheap tape works fine, but the thicker stuff (often pink for water, yellow for gas) is easier to handle and tears more neatly.
• Unlike dope, tape is for pipe threads only. Don’t use it on compression or other connections.
• How many times should you wrap around the pipe? There are no rules, but the most common answer we got from pro plumbers was three.
• Always wrap the tape clockwise around the threads. Otherwise, the tape will unwrap as you screw the joint together.

Cut Stubborn Parts

Corrosion and mineral deposits have an amazing power to lock parts together, making them almost impossible to disconnect. Often, the best solution is to cut the stubborn part. Either slice it off or cut kerfs in the part so you can break it off. A hacksaw blade works well. Oscillating or rotary tools work even better.

Choose Caulk, Not Putty

Despite the name, lots of plumbers never use plumber’s putty. It damages some types of plastic and stains surfaces such as natural stone. Plus, it tends to dry out, crack and allow leaks. Silicone caulk is a safer, longer-lasting sealant in most areas where you might use plumber’s putty.

Dope Everything

Thread sealant (aka ‘pipe dope’) is formulated to seal threads. But it’s great for almost any connection, even if the threads don’t form the seal. Use it on compression fittings, ground fittings and rubber seals. Because it’s slippery, it allows connections to slide together correctly for a good seal. And, if you use a type that doesn’t harden, disassembly and repair will be easier years later. Some types of dope harm plastic parts, so check the label.

Don’t Fight It, Replace It

If you feel a groove where the O-rings mate to the spout, the faucet is toast. Don’t waste any more time and energy on O-ring repairs—you’ll never get a long-lasting seal. Replace the faucet.

Get a Better Grip

Use a hex socket and valve grinding compound to avoid stripping the setscrew.

Squeeze the hex socket deep into the setscrew with one hand and pull the ratchet handle with the other. Then loosen the setscrew with a quick yanking motion.

Do your home plumbing the right way

Easily solve any basic plumbing issue by knowing what to do. Follow these tips and know the steps to solving basic plumbing woes so you won’t need to call for help and pay for their service. Wouldn’t it be fulfilling to know the ins and outs of the system in your house? Here are some basic tips and instructions for common issues.

1. How to Fix a Leaky Faucet

Save water and stop leakages in your home by knowing how to fix leaky faucets. It’s not as hard as you think. Here’s a quick tip: start with the handles. Sometimes, loose handles can cause leaky faucets. Simply tighten the area around the handles to get rid of the leak. This is one of the best plumbing tips around.

2. Fix a Clogged Sink or Tub Drain

You don’t need a drain cleaner to get rid of a clogged drain or sink. There’s an easy way to solve this type of issue. Get a plunger. Secure the drain/sink area with its suction and start plunging. This helps loosen the debris and get water trapped inside the pipes circulating again.

3. Replace Metal Drain Lines with Plastic

While metal pipes are stronger, I prefer plastic pipes. Plastic pipes are cheaper and they are easier to install too. A plastic pipe makes it easy to detect and troubleshoot leaks and other piping problems.

4. Remove the faucet this way

Don’t know how to remove a faucet? Do it just like how the plumbers do. This will require you to crawl under the sink, so get ready to get down and dirty. First, shut off all the valves to cut off the water supply to the faucet. Look for the retaining nuts that secures the faucet and remove them. Next, pull the faucet underneath the sink and through the mounting holes. It’s that easy.

5. Know what a Pop-up Drain Stopper is

The mechanical devices that use a system of links and levers to move a drain stoppers up and down is called a pop-up. This actually helps seal the toilet bowls and sinks.

6. Fix a Clog in Seconds

A clogged sink is problematic, but you can solve it easily with this nifty trick. Grab a thin wire and make a hook at the end of it. Drop it down the drain and simply pull. This helps you get rid of hair, paper, and other solid objects that get stuck down a drain. If the drain is big enough, you can use a wet/dry shop vac to get rid of clogs.

7. Know the difference between PVC and CPVC

Yes, they are different and not just because the other name has one more letter in it. CPVC pipes are a lot tougher and more durable than PVC pipes.

8. Don’t Overtighten Supply Lines

It’s actually risky to overtighten, compared to undertightening, your supply lines because it can destroy your rubber seals.

By Jamie Birdwell-Branson

We are Our Plumbing’s Biggest Enemy

You might not know it, but the biggest threat to your plumbing is likely you—and your bad habits that wreak havoc on your drains and pipes. Whether it’s putting the wrong things down the garbage disposal or doing a bad DIY job, you may be putting your plumbing at risk, and costing yourself thousands of dollars in repairs. Want to avoid a large plumbing mistake? Then stop doing these 10 things to avoid a plumbing emergency.

Relying on Liquid Drain Cleaners

When you’ve got a clogged drain, avoid the temptation of the quick fix promised by liquid drain cleaners. Not only are these products marginally effective at best, but they contain harsh chemicals that can generate heat and cause cracks in your pipes or react with existing corrosion and cause dangerous chemical reactions.

Pouring Grease Down the Drain

After cooking a sizzling pan of bacon, the worst thing you could do to your pipes is to pour that grease down the drain. Why? Because the fat from the grease will coat the pipes and build up over time, which will eventually cause a huge clog—potentially both at home and in city-owned pipes.

Putting Potato Skins Down the Garbage Disposal

Peeling potatoes over the sink may make the task easier, but don’t even think about washing them down the garbage disposal or you could create a thick, starchy mess that will seriously clog your pipes. To avoid this mess, throw your peels in the compost pile where they’ll break down into nutritious fertilizer for your garden.

Not Replacing Your Water Heater

A traditional water heater has a lifespan of 8-12 years, while tankless models may last up to 20 years. Regardless of which type of water heater you own, if you haven’t replaced it by its average expiration date, then you could be putting yourself at risk for a costly leak, not to mention higher energy prices. Look for signs that the appliance is underperforming, such as a drop in water temperature or knocking sounds, and learn about factors that may reduce the amount of time that it remains operative.

Thinking You Can Handle a Big Plumbing Job

We get it: Professional plumbers can be expensive, but that doesn’t mean you should tackle a big plumbing job on your own. An inexperienced DIYer can make huge mistakes like joining two different metal pipes together, over-tightening the connections or forgetting to turn off the water before starting a project. Before you embark on a misguided DIY project, get bids from a number of reputable plumbers, then hire one of them to help you solve your water woes.

Using Drop-in Toilet Fresheners

Drop-in toilet fresheners are a mess-free and easy way to clean your toilet bowl—and they can also cause a lot of damage to the parts inside your tank. When the chlorine inside the tablet dissolves it can cause corrosion to the gaskets and washers, so it’s best to stick to scrubbing with a good old-fashioned toilet bowl cleaner.

Leaving Hoses Connected in the Winter

When the summer days end, it’s important to not only pack up the patio furniture and grill, but to disconnect the garden hoses and turn off the water to exterior faucets. If a garden hoses stays connected to the tap throughout the winter and freezes, this can cause cracks in the hose and the pipe and may lead to a very leaky future for your home—both inside and out. If temperatures get especially cold in your region, you may want to consider placing an insulation cap on the bare spigot to provide added protection.

Failing to Take Freezing Pipe Precautions

If you live where temperatures dip below freezing, it’s essential to take proper precautions to prevent water from freezing in your pipes, which can cause them to expand and burst. One of the first defenses against burst pipes is insulation. For pipes that run along an exterior wall or through unheated portions of the home like the garage, you may also want to consider heat tape and water leak alarms.

Flushing Foreign Objects

Treating your toilet like a garbage can will definitely cause clogs, obstructions and a major bill from a plumber. The most important thing you can do to protect your plumbing is to avoid flushing foreign objects like feminine hygiene products, paper towels, baby wipes and anything else that’s not toilet paper.