[Debo22]

its not some famous trick, its just gets you out of a jam, some cheap valves even new need some teflon tape to seal because the mating edges for the gasket are uneven and seep water...in a bind i have used teflon tape to pack a bonnet to stop it from pissing water..till valve can be replaced..

I’ve had a gate valve pissing out the packing nut and no matter how much I tightened it there was no stopping the leak. I unscrewed the nut, wrapped the stem in Teflon tape, and tightened the nut back down. Leak stopped and replaced it with a ball valve a couple days later

 

[Tango]

I had posted a reply and I guess I didn't submit it. I've used the teflon trick a few times. One of my mechanic told me he regularly used a mop strand embedded with pipe dope.

 

[ShtRnsdownhill]

I had posted a reply and I guess I didn't submit it. I've used the teflon trick a few times. One of my mechanic told me he regularly used a mop strand embedded with pipe dope.

they sell packing material on a roll, i have one on the truck, but walking out to the truck is more time than the roll of teflon tape with you in your tool bucket ...plus if its a temp repair speed is of the essence....

 

[skoronesa]

In australia they use teflon string for pipe threads, it's like thick teflon floss. I have a tube of that. I also have a roll of cotton wicking and a roll of some special stuff you can't buy anymore if I really need it.


Lolz, like schit says, Most of the time I am too lazy and just use regular thick teflon tape, I dope it up and twist it into a long string. Works real good but wear gloves




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[Tommy plumber]

Speaking of tip/tricks to make repairs, have any of you guys repaired a nick in a seat? And if so, how?


I've used a flat file to shave the seat a tiny bit, rotating it after every few strokes,


or the seat re-finishing tool,


or for the really brave, solder the seat.

 

[Tango]

Speaking of tip/tricks to make repairs, have any of you guys repaired a nick in a seat? And if so, how?


I've used a flat file to shave the seat a tiny bit, rotating it after every few strokes,


or the seat re-finishing tool,


or for the really brave, solder the seat.

I have 2 sets of tools for those those occasions. Then again I only have to deal with only 2 types of seats, emco and waltec. That's it!

 

[skoronesa]

Speaking of tip/tricks to make repairs, have any of you guys repaired a nick in a seat? And if so, how?


I've used a flat file to shave the seat a tiny bit, rotating it after every few strokes,


or the seat re-finishing tool,


or for the really brave, solder the seat.

As you said there is the standard flat grinder or the much nicer version with contoured bits for making a proper round seat face. I have 4 full sets of the sexauer version, one of which has the 4 optional largest cutters and extension. You should use a beveled washer after you resurface a seat this way if you take off anything significant.

But if you just want to fix a nick then I use sanding cloth, similar to how you use the file. I take a mostly worn out piece and hold it with my left hand and use multi-circular motions to smooth the seat face. I rotate it a fifth or so of a turn every once in a while to make it even. Then I use the cloth to take the sharp edges off of the inside and outside so the washer doesn't get cut.

Filling in a nick with solder isn't too bad if the solder will take. You just end up with a lot more work to smooth it out if you have a big solder booger. You can use some stranded copper wire as solder wick to remove a little at a time.

 

[skoronesa]

Obviously the file/sanding cloth and the solder is only an option on removable seats.




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[CaptainBob]

I have had good luck using seat grinding tools as well as a file to resurface an old seat. However, never tried the solder trick. My luck it wouldn't take or not smooth out and I would spend more time messing around with it than it's worth.


Somewhere I have one of those old Sexauer tools that's pictured, now I have to go find it.


I also carry a couple of seat kits, I usually have a replacement if needed. I still carry those in the truck even though I only may need a seat couple times a year. Here in the Minneapolis St.Paul twin city area there are still many old faucets in use and for many various reasons can't always change out the faucet.

 

[PLUMBER_BILL]

From ther past

I posted this photo back in July 2011

Fits in with this post on grinding seats. But the seats are bigger eg: globe valves, and what not. Repair was the only way to go.

 

[Tommy plumber]

As you said there is the standard flat grinder or the much nicer version with contoured bits for making a proper round seat face. I have 4 full sets of the sexauer version, one of which has the 4 optional largest cutters and extension. You should use a beveled washer after you resurface a seat this way if you take off anything significant.

But if you just want to fix a nick then I use sanding cloth, similar to how you use the file. I take a mostly worn out piece and hold it with my left hand and use multi-circular motions to smooth the seat face. I rotate it a fifth or so of a turn every once in a while to make it even. Then I use the cloth to take the sharp edges off of the inside and outside so the washer doesn't get cut.

Filling in a nick with solder isn't too bad if the solder will take. You just end up with a lot more work to smooth it out if you have a big solder booger. You can use some stranded copper wire as solder wick to remove a little at a time.

You sound like you are around my age. I'm 51. The younger guys either aren't being taught to repair items, or they just prefer to replace.

Of course some old pcs. of crap kitchen faucet is getting replaced. Some thing that has to be cut out of the kitchen sink {cuz the steel retainer nut under the chrome escutcheon plate is rusted to all hell} isn't worth anyone's time to re-build. That I replace. But old antique and vintage plumbing fixtures and faucets are well worth the effort to repair.

 

[ShtRnsdownhill]

You sound like you are around my age. I'm 51. The younger guys either aren't being taught to repair items, or they just prefer to replace.

Of course some old pcs. of crap kitchen faucet is getting replaced. Some thing that has to be cut out of the kitchen sink {cuz the steel retainer nut under the chrome escutcheon plate is rusted to all hell} isn't worth anyone's time to re-build. That I replace. But old antique and vintage plumbing fixtures and faucets are well worth the effort to repair.

yes and no.....depends on what the cost is for finding and running for parts if you dont stock them..if you spend more labor doing that then just replacing does the customer want to go that route, it depends on what the customer wants and if it makes sense financially..
each job should be looked at for final costs, also the old shower bodies are not pressure balanced, now you work on it and someone gets a nasty burn from hot water can put you into some liability even though you didnt install the shower body...with todays crazy lawsuits and the amount of time stupid people get paid for being stupid that also has a factor in what you repair or bring up to code, again the decision is with each individual job..

 

[Venomthirst]

We repair it if its more hassle to replace like sometimes you have to repair because it's kind of built into bathroom and new just won't look right.. We dont really get into too much ancient stuff where we can't find parts but have had make things work.. like I've seen some things where there is leather involved before the days of rubber so it's out there.. like above said if financially it makes sense to spend 2 to 5 Bill's on a faucet then I think they rather go with that most of the time.. we only have small old fashion ritsy district... most of the older homes were factory workers houses at the time and have been maintained by themselves over the years and its lower end stuff you'd just toss... Alot of Waltec.. Delta.. Belanger.. Moen.. some other brands I can't remember right now.. I've seen wall hung hardwood toilet tanks with pull chains there are still quite a few of those with like 30 gallon flush. Rear spud or whatever.

But most stuff had been replaced in last 50 years so the replacement parts are there dont usually need to reface seats and change washers when a brand new cartridge and seat are like 10-15 bucks at most...unless of course you get an oldie with built in seats.

Oh Emco is a big one that's around alot like i dont know if some of these are Canada only things but I see tons of mostly waltec, delta, moen and emco, belanger, and jamco

 

[Tango]

Oh Emco is a big one that's around alot like i dont know if some of these are Canada only things but I see tons of mostly waltec, delta, moen and emco, belanger, and jamco

It's mostly a Canadian thing. Belanger and Riobel are from Quebec.
Waltec was a Canadian brand and was bought by Delta. I never saw Jameco(not Jamco) other than stems at Rona.

Them Southerners sure like Symmons! Well at leas Steve L. does.

 

[Venomthirst]

Thanks for correcting jameco.. yes we have different stuff up here.. if I see.symmons mixing valve cut it out put a watts in Crane fixtures are Canadian too.. even our pipe used to be made here.. wolverine and Bibby..

 

[Tango]

Thanks for correcting jameco.. yes we have different stuff up here.. if I see.symmons mixing valve cut it out put a watts in Crane fixtures are Canadian too.. even our pipe used to be made here.. wolverine and Bibby..

Crane was bought by American Standard.

 

[Venomthirst]

Thanks for correcting jameco.. yes we have different stuff up here.. if I see.symmons mixing valve cut it out put a watts in Crane fixtures are Canadian too.. even our pipe used to be made here.. wolverine and Bibby..

Crane was bought by American Standard.

Yes, I used are instead of were lol.. crane toilets were pretty good had a nice flush.. derailing here

 

[skoronesa]

I posted this photo back in July 2011

Fits in with this post on grinding seats. But the seats are bigger eg: globe valves, and what not. Repair was the only way to go.

Aww geez bill!!! Why do you have to post pictures like that?!:vs_mad:




Now there's another antique tool I have to spend lots of money on to rarely use.....lolz :biggrin:




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[skoronesa]

....Of course some old pcs. of crap kitchen faucet is getting replaced. ...That I replace. But old antique and vintage plumbing fixtures and faucets are well worth the effort to repair.

yes and no.....depends on what the cost is for finding and running for parts if you dont stock them..if you spend more labor doing that then just replacing does the customer want to go that route, it depends on what the customer wants and if it makes sense financially......

Today I had a slop sink with a CB faucet, pretty common. I suggested it wasn't worth touching but the handles were hard to turn and the customer has bad arthritis. They asked me to try to fix it instead of leaving it to replace later. When I took the handles off they each lost a small chip out of the female stem hole, luckily neither chip was in the splined are. Both packing nuts had a lot of build up but they cleaned up well and didn't leak. It turned out to be old enough to be pretty quality, only part that wasn't solid brass were the zinc handles which of course I forgot to put on my WB order I sent in when I got back to the shop.



I want to stock some of those handles as CB faucets, especially on slop sinks, are really common around here. If a slop sink here doesn't have a real CB faucet it's a compatible knock off. WB has a CB kit but it doesn't seem worth it, I just ordered some seats and 4 stems for less than 20$. They wanted like 60$+ for a kit that has really cheap stuff like washers and screws.



Unfortunately I used my last ce-1 seats this month, in brass that is. I put in two 4$ ss/monel seats instead of two 0.40$ seats. I was so pissed at my self. Both seats were corroded so I guess her water may be acidic. At least it was a good faucet.

We repair it if its more hassle to replace like sometimes you have to repair because it's kind of built into bathroom and new just won't look right.. We dont really get into too much ancient stuff where we can't find parts but have had make things work.. like I've seen some things where there is leather involved before the days of rubber so it's out there......

Customers really appreciate you fixing a shower valve in a costly to open wall when the last couple companies said they don't fix old stuff like that. One lady was so peeved with the last couple guys because her father had serviced this 3 handle kohler multiple times when she was growing up and he wasn't even that handy.




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[skoronesa]

Cap thread gasket kit and a small seat kit.


I agree with you that a service man should be able to repair fixtures and such. I enjoy taking things apart, learning how it ticks and then putting said item back together.

I finally had time to check all the boxes we have and as luck would have it there was a brand new, unopened, MODERN, cap thread gasket kit. It includes among others CB, K, and AS gaskets that will fit the very common stems around here. It looks similar to yours. Thanks for pushing me to get one, I am sure it will come in handy.


I received those taps saturday and they look pretty good. Someone slightly(properly) ground the front cutting edges on two of them so I would assume they have been successfully. I will try to test them out soon and post the results.




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