I hate plumbing!!!

[cfellows]

Started getting a slow drip off the hot-water shut-off valve under the sink in the guest bathroom a couple of days ago. So, today, after shutting off the water to the house, I got some tools and started work on it. Of course it took 5 more trips to the shop because I seem to have to sneak up on getting the right tools.

I got it apart and discovered it was just a compression fitting so that should be easy to fix. But, not so fast, the builder put the fitting on so tight, the sleeve swaged down the copper pipe. Well, fortunately, the pipe had lots of extra length to it. No room for a proper pipe cutting tool, so I grabbed my dremel tool with an abrasive cutoff blade and began cutting it off. Five blades and lots of filing later I had it dressed back to clean, round pipe.

Then off to home depot to get some new brass sleeves. I decided to go ahead and get a whole new valve and some extra sleeves. Already long story short, I got the new fitting on, everything hooked back up and (so far) it's not leaking.

Nothing with plumbing is ever easy! Luckily, this time, it was fairly cheap!

Chuck

 

[Bluechip]

Chuck

You need something similar to this:


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flexible-...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item5acfc36c2c

Although that particular example seems a bit more flimsy than mine.

I guarantee if you have one, you'll never need to cut another pipe ..

Had mine some 20 years, used once ..

Dave BC

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I don't mind plumbing---at least not the first time around. Your story reminds me of a friend, a local high school shop teacher. He bought an old two story house in Barrie a few years ago, and it was all finished in plaster over lath inside. The upstairs bath developed a leak in the tub drainpipe, and this of course rotted away a 3 foot circle of plaster in the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. When he tore the ceiling out to find the leak, he discovered that it was all old cast iron pipe with leaded joints. Not wanting to pay a plumber he found the leak, cleaned the pipes off, and fiberglassed a big patch all around the leaky joint. After a week of close watching and no drips visible, he repaired and replastered then painted the ceiling----did a marvelous job. I stopped at his house to visit, and he proudly told me of his big fix, and that it was all "Good as new". ---Took me into the downstairs bath to show me how great everything looked and---you guessed it. Big dark, sweating circle right in the center of the newly plastered and painted ceiling.---This time he called a plumber!!!

 

[Mainer]

Chuck, I hate plumbing too. I think we must have angered the same plumbing god. When I try to do plumbing, something always breaks, generally as inconveniently as possible and at least doubling the amount of work required.

 

[bret4]

It seems like plumbing always takes four times longer than what you first think it is going to take.

 

[AlanHaisley]

New plumbing is not so bad. Old plumbing though ... :wall:

 

[RollaJohn]

Plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen all have two advantages over us. First they have the knowledge coupled with lots of experience about what is needed to make the repair and secondly they have the necessary parts in their trucks and don't have to make repeated trips back to the home center for the little surprises that crop up.

Even when I know what I am doing, it is that lack of all those parts on hand that always upsets me. But I can't afford to stock everything that might be needed for some one time quick repair. So I just make those extra trips.

 

[sunworksco]

I'm a 42 year journeyman plumber.
The quickest and best way to fix a leaking compression fitting is to wrap the farrell with several wraps of Teflon tape and then snug the nut tightly.
I even do this on new compression fittings, with excellent results.

 

[skyline1]

All of this reminds me of my neighbour's exploit with a leaky tap, I used to live in some Housing Association flats and despite being fairly recently built the plumbing was not too good (usual thing, the contract went to the cowboy who put in the cheapest quote).

There were a number of elderly and disabled residents living there so being the only qualified engineer on the site I would often do minor Electrical and Plumbing jobs for them.

I had changed a tap washer for the young lady downstairs from me in the past. In fact we were quite close friends. On this occasion however I was at work so she and her boyfriend decided to have a go at it themselves.

They started unscrewing the top of the tap as they had seen me do but neglected to turn the water off or open the tap to drain and check there was no pressure. Bar a few dribbles they had no idea anything was amiss until the top of the tap cleared its threads, then, WHOOSH, instant fountain.

Panicking, they rushed to the stopcock to turn it off but turned it the wrong way with sufficient force to break the handle off. They now had no way to shut the water off. The tap should have had an inline isolation valve but it didn't (Our cowboy plumbers again)

By the time I returned from work it was total pandemonium, The Water Company were there, A plumber, An Electrician,(the water had tripped the electrical supply), the fire brigade pumping the water away and two Policemen redirecting all the traffic. There was water cascading over the front step like Niagra Falls and the main road where we lived had turned into a skidpan.

I was told by the Water Company guy, that to make matters worse, some idiot builder had partially covered their master stopcock with cement. So they had to dig it out before even they could turn the water off.

It sounds like a scene from a comedy, but I promise you it actually happened and still amuses me now, My neighbour also saw the funny side of it when she had finally calmed down.

So I agree with you fellas, even the most minor plumbing job can become a really major one very quickly.

Regards Mark

 

[gus]

I'm a 42 year journeyman plumber.
The quickest and best way to fix a leaking compression fitting is to wrap the farrell with several wraps of Teflon tape and then snug the nut tightly.
I even do this on new compression fittings, with excellent results.

Hi Giovanni

I agree with you .Had to replace two wash basin taps. Removing the flare nut and tap was pain in the side. Finally after two hours of getting thoroughly wet thru had job none. Not quite I had mini leakage. Too out flare nut,put teflon tape in between plus some Loctite for insurance.Till today .Was it the sealing tape or the Loctite saving the day.
These days in Singapore,Plumbers as for blood and they sometimes do not turn up for a S$30 job.Too bad the next job was worth S$200. More money to make.

 

[02sheslop]

Plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen all have two advantages over us. First they have the knowledge coupled with lots of experience about what is needed to make the repair and secondly they have the necessary parts in their trucks and don't have to make repeated trips back to the home center for the little surprises that crop up.

Even when I know what I am doing, it is that lack of all those parts on hand that always upsets me. But I can't afford to stock everything that might be needed for some one time quick repair. So I just make those extra trips.

Yeah plumbers really don't get enough credit. Back when there was the plumber shortage in the UK they really liked to belittle the folk on the news and in papers, but I guess it's just part of the snobbery towards tradesmen in general.

 

[cfellows]

I'm a 42 year journeyman plumber.
The quickest and best way to fix a leaking compression fitting is to wrap the farrell with several wraps of Teflon tape and then snug the nut tightly.
I even do this on new compression fittings, with excellent results.

Great idea! I also wondered why they don't make nylong or teflon ferrules. Seems like it would seal better and be more forgiving of expansion and contraction on the hot water fittings.

Chuck

 

[Cogsy]

I also wondered why they don't make nylong or teflon ferrules

Here in Australia (in Western Australia anyway, I can't vouch for the Eastern Stater's...) we call ferrules 'olives'. Whenever I buy plumbing type fittings, it seems a 50/50 chance of getting an olive of the same material as the fitting (brass/copper) or a nylon type olive. I always figured the nylon were the 'cheapie' type.

 

[Propforward]

I am not a plumbing fan either.

A couple of months ago, the double valve for my washing machine gave way. Luckily I was home when it happened, or I'd have had a basement flood. Anyhoo, I cut out the piece of drywall covering the pipework, looked at the job, and in a moment of laziness said "nah" and called the plumber.

Well, first of all I am very happy with the job he did. Really nice and clean, top quality. He replaced the cheapo double valve with two separate ball valves, and I agreed to replacing the hoses (likely new in 1996) with brand new braided ones.

But boy - that cost me some $$s.

I guess you pays your money and you takes your choice. But I'm still kicking myself. I wish I'd gone out and bought the tools I needed and done it myself. Still kicking myself - but hey. Job's done - and cleaner and better than I would have done it, in fairness, and the gas money I would have spent on the multiple trips to the hardware store would likely add up close to the cost of the job pretty quickly anyway.