Multi Tool Blades / Oscillating Tool Blades

March 27, 2018 By BobsPlumbingVideos Leave a Comment

Multi-Tool Blades?

So I’ve owned my first edition Fein multimaster tool for quite a few years now and I remember the first time I had to purchase replacement multi-tool blades for it. STICKER SHOCK to say the least and truth be told I didn’t think they were that great. I later came to the realization I was expecting more from them than they were designed to do. (more on that later).

I started looking for a less expensive multi-tool blade alternative and over the years, tried several aftermarket brands. None of them were as good a quality as the originals, but for the price I paid they got the job done.

I was recently on Amazon scrolling thru the tools (my toy store) and came across a company that manufacturers replacement blades for multi tools. They had over two hundred positive reviews about their blades so I had to check them out.

I contacted the company and they were very gracious in that they sent me two of their most popular multi-tool blade assortment kits. Before I move on please know that I did not pay for these blades and agreed to produce the below video after trying them out. I received two kits, a 15 piece multi tool saw blade set which consisted of three pieces each of five different blades. And a 10 piece bi-metal saw blade set all which consisted of one style blade.

I tried each of the blades out on different materials such as 1/4″ plywood, 1″ X 3″ stock, 2″ X 4″ stock, 3/4″ p.v.c. and 1 1/2″ p.v.c. pipe, light gauge angle steel and finally 3/8″ threaded rod. I thought across the board they performed well but did find that the 10 piece bi-metal struggled a bit on the 3/8″ threaded rod.

Don’t get me wrong, it made the cut but on threaded rod I’d probably use my hacksaw or sawzall. All in all for the the price point of these blades I thought they provided a a good value for a fraction of what the original Fein blades cost.

Speaking of multi-tool blades or even tools for that matter, I see all to often that young apprentices and even seasoned tradespeople (myself included) often like to push the boundaries of what the blade or tool was designed to do. As a result they’ll give the equipment an unwarranted “bad review” which in my opinion is not fair. It’s often the operator that’s at fault so please keep that in mind when shopping for blades or tools in general. Buy the right tool for the right job!

I invite you to check out the video below and please stay tuned for brand new content from bobsplumbingvideos.com. I know I haven’t posted in quite some time, but that’s about to change for the better. I left links above for you to check out If you’d like to try these blades out for yourself.

Stay Well & Happy Plumbing!

Bob

How To Solder Copper Tubing & Avoid Burning Down Your House!

May 6, 2017 By BobsPlumbingVideos Leave a Comment

So I had a wonderful YouTube viewer moan to me about how to solder copper tubing videos were a dime a dozen and rather than show my soldering techniques, I should show how to avoid burning down your house when soldering in close quarters. It is a great idea for a video and I guess I should thank him for the idea, but man people are just miserable!

Anyway, when soldering copper tubing it’s not always out in the open away from flammable materials and that presents a problem. At the very least you should always have a fire extinguisher at the ready god forbid thing’s get out of hand. It happened to me one time in my career and it scared the living hell out of me.

I was replacing two copper emergency water shut-off valves under a pedestal basin. There was approximately 2″ of copper sticking past the wall and I started with the hot water on the left side. The old valve came off without incident and I quickly soldered the new one on. Lunch time!

As I was cleaning up the area for my return I started to hear what sounded like a “crackling noise” and could not pinpoint what was happening. Well, my instincts took over, I put my ear up against the sheetrock wall above the sink and knew instantly that the fiberglass insulation was starting to burn.

Without hesitation, I called down to the homeowner and told her to call the fire department and immediately grabbed my hammer to the wall above the sink. I reached in and pulled out the batt of insulation that was starting to take off and tossed it into the bathtub where I dowsed it with water.

The fire dept arrived in record time and they came in gangbusters ready to destroy the place, but I begged them to hold off I’m pretty sure I solved the problem. They proceeded to look into the wall cavity with some infra-red heat detecting equipment and were satisfied that there was no need to open up walls. Needless to say, I was a basket case and it must have shown.

As they were leaving one of the firefighters came over to me and said: “you saved this ladies house”. Kind words indeed, but I was visibly shaken as nothing like that had never happened to me before. This is one of the times when you thank god your liability insurance is paid up and in good standing. Although this was six attached condominiums and my limits at that time would never have covered a complete loss!

I took a long lunch break came back and finished soldering on the cold water valve, followed by a thorough cleaning of the bathroom. The following day I sent my tile man to the house to re-insulate and patch the wallboard, followed by painting the entire bathroom. An experience I will never forget nor take for granted when using an open flame inside or outside of a wall. All it takes is one stray spark to get away and your life could change forever.

How To Solder Copper Tubing & Avoid a Disaster!

I tell this story so those of you who are considering doing some D.I.Y. soldering are aware that there are some products available on the market that will greatly reduce (not eliminate) the chances of something like the above from happening to you. One is La-Co Heat Gel Cool Barrier Spray which you can spray on all the surrounding areas to avoid heat transfer to most surfaces.

The next item is the Oatey 31400 Bagged 9″ X 12″ Flame Protector which you can use to cover any flammable materials you want to avoid burning or scorching. I wet mine and ring it out before using it, but you can use it dry as well. Finally, the Kidda Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher god forbid things get out of hand. Folks, it happened to me and it can happen to you!

Check out the video below where I demonstrate both the La-Co Heat Gel and the Oatey Flame Protector. And to the moaning You-Tube viewer who wasn’t impressed with my How To Solder Copper Tubing videos, thanks for the tip! I think it made a great blog post and even better video! Until next time, proceed with CAUTION!

HAPPY PLUMBING,
Bob

I Need Your Help!

April 1, 2017 By BobsPlumbingVideos Leave a Comment

It’s March 31, 2017, and the last video I posted to my youtube channel was on Feb 25th. I’m sitting here in my office with a totally blank slate. So rather than racking my brains out trying to decide what content to create, I’m going to ask my subscribers. I need your HELP! What Videos would you like me to post?

After 40 years in the service business, I lose sight of the fact that my daily adventures don’t seem all that important to me. But I’m probably missing the fact that what comes second nature to me, may be of great interest and really valuable to you. So again I ask, what Plumbing Videos / Basic Plumbing Repairs do you want me to create?

Do you really want to see major plumbing alterations and repairs? Are you more interested in the materials, tools or the techniques to get a job done? Plumbing repair covers a very wide range of tasks ranging from very simple fixes to very elaborate and beyond.

Below I’ve created a simple survey and would appreciate your participation! Simply check off the content you would like me to create more of !

The fact is if you’re a homeowner you’ll most likely be faced with having to call in a plumber at some point. My goal here at BobsPlumbingVideos.Com is to educate homeowners like yourself about the art of residential plumbing repair and in the process help you save your hard earned dollars for basic plumbing repairs.

My equipment is set up and ready to start filming my next video so, please send me your ideas, your thoughts, and suggestions on how I can help keep the plumber out of your life! Regards, and HAPPY PLUMBING!

Bob

Septic Tank, Septic Tank Replacement, New Sewer Installation

February 25, 2017 By BobsPlumbingVideos Leave a Comment

When I bought my home back in 1977, they were equipped with 1000 gallon steel septic tanks and cement cesspools a.k.a. leaching pits which distribute the liquid overflow from the septic tank.

The builder told us that the city would be installing city sewers within the next five years and all would be great. Well at the time they said steel septic tanks had a 20 to 25-year life span.

Well, here I am, 40 years later at the tail end of a two-year project to install city sewers in my sub-division. I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve really never had any major issues with my septic tank over the years.

I attribute that to regular treatments of a live bacteria enzyme along with good luck. Every one of my neighbors experienced many problems with their systems over the years and in some cases had to have their septic tanks replaced or at minimum pumped on a regular basis.

By regular I mean every three months or so, the normal time interval for a pumping would be a year. The problem is that everyone including myself had their washing machines emptying into their septic tanks which in the septic world is the kiss of death!

When the soap from the washing machine cools down, it solidifies causing the holes in the leaching pit to clog and allowing the water to back into the septic tank and then into the house. Not a very pretty sight! Eventually, everyone started to divert the washing machine waste in some creative ways.

Some had dry wells installed in their backyards while others ran a 3″ piece of p.v.c. pipe under their front lawns and out thru the curb into the street. It wasn’t legal but it did solve the septic tanks from prematurely backing up into your house.

I was ahead of the curve because I was performing regular enzyme treatments which kept a check on the soap build up, but as my system got beyond the 20-year mark, I ended up having to install a dry well or be faced with quarterly pumpings which would run anywhere from $110-&125.00. Ouch!

Well, it’s now February 2017 and everyone in the subdivision is hiring their own contractors to come and abandon their septic tanks and leaching pits and connect to the city sewers. The city brings the connection to the curb in front of your home and it’s your responsibility to bring the new sewer line out to their connection.

Like I mentioned this has been going on for the past two years, and at this point in time, I figure it’s time to jump on the bandwagon, count my blessings and kiss my septic tank goodbye. And that’s what the video below is all about, I tried my best not to get in the way of the contractor doing the work as they thought I was nuts for filming this thing.

Well, I hope you enjoy the show and if you have any questions about this or any other of my videos I can always be reached at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com. I’m going to take a good long hot shower!

Happy Plumbing,

Bob

Top Plumbing Blogs & Websites for Plumbers & Plumbing Professionals

February 7, 2017 By BobsPlumbingVideos Leave a Comment

Guess who’s been featured in a global list of Top Plumbing Blogs?

The Top 50 Plumbing Blogs & Websites for Plumbers & Plumbing Professionals!

Are you Kidding! So my usual morning routine goes something like this. Travel from my home in Staten Island into Brooklyn hit the local Dunkin Doughnuts at about 6:40 am and in the office by 7:50/7:00 am depending on traffic. Prepare my breakfast (usually egg whites and some fruit) then grab my large black hot coffee and hit the desktop.

First, it’s Desk.com to check and answer any email inquiries from BobPlumbingVideos.com, over to YouTube to check viewer comments and finally over to FaceBook to check on any inquiries from my Robert Sessa Plumbing and BobsPlumbingVideos profiles. I see someone left a message over at B.P.V. so I’m curious and the message read something like this, You’ve been selected as one the Top Plumbing Blogs.

Naturally, I’m curious I hit the link and was taken to an attractive looking page listing all 50 winners of which B.P.V. was sitting in the #3 position. What the heck is this I utter to myself, who posted this and where did they get all the information about all these companies? Feedspot! What is Feedspot, well that was my response so I head over to FeedSpot.Com to see what they’re all about!

Top-Plumbing-Blogs

So FeedSpot is basically an RSS feed that keeps track of what’s going on in your industry. FeedSpot allows you to “pull” industry related articles into one central location so you can stay current within your industry. So rather than searching the internet looking for all this information, they feed that information directly to you. Pretty Cool! They look at industry related blogs, websites, etc, rates them in terms of content, how often they post new content and how they show up in the search engines.

That’s the best way this “blue collar” guy can explain it. If you want more information on exactly what FeedSpot is I suggest you head over to FeedSpot.Com. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to be included in the Top Plumbing Blogs and even more shocked to hold the #3 spot. Incredible! I have to say its a great feeling to know that all of your hard work is being shared and appreciated by both the consumers looking for this information and other industry professionals.

A big shout out to plumberparts.co.uk the #2 spot and plumberX.com the #6 spot for also making the Top 50. They both have cool You-Tube Channels and you should check them both out. Well, there you have it, folks B.P.V. has hit the “Big Time” LOL!! Anyway back to making videos, with 5,400 You-Tube subscribers and over 100,000 views a month (as of this writing) I plan on saving boat load of people some serious bucks.

Thanks for Your Loyalty,
Regards, Bob

Top 50 Plumbing Blogs & Websites for Plumbers & Plumbing Professionals