[Tommy plumber]

Ever been in a situation where you needed a tool but didn't have because one wasn't made?

Well, make one. Show us your home-made tools. Mens' minds have produced many clever tools over the centuries.

 

[Tommy plumber]

I made a tool today to make my job easier.

 

[Tommy plumber]

... for some deep low torque nut or plug... but for something that I don’t deal with... I think?

For below ground check valve lids I have a 3’ 3” scl40 and a 2” chunk of pipe notched with a hole through the top for a screwdriver as leverage. Plenty of other tools that just aren’t coming to mind at the moment.

You're a service guy right? Then you may have needed the tool that I posted or I should say could have used.

I want to see what my highly esteemed plumbing colleagues have fabricated. Maybe I can poach an idea or two which will make my job easier.

 

[Tommy plumber]

For those who do service work, do you guys ever replace that diamond-shaped gasket and flush valve on Kohler W/C's? The flush valve nut is surrounded by the rubber gasket and a large channel locks doesn't fit well. So I made a socket to fit it.

 

[Tommy plumber]

Nothing fancy, just more for convenience. I've had this copper glue pot holder for years.

The glue cans aren't likely to tip over and spill with this holder.

 

[Tommy plumber]

Nothing fancy. Just more for convenience.


I do not understand why the hell I can't rotate these pictures. It's irritating.

 

[Tommy plumber]

...real PITA.

 

[Tommy plumber]

Assuming you have windows, open the picture with mspaint/paint, rotate the picture, and then save the file.


If you just open the file with windows picture viewer and rotate it that doesn't save the file as rotated, it just rotates it whenever you look at the file on your computer with windows picture viewer.


If you don't have the paint program you can easily download it or any other number of picture editing software.








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We used to have to use Pix re-sizer to upload photos here at PZ. But something changed and you can just up-load pictures without having to re-size them. I used to be able to rotate the pictures on my PC and then upload them here, but I can't figure it out. I'll have to go back to using my digital camera, I never had a problem with that. For some reasong I-phone pictures get screwed up.

 

[Tommy plumber]

I was attempting to clear a Lav sink stoppage with the SuperVee. First I went through the pop up and could hear the cable going up the vent rattling in the wall. I pulled the trap and tried again, it kept going up. Tried forward, reverse, bent cable, and it kept going up. Hard blockage right at the throat of the santee not allowing the cable to go down. I cut a piece of PVC and jammed it in the trap arm to the back of the santee and ran the cable through it. It’s only choice was to go down. Success! View attachment 132963




View attachment 132964

You go boy! Now that's brilliant.

 

[Tommy plumber]

What would you do without a camera???

I don't own a camera. A few years back I toyed with the idea of purchasing one, but opted to purchase electronic leak detection equipment and it hasn't disappointed. With slab leaks {for those of us who live where basements are few and far between} it is an easy sell to locate a slab leak. If fact, there is no selling involved, it sells itself. People don't have to be talked into locating and repairing a slab leak.

But I don't think that it is as easy to sell a camera inspection. Once the stoppage is cleared, people are like, "thanks, if it backs up again, we'll call you to inspect it with the camera." In my opinion, a camera is a more difficult add-on to sell. I have had drain line stoppages where I was highly recommending a camera inspection and they didn't want to do it. I would say something like, "We should investigate this sewer line and locate the bad spot so it can be dug up and repaired." And they were not interested. Just my observation. Maybe others are skillful at selling camera inspections, but I wasn't.
So I could never justify spending $10,000 on that tool. I could not see a meaningful ROI {return on investment} whereas getting into elec. leak detection has been a real winner.

A friend of mine bought the mini or micro camera for $5,000 and he was dis-appointed. He wasn't selling sewer repairs and also, the push cable was not that stiff. Even though it had like 100' of push cable, he had trouble sending the head down sewer lines that far, because the push cable would tend to kink on him at around 50' or so and he was un-happy with that camera.

So I wisely stayed away from purchasing a camera.