Real Life Plumbing Advice for People Who Don't Want To Call A Plumber
You are trying to remove a piece of pipe and it breaks off, what do you do?
Well this happens more often than not, so in this video I show you exactly how to remove a broken piece of pipe.
Now when I shot this video, I didn’t have enough brass pipe on hand so I used black iron pipe in the demonstration. Not to worry guy’s the procedure is exactly the same and if you can get yourself a decent set of nipple extractors (aka easy outs) you should have no problem removing the broken piece!
So you want to learn exactly how to identify hot from cold water faucet stems?
After several trips up and down to and from the van I figured out the difference between hot and cold water faucet stems. You see as a kid my dad would just tell me to get a couple of hot and cold water replacement stems without telling me how to tell the difference. Well if you look closely you’ll notice that their threads are wound in opposite directions, but guess what? Their is an easier way! Check out this video and please forgive my left from right reference, I keep forgetting I’m standing behind the camera. LOL!
This video demonstrates how I go about gluing a p.v.c. pipe joint. Although they do make saws and tubing style cutters specifically for cutting p.v.c. pipe which I do use on large diameter pipe (3″ and larger) I have no problem using my hacksaw on smaller sizes from 1/2″ up to 2″ in diameter. Also don’t forget to put your glue and primer inside a protective bucket, if you drop this stuff on the floor LOOK OUT !
In this video I go over the steps in replacing Delta style faucet stems. When these showed up in the market place they were marketed as “washer-less faucets”. Well they don’t have your typical flat or beveled washer held in place by a bib screw but the little cup down inside the recess is rubber and it sits up against the bottom stainless steel seat of the stem, WASHER-LESS? You decide!
If you’re ever faced with doing a simple plumbing repair that requires shutting off the water, my advice is always go to the point of use emergency water shut-off valves located under your kitchen or bathroom sink or under your toilet tank.
These are convenient and easy to access and what I always reach for when attempting a repair. The question is what do you do when these don’t work?
Well you’re going to have to shut off the main water supply that enters the building and drain the entire system down into the lowest fixture located in your home.
Now the location of the water service entering a building will vary depending what part of the country you’re located.
Here in New York City they generally enter the front facing portion of the building down in a basement either through the wall and in some cases at ground level located in a pit along with the access covers to the building house drain.
The procedure I follow is to locate the main valve which is a few feet after entering the building and turn it in a clockwise fashion until it stops.
A word of caution, don’t force it beyond the stopping point, these valves are often very old and if you break it in the closed position you’ll be in for some EXPENSIVE plumbing repair.
I’ll then open up a fixture on the lowest floor of the building, and then go to top floor and open a fixture allowing the entire building to drain down.
A substitute for that main water valve could be the quarter turn ball valves that are sometimes located on the inlet and outlet of your water meter.
If you have them and your main shut-off valve is very old, I say go for it!
Now that the system is shut down, it’s time to replace all those emergency water points of use shut off valves that aren’t functioning.
When you’re done it’s time to close the lowest fixture off and then slowly turn on the water supply allowing the air to purge from the system from that fixture you left open on the top floor.
When you have full flow, shut off the fixture and you’re done!
Check out my video “How to shut off your main water supply” and if you still have questions you can contact me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.
Happy Plumbing!