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Real Life Plumbing Advice for People Who Don't Want To Call A Plumber

How to Replace and Install a Toilet Fill Valve And Tank Lever

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This was one of my first video attempts when bobsplumbingvideos.com was just an idea. After viewing it I almost decided not to publish it, but, after watching it a couple of times I feel their is still some useful information here.

One thing to point out is while mentioning an open end wrench to tighten the fill valve, I meant to say an adjustable wrench. There is a difference between the two and I want to make you aware of it. Open end wrenches come in pre-determined sizes , whereas with an adjustable, you only need one tool for a variety of tasks.

Truth is, when I install or remove fill valves, my go to tool is the offset 6″ pipe wrench by Ridgid which you’ll see in some of my other videos. It gets into spaces where you just can’t fit any other tools and has become my #1 choice for this task.

The tank lever I feature in this video is from a company called Wolverine brass which sells only to professional plumbers, but search around online because they are available.

Another thing to mention about this video is when adjusting the chain for the flapper, I like to get it as directly in line with the flapper as possible. Also, you’ll find that in some toilet tanks you may have some extra chain dangling after you’ve made your final adjustments.

Do yourself a favor and snip it off leaving only two or three extra links for fine tuning. I’ve found in the past that if you leave excessive chain it will tangle itself after a flush and keep the flapper from closing.

The last tip I want to mention is that the re-fill tube comes very long and I find that people tend to place it all the way down into the overflow tube. Don’t do it! It will create a siphon and you’ll go crazy trying to figure out where that trickling water noise is coming from. It must be located above the re-fill tube, so cut it to length and use the connecting clip that comes with your new fill valve and clip it onto the overflow.

Well that’s it for now, if you’re not clear on anything in this video please drop me line at bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

Which Tubular Nuts, Tubular Pipes and Washers To Use and When

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In this video i show you different types of tubular nuts, tubular pipes and washers and explain when you use them. From connecting your kitchen sink strainer, sink trap or even toilet popup assembly, you’ll learn the best parts to use to get the job done right.

The method used for connecting a kitchen sink strainer or a lavatory pop-up assembly to a sink trap can be accomplished by using a variety of light weight tubular pipe. I’ve seen it made of plastic in other parts of the country but here In N.Y.City the most popular material is light weight brass tubing which can be anywhere from 20 to 22 gauge in weight.

The nuts and washers used to assemble them come in a variety of materials and depending on the application you may decide to use one over the other.

When you purchase these tubular fittings they come with brass plated zinc coupling nuts which are not the best choice because in as little as six months time they then tend to bond to the threads of the tubing and the only way to remove them is by cutting them off.

The alternative would be to purchase premium fittings which are a heavy 17 gauge weight and come with solid brass coupling nuts. The only down side of course is that they’re super expensive and honestly they’re not easy to find. So with this in mind I’d like you to check out my video on how I go about putting the tubing together.

I personally like to use the beveled nylon washers over the rubber ones, but the truth is either will work. The key here is to lubricate the threads of the fittings with plumbers water proof silicone grease so the nuts will glide right onto the threads. Do this in conjunction with the beveled nylon washer or rubber and you’ll get a leak proof joint 99% of the time.

If you can’t find or don’t have silicone grease, use pipe joint compound it’ll get the job done. If you get stuck or are unsure about something in this video, drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

How To Install a Plastic Flush Valve

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In this video I just wanted to walk you through the motions should you decide to replace one of these old style brass flush valves. Its the same steps you’d take to install a plastic flush valve on your toilet tank.

These flush valves were generally found in the old style wall hung tiolet tanks which used way too much water.That’s why I always recommend upgrading to a modern water efficient tank and bowl combination when faced with this type of repair.

Back in the day this was a standard repair that we would run across every day, but removing the tank from the bowl was not an easy task.

The bolts in those days were made of white metal as opposed to brass and in most cases had to be cut off. Now, I will cover that procedure in a separate video, but for now we’ll talk about the flush valve.

The key here is that the large 2″ metal nut that holds the valve in place in most cases will have to be cut in a few places and then pried off with a thin blade screw driver.

If the hack saw was to awkward to get down to the porcelain, I would remove it from it’s frame and using the blade alone get down as close as I could to the surface of the tank.

I would start with a blade that’s 24 teeth per inch and end up with a 32 teeth per inch blade. When the Lennox close quarter saw became available I found it to be most useful for this task.

The next tip is to always use a 2″ metal or even plastic friction washer to place between the new 2″ locknut and the bottom of the tank.

They may not always come with the new flush valve, but using one will keep it from binding against the bottom of the tank.

Not too difficult a task and if you take it slow you shouldn’t have any issues at all.

Again, in todays world, if you’re faced between changing out an outdated flush valve or installing a new water efficient tank and bowl, go with the new equipment. You won’t be sorry.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

How To Fix Your Sink Popup Assembly

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In this video you’ll learn how to fix or replace your sink popup assembly (also known as a popup drain).

So you wake up all ready to start your day, it’s time for a hot shave and you pull up on the lift rod to fill the sink and the rod comes off right in your hand.

Not to worry my friends as this is something that occurs quite often and the fix is pretty easy as long as you don’t mind crawling under the sink cabinet to make it happen.

Now, if you’re a big guy and you have a small sink cabinet it could be a challenge, but on the other hand if it’s a wall hung sink your home free.

Basically what has happened is that the small hex shaped screw or thumb screw has loosened up to the point where the upper rod has slipped out.

Watch the video and you’ll get a better understanding of exactly what’s happening.The tip here is that when you get the rod back in place and before you tighten up on the set screw, make sure that the stopper is in the fully up position. This will allow the water to flow freely without backing up.

I run across a lot of stoppers that are mid way between up and down which results in the water backing up when you don’t want it to. That can be especially annoying when you’re brushing your teeth, yuck!

Give it a try and if you run into trouble, as always, drop me a note at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

Cool tool from Ridgid – Faucet and Sink Wrench

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Buy Now – Ridgid Offset Wrench Tool

I first discovered this tool while browsing around the plumbing department at Home Depot.

Although I am a tool geek, I thought to myself “just another ridiculous product” for the weekend plumber. “Real” plumbers use basin wrenches so why would I even entertain making a purchase like this?

Well, slowly but surely, more and more faucet manufacturers were replacing metal locknuts with plastic ones. My basin wrench was getting the job done but I started to find that when I attempted to drive the locknuts home, I would break the tabs off them. This was really annoying because once that happened I was unable to tighten them any further. Well, I broke down, swallowed my pride and purchased the Ridgid faucet and sink installer and to my surprise,

I found that this is a really a cool tool! It comes with a variety of useful inserts on either end which makes life under a sink much more effective. I won’t go into all of its uses in this article but will only to say that a picture (in this case, a video) is worth a thousand words.

I encourage you to watch the video where I explain in detail exactly how I use it and how it can make faucet installation a breeze. The strainer wrench and handy emergency water shut off valve wrench is worth the price of the tool alone.

It’s ergonomically designed so you can tork up the locknuts and basin nuts without using any other tools, enough said. Check out the video and if you still have questions you can always reach me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

Find Out More About This Ridgid Offset Wrench Tool

HAPPY PLUMBING!