I like got2learn's tricks. But I stopped watching him when he said if you have a house that has a pressure reducing valve with thermal bypass that you don't need an expansion tank. You still need an expansion tank because the pressure on the house side has to be higher than the city pressure for the bypass to do its job. Of course you know that though
When I worked retail our shelves came in lengths of 2 and 3 feet, and both came in depths of 13, 15, 16, 17 and 22 inches. During a store reset, I overheard a coworker saying, "I don't need feet, I just need a couple of inches!" and I hollered "That's what she said!" from two aisles over. He actually stopped what he was doing and came over to where I was just to fist bump me.
"It takes time. It takes practice. It takes you perfecting everything you do, every single day." I intend to quote this often, because this is solid advice for any profession.
It's deeply satisfying to see not only the tips and tricks, but to also have a pro like Mr. Wakefield go over it and verify. I've learned a lot on this channel, and I hope to be able to do more of this work, of better quality, just at my own place, even if it's just proper maintenance.
Plumbing trick during house construction: Photograph all of the plumbing before putting up the drywall. Print this out and put the pictures in a book stored in a water resistant box below the breaker panel.
During renovations for customers, I photograph floors, walls and ceilings when they are exposed to identify the location of all plumbing, wiring and HVAC. Lay down a yard/meter stick in the photo to provide scale when practical. Five years later, the customer can reference and accurately locate any pipe, wire or duct. At the end of the project, I hand the customer a thumbdrive ($5 bucks) containing all the relevant pics which they can retain in a safe place. Digital photography and your phone makes this process simple and fast and my customers are extremely appreciative that I did this little extra. I recently had a new gas line to my home installed. The contractor and the city located and paint marked all the underground services between the street and my home ( water, gas, cable, telephone, sewers ). I downloaded a "Google Earth" aerial shot of my property and used photo software to mark all those service lines, with dimensions, onto the photo. Now I know where all the bodies are buried.
We take pictures of all of the walls while it's open framing and we use measurement references from an 8 foot 2 by 4 so you can locate things later if needed
Got2learn helped me a lot when I installed all the water pipes in my first house I’ve ever bought, I learned a lot from him and he personally guided me on FB messenger with many tips and tricks, I owe that guy a lot, he’s the best and he’s very humble.
I have used a tape measure to hold up copper before when soldering. When i saw your silfoss video i realized im not the only one. As a canadian plumber I agree that got2learns channel is pretty awesome. He has a lot of cool tricks
Couple things. I'm a mechanic, I have a cart with basic tools that I keep everything I'm using for a job on it plus parts/bolts. It has a drawer, I keep an extendable magnet in the drawer. Nothing worst then dropping something and it lands in the center of the car. It takes time to raise the car up, and crawling makes you dirty (which gets in the car). So fishing with it saves time and hassle. I've had holes in things I needed to enlarge. In my case it was sheet metal. I clamped a sacrificial piece to it so I could drill it center and use it for centering the hole saw. Just another option and a reason why you may be needing the trick (some hack used wrong pipe for example). Live your videos, keep em coming.
I actually found your channel because of Got2Learn. I had been watching his videos for awhile and your channel was listed by TH-cam as a similar channel.
I had the pleasure of learning from 2 guys who have been in the trade for longer than I’ve been alive, and i have been taught most of these tricks first hand. However, it seems that a lot of these tricks can be done with the proper tools. Do be a fool and use the right tool. Thanks for the video.
@Roger Whitfield, I really like the tip on using pvc piping for leverage. I appreciate that you give props to other TH-camrs. A lot of folks only have negative input. You’re the best!
For the socket wrench, when it's in a tight spot, I usually place the socket first for two reasons: 1. It tells me if my socket is deep enough. 2. Finding a nut in a hole out of eyeshot is rather finicky, but using the socket as a beacon for your heavy-headed wrench is a much easier task... I just wish I could find a good set of deep sockets with a hexagonal base to use as a cressant wrench extension for those awkward situations.
It’s cool that you showed this in your channel, I feel like plenty of people would just not show this channel because they want all that possible business
I did plumbing for about 15 years before I hurt my back too bad to keep working in the trades. I cant say I've ever used my tape measure to support pipe while soldering it up. My school of thought has always been that if it needs to be supported to be able to solder it, it needs to be supported after you solder it too. So I run my hangers and get the pipe secure, and then once it's where it needs to stay I solder it. That way nothing is under stress or twist, that only leads to leaks down the road. Also I'm glad you pointed out that solder joint at 12:30, you were thinking the exact same thing I was lol
I found your channel from watching Got2Learn... Now my 2 favorite channels. Thanks for Keeping the plumbing trade a legitimately professional trade. Great ideas!
@@RogerWakefield The pay here in Brazil is awful, I started on the job making way less than a dollar an hour to manually break walls and concrete floors all day, or other rough aspects of the job (like digging holes under the sun the entire day with little possibility for breaks). I love the job and the freedom it provides, everyday a new and different place, someone new, visiting new houses or industries.... it just wasn't meeting my expectations monetarily-wise. Some months I didn't even make 400 USD. If it weren't for that I'd do it in a heartbeat because it's the best line of work I've ever entered.
Tape measure stand trick was one of the first tricks I learned as a plumber and it's awesome. Another cool trick I learned at the beginning was using small length of garden hose to lift water heaters. Your channel is awesome!
Your best advice, "take pride in everything you do". I'm a hvac tech and I tell my guys even if no one will see it but you, make it look like it is going on the next sales presentation
Pride is the utmost, I went from framing and finish carpentry to plumbing and pipe fitting and haven't looked back. I'm 29 and sadly there's very few in my area my age that appreciate quality
Sharkbites are great for temporary fixes to get someone's water back on. We used a bunch when the big freezes hit in 2009 and 2010. We were going to about 20 something houses a day cutting out freeze breaks and sharkbiting stuff back together to get people water. We would then schedule everybody out to fix them up right over about a month and a half or so. Plus they're nice for capping off Roman tub lines for demo on remodels. You can just pull them off and reuse them somewhere else later
I do the same, but although Shark-Bites are reusable, the rubber seal inside can deteriorate each time they are removed. Don't reuse them too many times.
@@wildbill8675309 To obtain the best reuse life from Shark-Bites, make sure the pipe is pristine, well deburred and smooth around the outside. Don't sand with sand cloth the way you would when soldering.
I realized while watching this video that when you find content you really enjoy watching and you find it really good and then you press the screen/move the mouse and check how long is left on the video and you see that it's close to finishing and you just think I really wish this could last longer or last forever because it's SO good
Had a professional out 3 times to light my water heater said he be back it be over 250 dollars.csme to this channel had it lit in less than 5 minutes! So I'm very thankful for you . I'm financially embarrassed so every little bit helps . Thank you so much ❤️
We usually scratch the threaded ends lightly with a hacksaw (perpendicular to the connection) before we apply Teflon tape. This prevents the tape from moving out of your connection. Teflon tape all at the end of the connection when fully tightened. And as a added benefit helps with wrapping. No sawing motion involved, just running (scratching) the saws teeth over the thread (3 or 4 times). And indeed this is not a fix for applying Teflon tape the wrong way! (0:46 for reference). Or applying the incorrect amount of tape or the incorrect amount of tension. Hope I didn't slaughter this comment with my bad English skills.
Yes I have sat at my stool a time or 2 hovering a screwdriver. It's not all hard you just need compressed air, a handle of some sort and find the angle of the air, the handle will automatically fall into place.
I've done that trick with the tape measure the other day. I was prefabbing a short run of 3/4" copper to go from the main shutoff valve to the water meter, and I had to support the offset I was soldering together. As for getting ABS fittings off: if you cut the hub at the 12:00, 2:00, and/or the 10:00 positions you'll be able to break the glue's bond on fittings that are years old. It could be that they weren't glued properly in the first place or were exposed to the weather too much (keep in mind this is in central Alberta, Canada where it can be +30 Celsius in the summer and -40 in the winter, so that could have some effect.) but it worked rather well.
I knew about a lot of these before, but that 1.4 multiplier was awesome to find out. We don't have unions for plumbing in my part of Florida so this is the first I'm hearing of it.
That copper pipe trick works well, I've also done as you mentioned, put the socket on the nut first then put the rachet on as much as possible, as well
If you use the new portable cordless band saws to cut your threaded rod you don't need to do anything to the threads they just work. I've done the tape measure thing, but additionally I have use my imp tube cutter to hole a piece upright to solder the dielectric union halves on so I get a really nice solder joint and not a lopsided one that you get from soldering horizontally, another thing to use the imp for is holding back your armorflex while you solder or braze your joints on pipe thats got armorflex already on it.
Shark Bite caps are great for kitchen an bathroom remodels. While demoing we shut the water off, cut the pipe and just push it on. So it will only be on there until the plumber does the rough-in.
I like your videos, very practical. A few random comments. The "x1.41" trick. Ah, geometry, the ONLY math course I didn't have to take twice in my life. It's actually the square root of 2. That number comes in handy in other places too, electricians use it to calculate the peak voltage from RMS voltage. Soldering is really neat. The metal atoms of the solder actually diffuse into the copper pipe (that's the neat part, a good joint). The solder joint actually becomes a continuous piece of metal. If the solder is just stuck on the copper pipe, not enough heat, no diffusion (that's a cold joint). The last trick is due to the Coanda Effect. It's more of a mechanics trick, but the Coanda Effect comes into play all over the place. It's one of the tricks that keeps airplanes in the air. Enjoy your videos, learned quite a bit.
I’ve been a plumber since 97 and I’m always seeing new tricks. However using the tape measure as a support, I don’t know usually the lock mechanism doesn’t work long after crawling under houses, dropping them from ladders. I used to buy cheap Chinese tape measures for a buck a piece and I’d get them by the case because I broke them so often. After you break a few fat maxes you start looking for cheaper alternatives
Definitely used my tape measure to support copper when soldering. Use an old one when the numbers start to wear out so you don't burn your good tape. Plumber from P.E.I, Canada
The floating screw driver us a old machine shop trick (down time is the devils playground 😉). Basically the air moving over the handle causes a low pressure area opposite the air nozzle. At the right angle that vacuum is strong enough to lift the tool, but as the tool moves away from the nozzle the pressure flow drops and the collapsing vacuum bubble pushes the tool back towards the nozzle. Where the vacuum is reestablished. Rinse, repeat. It's the same kind of flow dynamics as an airplane wing. And it makes a good way of dazzling the new hires and ticking off the shop super 😅. Because "if you're not working you should be sweeping. Not playing with your screwdriver!"
I've had to use the PVC "extra handle" for added leverage before. I had to install a fill alarm on my oil tank and those connections did not want to budge.
Another good trick is to wrap Teflon tape clockwise around the fitting. If you wrap it the other way, when you go to screw on the fitting, it will unravel the Teflon tape
The levitating screw driver at the end is an example of Bernoulli’s Principle. It's basically that moving air causes lift. He's using a compressed air nozzle to shoot at the bulbous end of that screwdriver, and it creates lift. They do an experiment similar to that with a ping pong ball to teach kids about it.
I used to work at a plumbing supply house. When we first got shark bite fittings I remember one of the usual plumbers buying a bunch of them for a home plumbing job. A year or so later he had to redo the job because a lot of the shark bites were leaking.
I’ve never hammered a piece of copper over a nut before like shown, but I have hammered a piece into a square before to use as an extension to get a floor clean out plug removed, works like a charm with a pipe wrench on it👌🏼
I've used a worn down grinder wheel, bolted into a screwgun, that was small enough to fit inside 3" pipes to cut toilet drains. It works great but smells terrible as it more just melts the pipe apart rather than cut it.
As a worker in a HVAC machine factory I use the tape trick many time a day to support what I need to solder a joint especially if I have to use silver. I'm still learning and o do most of my joint on my vise. Soldering is about 90% of my normal job (mostly silfos and silver solder) so I use this trick a lot of time in a day... On that I must thank you for this trick that make my job easier since I've seen it in one of your previous Video
What I've done with the all-thread situation is that I've used distance stoppers. I take rubber stoppers from other projects, find ones just a little bit bigger than the socket I'll use, freeze the stopper, then drill out the middle of the stopper larger than it needs to be. That stopper fits very well into the socket and keeps the nut right at the end where I want it. I've also seen people that buy plastic bolt spacers the right size and length, and put them in with a thick o-ring to keep them in place.
For the hacksaw blade in the sawzall, you can use a rubber tie down on the other end to gain more control of the blade. makes it a great deal more safe to do.
If you start a nut on the cut end of the all thread just till it starts to bind. Leave it on and give it a light tap on the floor and it's usually good to go. The tape measure pipe stand is genius. If you've got a large threaded fitting with your 3' pipe wrenches on, don't reef on it. Get a ratchet strap and hook to the loops on the ends of the wrenches and just ratchet the strap. Fill your solder joints from the bottom up and run you solder all the way one side then the next. Never apply the solder where you have or just had your torch. Then you know you're also hot enough to wick into the joint. Don't just feed from one spot. Bend a 90 on the solder makes it easy and measures how much solder you get in the joint for reference.
New to the channel. Guessing Ferguson is a sponsor with the raptor plug. I just wish they made easier view levels. Loving your channel. Been a plumber for 17 years and still learning some great tips here.
I keep the tape measure fishing trick in my back pocket. Though not a plumber, I find it useful when working on a ladder or around tight places... Usually saves time to fish rather than set everything up so you can climb down and pick up that something you dropped. Also a great tool for those times when something falls into a vent. The ducting isn't metallic, but the screws that hold it together seem to attract any hands stuck in there. I have also used that to carry a bucket up a ladder in tight situations. Keeps your hands clear while climbing for that extra security.
It's even 1.4142. LOL.. Love your channel. I'm a 30 year Master Plumber in Pittsburgh. I've also taught plumbing school for 12 years. Many subjects. I too am Local 27. Keep up the great videos
Times 2 from the short side (side opposite the 30 degree angle) If from the long side (or opposite a 60 degree angle), then 2/sqrt3. The 45 degree one is precisely times sqrt2. But 1.414 is more than enough precision.
It seems like plumbers dont know how to use wrenches and deep sockets, ive never seen them use any of them. (Yes i know they dont really need it and it is to heavy and take up to much space)
I’ve learned several tricks from him. The pen tape trick, hole saw trick, hole saw burnout trick, and the crescent wrench ready rod trick have come in super handy. Another trick for threaded pipe is for when you have an old joint that you can’t break. Tighten it until it turns just a little then it will break loose easier. I don’t know how or why that works but it does.
One time I fixed the fill valve assembly inside a toilet tank.. Where the float adjustment screw is on the top, water was just shooting up every time you flushed, hitting the lid and running out onto the floor. It still worked plenty fine. My easy fix was... I took a plastic water bottle, cut the top half off, made a notch in the side for the float arm, and just slid the bottle upside down over the valve assembly.Kept the water where it belonged and the toilet operated normally. They ended up replacing that old toilet the following year, but it saved me the hassle of installing new parts.
Some of what is shown here is useful in other fields. If you can't undo the nuts on your car wheels then a piece of pipe over the brace can give you the extra that you need.
Great tips but I believe you're missing one thing, if I'm increasing the size of a hole it's not because I drilled it wrong, it's normally because I'm installing an upgraded system ( replacing piping that was too small for an added load). It's understandable ,because we have basements in the Midwest ,north & Canada. We probably deal with 10 times the amount of floor joist then plumbers do in predominantly slab on grade areas of the country.
With the soldered copper joints I think it was failed to mention it works best if the piece flux was applied to is the piece that is heated. Then as you apply solder and the fitting is heated, as the flux begins leaking, a vacuum will occur where the solder is pulled in so that it bonds with the flux to the inner pipe. This completely fills the fitting with solder making it water tight. Any excess you don't like you can just debur or however you like to clean it, just don't readd heat or you can re-melt the solder, causing it to leak out which can introduce a water leak.
I’m from the uk and a plumber and love your videos and to answer your question about tape measures supporting pipes I do this quite frequently to hold pipes level
Pro tip for 1.414 : take a sliver of pipe, connect the 2 45 bends to one side ( dry fit ) and use that centerline in the 1.414 equation. Don't need to account for offset of fittings now just add the 2 hubs to the measurement. The offset for a 22 is 2.613 ;) same rules apply . Yup ive used my tape measure for holding pipe to soldier
A good trick for drop in tubs is to build the drain shoe, over flow, santee and pipe on the tub. Then measure the width of the tub and divide it in half to get drain and flow center. Then for the height from the santee to the bottom edge of the tub where it sits on the tile or other surface then add the depth of the santee to get a height for the vertical pipe from the p trap or offset fittings above the trap if needed. Then glue the waste and overflow to the vertical drain pipe and make sure it is the right height and center measurements. Then put a bucket of mixed portland cement or two over the dirt in the p trap area and a at least a bucket of cement under the tub. Then set the tub in place and put weight in the tub by standing in the the tub and place the tub shoe washer/gasket in place between the tub and drain pipe tub shoe fitting. Then the drain trim peice that's threaded put plumbers puddy on it below the trim piece lip and some teflon pipe thread sealant on the threads and with a tub wrench tighten it in. Plus place the gasket in the overflow space between tub and overflow pipe and tighten the trim screws down through through overflow trim into the overflow pipe fitting. I have set at least probably 100 or more of these drop in tubs and the pipe in the perfect spot every time once tub is set in place . It helps to make the center of the drain pipe on the floor and on the wood behind overflow to double check before setting the tub in place. This prefab method really helps to insure a one time try and proper fit. At one house I had the tub overflow and drain place and once the tub a 900lb Kohler cast iron 7' jetted gacuzzi tub was set in place by the help of 12 guys the drain and overflow lined up perfectly. Every company i have worked at has put on piping and setting drop in tubs in and i also get it perfect the first time!
I am a plumber in Alabama. I use shark bites when in a tough situation and not in a wall or in the ground. But I have used them under a house. I wonder why you don’t use them. I started plumbing as a apprentice in 1980. Back than no shark bites. But in the last few years I have used them with good results. I do like your videos, and your honesty. . Thanks
For that hole saw trick, if you can't insert another hole saw bit into your hole saw, use a board. Drill the hole you need in the board, hold it on the surface you need to make a bigger hole and use the board as the guide. For cutting bolts, cut most of the way through. Then bend it out and snap it off on the bend back in. It bends the burr inwards and you'll never have an issue with getting a nut on or off.
The 1.414 number is useless if you don't know how to find your exact take off. Similar to finding a take off for a fitting mark center marks Along the cast marks of copper, cast iron, or pvc (for pvc sometimes use number) and butt the 45s together with left hand, holding the cup against a flat surface such as stud wall or floor measure offset. If you can't get it square with the wall you can use the butt against the flat surface as an improvised speed square (don't ever use a cheap combo square, a torpedo level is way more accurate) Then subtract that measurement from required offset, multiply result by 1.414 then add the cup depth for both 45s and there is your travel piece. Another trick to get center marks on a fitting is to simply rub it on the ground scratching a curved line into it's side. Also you can scratch a centerline into a pipe by rubbing an aluminum torpedo level back and forth on a pipe and the aluminum is like a pencil
Roger I don't use Sharkbite fittings either. I've used the caps as a temporary though and that's it. I'm in my 51st year of plumbing now. We both have been around the block a time or two....right....
5:00 if you're cutting the bar anyway you could always take the extra two seconds to lightly bevel the cut with the flat of your angle grinder/whatever other cutting disk machine you're using
Let's make sure we let viewers know, that for the demonstration for removing the kink from the PEX tubing, only works on Uponor/Wirsbo brand PEX. That brand is the only product manufacturered with a memory membrane to recall its original extruded form. Also a hair dryer is best recommended not an open flame. An open flame will burn the pipe weakening its strength and voiding any warranty. Otherwise many useful tips I too have been using for decades.
The thing with getting rid of the stop on the coupling is now you have a super thin spot in the pipe that could leak later on...that’s not extra material inside the coupling, all they did was push the existing material on the outside of the coupling in ever so slightly to make the stop
a carpenter once showed me a hole saw trick to keep it from getting chip bound and heating up when drilling into thick wood. start your hole saw just deep enough to get the ring of the hole to form. take a 1/4" drill and drill 3 or four holes on into the ring/the edge of the future hole. these hole will help the saw dust and chips to clear as you drill.
You should explain that teflon tape is not a sealant. Its a roll of lubricant that aids in tightening the tapered thread. No amount of telfon tape will seal a loose connection.
i use the tape measure trick fairly often, i work with 2 thirty year plumbers pretty regularly , and neither one of them had ever seen that trick until i showed them.
air pressure formed against your hand creating the flow pattern.... try it Roger... you'll get it. Nice video, as always, and great shout out to another channel👍👍❤
Like this if you think Got2Learn has an awesome channel!
I love Got2Learn, they have the best and most realistic training video on hand brazing that I've seen, and I've been looking for years.
I like got2learn's tricks. But I stopped watching him when he said if you have a house that has a pressure reducing valve with thermal bypass that you don't need an expansion tank. You still need an expansion tank because the pressure on the house side has to be higher than the city pressure for the bypass to do its job. Of course you know that though
do you go 3and a half turns for teflon tape?
G2L has a good channel
Uh y’all do know that they make deep sockets and extensions
Thanks for the mention Roger, you have a great channel, cheers!!!
Helloo
@@jasonlimchinhoong8491 ;)
HEEEEYYYYY so cool you got a SHOUT OUT!!!!
@@T.E.P. hehe sooo cool 🤘🤘🤘
@@Got2Learn it's all metal ... literally!
"Sometimes a 1/2" is all she needs." Lmao! Legend.
.5 take it or leave it
Don't say it that way, she may leave it...
... and that’s why she left me 😥
That'd extra half inch would bring me up to a full inch hahaha
When I worked retail our shelves came in lengths of 2 and 3 feet, and both came in depths of 13, 15, 16, 17 and 22 inches. During a store reset, I overheard a coworker saying, "I don't need feet, I just need a couple of inches!" and I hollered "That's what she said!" from two aisles over. He actually stopped what he was doing and came over to where I was just to fist bump me.
"It takes time. It takes practice. It takes you perfecting everything you do, every single day."
I intend to quote this often, because this is solid advice for any profession.
It's deeply satisfying to see not only the tips and tricks, but to also have a pro like Mr. Wakefield go over it and verify. I've learned a lot on this channel, and I hope to be able to do more of this work, of better quality, just at my own place, even if it's just proper maintenance.
Plumbing trick during house construction: Photograph all of the plumbing before putting up the drywall. Print this out and put the pictures in a book stored in a water resistant box below the breaker panel.
During renovations for customers, I photograph floors, walls and ceilings when they are exposed to identify the location of all plumbing, wiring and HVAC. Lay down a yard/meter stick in the photo to provide scale when practical. Five years later, the customer can reference and accurately locate any pipe, wire or duct. At the end of the project, I hand the customer a thumbdrive ($5 bucks) containing all the relevant pics which they can retain in a safe place. Digital photography and your phone makes this process simple and fast and my customers are extremely appreciative that I did this little extra. I recently had a new gas line to my home installed. The contractor and the city located and paint marked all the underground services between the street and my home ( water, gas, cable, telephone, sewers ). I downloaded a "Google Earth" aerial shot of my property and used photo software to mark all those service lines, with dimensions, onto the photo. Now I know where all the bodies are buried.
We take pictures of all of the walls while it's open framing and we use measurement references from an 8 foot 2 by 4 so you can locate things later if needed
Amen, I always measure out all the studs as well so that you know exactly where they are, takes 5 minutes but saves you a lot of hassle down the line.
I wish I had this for my house!!
Got2learn helped me a lot when I installed all the water pipes in my first house I’ve ever bought, I learned a lot from him and he personally guided me on FB messenger with many tips and tricks, I owe that guy a lot, he’s the best and he’s very humble.
I have used a tape measure to hold up copper before when soldering. When i saw your silfoss video i realized im not the only one. As a canadian plumber I agree that got2learns channel is pretty awesome. He has a lot of cool tricks
Couple things. I'm a mechanic, I have a cart with basic tools that I keep everything I'm using for a job on it plus parts/bolts. It has a drawer, I keep an extendable magnet in the drawer. Nothing worst then dropping something and it lands in the center of the car. It takes time to raise the car up, and crawling makes you dirty (which gets in the car). So fishing with it saves time and hassle.
I've had holes in things I needed to enlarge. In my case it was sheet metal. I clamped a sacrificial piece to it so I could drill it center and use it for centering the hole saw. Just another option and a reason why you may be needing the trick (some hack used wrong pipe for example). Live your videos, keep em coming.
8:34 of course you don’t wear a belt. That prevents plumbers butt!
Lol
I actually found your channel because of Got2Learn. I had been watching his videos for awhile and your channel was listed by TH-cam as a similar channel.
I love that. Thank you CJ...
Same here
Ditto
I found your channel like a week ago and I never thought I could get addicted to plumbing videos, stay awesome Roger
I had the pleasure of learning from 2 guys who have been in the trade for longer than I’ve been alive, and i have been taught most of these tricks first hand.
However, it seems that a lot of these tricks can be done with the proper tools. Do be a fool and use the right tool.
Thanks for the video.
@Roger Whitfield, I really like the tip on using pvc piping for leverage. I appreciate that you give props to other TH-camrs. A lot of folks only have negative input. You’re the best!
Glad to help Kimberly. I love what some of the other TH-camrs are doing! Who are your favorites?
For the socket wrench, when it's in a tight spot, I usually place the socket first for two reasons:
1. It tells me if my socket is deep enough.
2. Finding a nut in a hole out of eyeshot is rather finicky, but using the socket as a beacon for your heavy-headed wrench is a much easier task...
I just wish I could find a good set of deep sockets with a hexagonal base to use as a cressant wrench extension for those awkward situations.
Iii
It’s cool that you showed this in your channel, I feel like plenty of people would just not show this channel because they want all that possible business
I did plumbing for about 15 years before I hurt my back too bad to keep working in the trades. I cant say I've ever used my tape measure to support pipe while soldering it up. My school of thought has always been that if it needs to be supported to be able to solder it, it needs to be supported after you solder it too. So I run my hangers and get the pipe secure, and then once it's where it needs to stay I solder it. That way nothing is under stress or twist, that only leads to leaks down the road.
Also I'm glad you pointed out that solder joint at 12:30, you were thinking the exact same thing I was lol
Roger is just interesting. At first I just wanted to know how to unclog my toilet and now I'm a certified plumber when I watch him.
The two amazing plumbers colab with each other
We need to work on that. I'd go to Canada to do that...
Roger Wakefield Anytime, you’re welcome up here!
I found your channel from watching Got2Learn... Now my 2 favorite channels.
Thanks for Keeping the plumbing trade a legitimately professional trade.
Great ideas!
Don't know anything about pipes but pretty good content.
I worked as a plumber and electrician for around 7 years and all these tips are great!
Most I already knew but there are some gems in there too!
That's wonderful. Why'd you get out?
@@RogerWakefield The pay here in Brazil is awful, I started on the job making way less than a dollar an hour to manually break walls and concrete floors all day, or other rough aspects of the job (like digging holes under the sun the entire day with little possibility for breaks).
I love the job and the freedom it provides, everyday a new and different place, someone new, visiting new houses or industries.... it just wasn't meeting my expectations monetarily-wise. Some months I didn't even make 400 USD.
If it weren't for that I'd do it in a heartbeat because it's the best line of work I've ever entered.
Tape measure stand trick was one of the first tricks I learned as a plumber and it's awesome. Another cool trick I learned at the beginning was using small length of garden hose to lift water heaters. Your channel is awesome!
Your best advice, "take pride in everything you do". I'm a hvac tech and I tell my guys even if no one will see it but you, make it look like it is going on the next sales presentation
Pride is the utmost, I went from framing and finish carpentry to plumbing and pipe fitting and haven't looked back. I'm 29 and sadly there's very few in my area my age that appreciate quality
Sharkbites are great for temporary fixes to get someone's water back on. We used a bunch when the big freezes hit in 2009 and 2010. We were going to about 20 something houses a day cutting out freeze breaks and sharkbiting stuff back together to get people water. We would then schedule everybody out to fix them up right over about a month and a half or so. Plus they're nice for capping off Roman tub lines for demo on remodels. You can just pull them off and reuse them somewhere else later
I do the same, but although Shark-Bites are reusable, the rubber seal inside can deteriorate each time they are removed. Don't reuse them too many times.
@@chrisgraham2904 right. Plus you could accidentally cut the o-rings stabbing them on too
@@wildbill8675309 To obtain the best reuse life from Shark-Bites, make sure the pipe is pristine, well deburred and smooth around the outside. Don't sand with sand cloth the way you would when soldering.
@13:32 - The floating screwdriver is an old trick. He definitely didn't come up with it himself. But it is very cool.
I realized while watching this video that when you find content you really enjoy watching and you find it really good and then you press the screen/move the mouse and check how long is left on the video and you see that it's close to finishing and you just think I really wish this could last longer or last forever because it's SO good
Had a professional out 3 times to light my water heater said he be back it be over 250 dollars.csme to this channel had it lit in less than 5 minutes! So I'm very thankful for you . I'm financially embarrassed so every little bit helps . Thank you so much ❤️
As a shade tree mechanic, I always have a 1/4 and 3/8 full shallow and deep socket set with me. It comes in handy.
We usually scratch the threaded ends lightly with a hacksaw
(perpendicular to the connection) before we apply Teflon tape. This prevents the tape from moving out of your connection. Teflon tape all at the end of the connection when fully tightened. And as a added benefit helps with wrapping. No sawing motion involved, just running (scratching) the saws teeth over the thread (3 or 4 times).
And indeed this is not a fix for applying Teflon tape the wrong way! (0:46 for reference). Or applying the incorrect amount of tape or the incorrect amount of tension.
Hope I didn't slaughter this comment with my bad English skills.
The floating screwdriver mechanics have been doing for years when they're bored 😂
How they do?
Yes I have sat at my stool a time or 2 hovering a screwdriver. It's not all hard you just need compressed air, a handle of some sort and find the angle of the air, the handle will automatically fall into place.
@@splaterpowm it uses the Bernoulli principal and the Venturi effect. Pretty cool science experiments on TH-cam that explains
@@mattross-trudek6783 thanks
Note that some handles work better than others, so if you can’t get it with one screwdriver, try another with a different shape or surface finish
10:50 in german there's a saying for that: "Gigantisch wird des Schloßers Kraft, wenn er sich 'nen Hebel schafft"
Der ist gut.
I've done that trick with the tape measure the other day. I was prefabbing a short run of 3/4" copper to go from the main shutoff valve to the water meter, and I had to support the offset I was soldering together.
As for getting ABS fittings off: if you cut the hub at the 12:00, 2:00, and/or the 10:00 positions you'll be able to break the glue's bond on fittings that are years old. It could be that they weren't glued properly in the first place or were exposed to the weather too much (keep in mind this is in central Alberta, Canada where it can be +30 Celsius in the summer and -40 in the winter, so that could have some effect.) but it worked rather well.
I knew about a lot of these before, but that 1.4 multiplier was awesome to find out. We don't have unions for plumbing in my part of Florida so this is the first I'm hearing of it.
I hope it helps!
That copper pipe trick works well, I've also done as you mentioned, put the socket on the nut first then put the rachet on as much as possible, as well
If you use the new portable cordless band saws to cut your threaded rod you don't need to do anything to the threads they just work. I've done the tape measure thing, but additionally I have use my imp tube cutter to hole a piece upright to solder the dielectric union halves on so I get a really nice solder joint and not a lopsided one that you get from soldering horizontally, another thing to use the imp for is holding back your armorflex while you solder or braze your joints on pipe thats got armorflex already on it.
Shark Bite caps are great for kitchen an bathroom remodels.
While demoing we shut the water off, cut the pipe and just push it on.
So it will only be on there until the plumber does the rough-in.
I like your videos, very practical. A few random comments.
The "x1.41" trick. Ah, geometry, the ONLY math course I didn't have to take twice in my life. It's actually the square root of 2. That number comes in handy in other places too, electricians use it to calculate the peak voltage from RMS voltage.
Soldering is really neat. The metal atoms of the solder actually diffuse into the copper pipe (that's the neat part, a good joint). The solder joint actually becomes a continuous piece of metal. If the solder is just stuck on the copper pipe, not enough heat, no diffusion (that's a cold joint).
The last trick is due to the Coanda Effect. It's more of a mechanics trick, but the Coanda Effect comes into play all over the place. It's one of the tricks that keeps airplanes in the air.
Enjoy your videos, learned quite a bit.
I’ve been a plumber since 97 and I’m always seeing new tricks. However using the tape measure as a support, I don’t know usually the lock mechanism doesn’t work long after crawling under houses, dropping them from ladders. I used to buy cheap Chinese tape measures for a buck a piece and I’d get them by the case because I broke them so often. After you break a few fat maxes you start looking for cheaper alternatives
I've used the tape measure to hold up a pipe when a crimp doesn't hold, but never thought about making a jig as a permanent solution. Great idea!
Your videos have helped me smartly manage our remodel & expectations of our plumbing projects.
Definitely used my tape measure to support copper when soldering. Use an old one when the numbers start to wear out so you don't burn your good tape. Plumber from P.E.I, Canada
That's a good idea!
Awesome brotha! Glad to see you was in the Union.
The floating screw driver us a old machine shop trick (down time is the devils playground 😉). Basically the air moving over the handle causes a low pressure area opposite the air nozzle. At the right angle that vacuum is strong enough to lift the tool, but as the tool moves away from the nozzle the pressure flow drops and the collapsing vacuum bubble pushes the tool back towards the nozzle. Where the vacuum is reestablished. Rinse, repeat. It's the same kind of flow dynamics as an airplane wing. And it makes a good way of dazzling the new hires and ticking off the shop super 😅. Because "if you're not working you should be sweeping. Not playing with your screwdriver!"
I never thought I'd legitimately enjoy watching these. Im not a plumber, just some college kid but these are really interesting.
I've had to use the PVC "extra handle" for added leverage before. I had to install a fill alarm on my oil tank and those connections did not want to budge.
Another good trick is to wrap Teflon tape clockwise around the fitting. If you wrap it the other way, when you go to screw on the fitting, it will unravel the Teflon tape
The levitating screw driver at the end is an example of Bernoulli’s Principle. It's basically that moving air causes lift. He's using a compressed air nozzle to shoot at the bulbous end of that screwdriver, and it creates lift. They do an experiment similar to that with a ping pong ball to teach kids about it.
Similar trick. As a mechanic I use a small deep socket to wrap electric tape on for tight spots a full roll wont fit.
I used to work at a plumbing supply house. When we first got shark bite fittings I remember one of the usual plumbers buying a bunch of them for a home plumbing job. A year or so later he had to redo the job because a lot of the shark bites were leaking.
I’ve never hammered a piece of copper over a nut before like shown, but I have hammered a piece into a square before to use as an extension to get a floor clean out plug removed, works like a charm with a pipe wrench on it👌🏼
I really like inside cutter with the little rotary tool disk. It's like having a peanut grinder in your pocket except more versatile!
I've used a worn down grinder wheel, bolted into a screwgun, that was small enough to fit inside 3" pipes to cut toilet drains. It works great but smells terrible as it more just melts the pipe apart rather than cut it.
As a worker in a HVAC machine factory I use the tape trick many time a day to support what I need to solder a joint especially if I have to use silver. I'm still learning and o do most of my joint on my vise. Soldering is about 90% of my normal job (mostly silfos and silver solder) so I use this trick a lot of time in a day... On that I must thank you for this trick that make my job easier since I've seen it in one of your previous Video
What I've done with the all-thread situation is that I've used distance stoppers. I take rubber stoppers from other projects, find ones just a little bit bigger than the socket I'll use, freeze the stopper, then drill out the middle of the stopper larger than it needs to be. That stopper fits very well into the socket and keeps the nut right at the end where I want it. I've also seen people that buy plastic bolt spacers the right size and length, and put them in with a thick o-ring to keep them in place.
For the hacksaw blade in the sawzall, you can use a rubber tie down on the other end to gain more control of the blade. makes it a great deal more safe to do.
I love how you feature other channels.
There are a lot of great channels out there... I love your channel and everything that you do!!! Everyone should subscribe!
i love how all the ones regarding sharkbite fittings are just ways to remove them, hysterical.
If you start a nut on the cut end of the all thread just till it starts to bind. Leave it on and give it a light tap on the floor and it's usually good to go.
The tape measure pipe stand is genius.
If you've got a large threaded fitting with your 3' pipe wrenches on, don't reef on it. Get a ratchet strap and hook to the loops on the ends of the wrenches and just ratchet the strap.
Fill your solder joints from the bottom up and run you solder all the way one side then the next. Never apply the solder where you have or just had your torch. Then you know you're also hot enough to wick into the joint. Don't just feed from one spot. Bend a 90 on the solder makes it easy and measures how much solder you get in the joint for reference.
New to the channel. Guessing Ferguson is a sponsor with the raptor plug. I just wish they made easier view levels.
Loving your channel. Been a plumber for 17 years and still learning some great tips here.
I keep the tape measure fishing trick in my back pocket. Though not a plumber, I find it useful when working on a ladder or around tight places... Usually saves time to fish rather than set everything up so you can climb down and pick up that something you dropped.
Also a great tool for those times when something falls into a vent. The ducting isn't metallic, but the screws that hold it together seem to attract any hands stuck in there.
I have also used that to carry a bucket up a ladder in tight situations. Keeps your hands clear while climbing for that extra security.
11:11 It's called a deep socket lol
It's even 1.4142. LOL.. Love your channel. I'm a 30 year Master Plumber in Pittsburgh. I've also taught plumbing school for 12 years. Many subjects. I too am Local 27. Keep up the great videos
Your a wholesome dude and your vids are great. Thanks man. Really.
I appreciate that! Very much! R...
I usually do the finger thing with the teflon tape, too, but I like the pen/pencil trick, too. :)
Me too...
Giving credit where credit is due. Respect!
the multiplier for 30 degree bends is 2.
I've also hung my Checkpoint level (same as the raptor) on my tape measure to fish things out of a hole.
Times 2 from the short side (side opposite the 30 degree angle)
If from the long side (or opposite a 60 degree angle), then 2/sqrt3.
The 45 degree one is precisely times sqrt2. But 1.414 is more than enough precision.
@@thecountrychemist2561 if it's on a 60 degree angle or a 45 degree angle, it isn't a 30 degree angle, now, is it?
11:20 mechanic here, thats why they make deep sockets and mid length (semi deep) sockets use deeps until its too long then go shorter
It seems like plumbers dont know how to use wrenches and deep sockets, ive never seen them use any of them.
(Yes i know they dont really need it and it is to heavy and take up to much space)
That tape measure truck blew my mind! So simple but so out of the box!
I’ve learned several tricks from him. The pen tape trick, hole saw trick, hole saw burnout trick, and the crescent wrench ready rod trick have come in super handy.
Another trick for threaded pipe is for when you have an old joint that you can’t break. Tighten it until it turns just a little then it will break loose easier. I don’t know how or why that works but it does.
Roger, I admire your pride in what you do! I am retired from 40 years in the UA!
Got2learn is AMAZING! Worth subscribing too 👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
One time I fixed the fill valve assembly inside a toilet tank.. Where the float adjustment screw is on the top, water was just shooting up every time you flushed, hitting the lid and running out onto the floor. It still worked plenty fine. My easy fix was... I took a plastic water bottle, cut the top half off, made a notch in the side for the float arm, and just slid the bottle upside down over the valve assembly.Kept the water where it belonged and the toilet operated normally.
They ended up replacing that old toilet the following year, but it saved me the hassle of installing new parts.
So I'm in the medical field and have no interest in plumbing but I watch these videos religiously
Technically a lot of medical issues are plumbing issues...
@@kansascityshuffle8526 hahahaha touche
Some of what is shown here is useful in other fields. If you can't undo the nuts on your car wheels then a piece of pipe over the brace can give you the extra that you need.
Thank you, Roger! You're great to listen to when I'm not on the job.
May you always find inspiration for your next video. Take Care.
Great tips but I believe you're missing one thing, if I'm increasing the size of a hole it's not because I drilled it wrong, it's normally because I'm installing an upgraded system ( replacing piping that was too small for an added load). It's understandable ,because we have basements in the Midwest ,north & Canada. We probably deal with 10 times the amount of floor joist then plumbers do in predominantly slab on grade areas of the country.
That's a great way to look at it. Thanks for the heads up Bob...
@@RogerWakefield , I'm just like you, I never drill anything wrong😉 (LOL).
Great content. I've been watching G2L for years and recently found your channel.
With the soldered copper joints I think it was failed to mention it works best if the piece flux was applied to is the piece that is heated. Then as you apply solder and the fitting is heated, as the flux begins leaking, a vacuum will occur where the solder is pulled in so that it bonds with the flux to the inner pipe. This completely fills the fitting with solder making it water tight. Any excess you don't like you can just debur or however you like to clean it, just don't readd heat or you can re-melt the solder, causing it to leak out which can introduce a water leak.
I’m from the uk and a plumber and love your videos and to answer your question about tape measures supporting pipes I do this quite frequently to hold pipes level
Pro tip for 1.414 : take a sliver of pipe, connect the 2 45 bends to one side ( dry fit ) and use that centerline in the 1.414 equation. Don't need to account for offset of fittings now just add the 2 hubs to the measurement. The offset for a 22 is 2.613 ;) same rules apply . Yup ive used my tape measure for holding pipe to soldier
A good trick for drop in tubs is to build the drain shoe, over flow, santee and pipe on the tub. Then measure the width of the tub and divide it in half to get drain and flow center. Then for the height from the santee to the bottom edge of the tub where it sits on the tile or other surface then add the depth of the santee to get a height for the vertical pipe from the p trap or offset fittings above the trap if needed. Then glue the waste and overflow to the vertical drain pipe and make sure it is the right height and center measurements. Then put a bucket of mixed portland cement or two over the dirt in the p trap area and a at least a bucket of cement under the tub. Then set the tub in place and put weight in the tub by standing in the the tub and place the tub shoe washer/gasket in place between the tub and drain pipe tub shoe fitting. Then the drain trim peice that's threaded put plumbers puddy on it below the trim piece lip and some teflon pipe thread sealant on the threads and with a tub wrench tighten it in. Plus place the gasket in the overflow space between tub and overflow pipe and tighten the trim screws down through through overflow trim into the overflow pipe fitting. I have set at least probably 100 or more of these drop in tubs and the pipe in the perfect spot every time once tub is set in place . It helps to make the center of the drain pipe on the floor and on the wood behind overflow to double check before setting the tub in place. This prefab method really helps to insure a one time try and proper fit. At one house I had the tub overflow and drain place and once the tub a 900lb Kohler cast iron 7' jetted gacuzzi tub was set in place by the help of 12 guys the drain and overflow lined up perfectly. Every company i have worked at has put on piping and setting drop in tubs in and i also get it perfect the first time!
Great video roger mate all the way from a apprentice in liverpool england keep up the good work big man
I am a plumber in Alabama. I use shark bites when in a tough situation and not in a wall or in the ground. But I have used them under a house. I wonder why you don’t use them. I started plumbing as a apprentice in 1980. Back than no shark bites. But in the last few years I have used them with good results. I do like your videos, and your honesty. . Thanks
I learned the floating screwdriver trick when I was a machinist.
For that hole saw trick, if you can't insert another hole saw bit into your hole saw, use a board. Drill the hole you need in the board, hold it on the surface you need to make a bigger hole and use the board as the guide.
For cutting bolts, cut most of the way through. Then bend it out and snap it off on the bend back in. It bends the burr inwards and you'll never have an issue with getting a nut on or off.
The 1.414 number is useless if you don't know how to find your exact take off. Similar to finding a take off for a fitting mark center marks Along the cast marks of copper, cast iron, or pvc (for pvc sometimes use number) and butt the 45s together with left hand, holding the cup against a flat surface such as stud wall or floor measure offset. If you can't get it square with the wall you can use the butt against the flat surface as an improvised speed square (don't ever use a cheap combo square, a torpedo level is way more accurate) Then subtract that measurement from required offset, multiply result by 1.414 then add the cup depth for both 45s and there is your travel piece. Another trick to get center marks on a fitting is to simply rub it on the ground scratching a curved line into it's side. Also you can scratch a centerline into a pipe by rubbing an aluminum torpedo level back and forth on a pipe and the aluminum is like a pencil
Roger I don't use Sharkbite fittings either. I've used the caps as a temporary though and that's it. I'm in my 51st year of plumbing now. We both have been around the block a time or two....right....
Wow, 51 years! Impressive 💪🏻
5:00 if you're cutting the bar anyway you could always take the extra two seconds to lightly bevel the cut with the flat of your angle grinder/whatever other cutting disk machine you're using
Let's make sure we let viewers know, that for the demonstration for removing the kink from the PEX tubing, only works on Uponor/Wirsbo brand PEX. That brand is the only product manufacturered with a memory membrane to recall its original extruded form. Also a hair dryer is best recommended not an open flame. An open flame will burn the pipe weakening its strength and voiding any warranty.
Otherwise many useful tips I too have been using for decades.
2:15 It's the square root of two, because it is the diagonal of a square.
The thing with getting rid of the stop on the coupling is now you have a super thin spot in the pipe that could leak later on...that’s not extra material inside the coupling, all they did was push the existing material on the outside of the coupling in ever so slightly to make the stop
American plumbing systems are interesting to watch, we in europe already got other alternatives for water pipes.
yeaah we have bluetooth water systems in europe
Great to watch. Been using the tape measure as a helper for years.
a carpenter once showed me a hole saw trick to keep it from getting chip bound and heating up when drilling into thick wood.
start your hole saw just deep enough to get the ring of the hole to form. take a 1/4" drill and drill 3 or four holes on into the ring/the edge of the future hole. these hole will help the saw dust and chips to clear as you drill.
Damn, Roger... You rock! I'd love to shake your hand one day and buy ya a beer! Learned countless things from your channel over the years!
You should explain that teflon tape is not a sealant.
Its a roll of lubricant that aids in tightening the tapered thread.
No amount of telfon tape will seal a loose connection.
i use the tape measure trick fairly often, i work with 2 thirty year plumbers pretty regularly , and neither one of them had ever seen that trick until i showed them.
lol us electricians learn about offset multipliers as soon as we start bending pipe.
You can use a sawzall to cut all tread. Just cut at a 45° and it won't get any burrs in it.
deam those tricks are amazing
air pressure formed against your hand creating the flow pattern.... try it Roger... you'll get it. Nice video, as always, and great shout out to another channel👍👍❤