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

How To Pick The Right Hot and Cold Water Valve – Part 1

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Another benchtop demonstration? Absolutely!

That’s the best way, in my opinion, to show you how to pick the correct hot and cold water valves.

If you can grasp what I’m showing you here, the concept holds true no matter what setting you find yourself in.

As far a shut off valves go it’s my opinion that the ones featured in this video are among the most popular you’ll find in the feild. Don’t get me wrong, there are many connecting methods out there (i.e.: compression, pex, pro-press etc.) but I guarantee the ones on my bench are the ones most commonly found.

Starting with the good old gate valve featured on the left, this valve is most commonly found on the water service that enters your home. They’re full port when fully opened but the problem with this valve as well as with all valves in general is that they’re seldom, if ever, used by the homeowner. They sit there for ten to twenty years or longer, and when that first emergency occurs, panic sets in. In an emergency you’ll grab onto them and in many cases they’re frozen in the open position so you keep forcing them in an effort to shut off the water and bingo the valve breaks.

Now what do you do?

Well if it’s any valve other that the main water supply valve entering the home you could be adventurous and attempt to disassemble the valve and remove the broken gate, but if you want my opinion it’s probably time to call in a pro.

Don’t feel bad, I’ve been in many situations where I’ve had to shut the main water supply and have broken the gates in the closed position (ouch!)

Back in the day I would go get some dry ice and actually freeze the main water supply so I could remove the broken valve and Install a brand new one.

Although we have modern methods of freezing a water main today, the dry ice method never let me down.

The point here is just be careful, if the valve doesn’t move, don’t force it and when in doubt, call in a pro.

If you have questions about anything I’ve covered in this videos, by all means drop me a line at info@bobsplumbing videos.com.

Meet me over in part two of this series where I’ll go over the other valves featured in the video:
How To Pick The Right Hot and Cold Water Shut Off Valves – Part 2

HAPPY PLUMBING!

Connecting The Water Supply To a Toilet Tank

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In this demonstration I feature two of the most popular methods when connecting the water supply to a toilet tank.

The flexible stainless steel model is most often seen in use today, so here’s my take on both.

The FSS models come in pre-determined lengths, generally 12″, 16″ and 20″ lengths. The 12″ length is the size most often used to connect a toilet and the 16″ and 20 ” lengths are generally used to connect faucets. Because these are of a pre-determined length, you may end up having some slack depending on the distance from the water supply up to the toilet fill valve.

For this reason, I’m not too crazy about the way they look even though they’re used every day. The one tip I can recommend is that when you tighten these be sure to hold back on the crimp rings to keep them from twisting around.

I personally prefer the solid 3/8″ chrome plated copper supply tubes which come in the same lengths but are able to be cut to the exact size you need.

All you need is a tubing cutter and in a pinch you can even use a fine tooth hack saw blade (32 teeth per inch). My tip for these is to always tighten the top first to ensure it’s seated up against the fill valve and then you can finish up and tighten the bottom.

I see all too often when changing a fill valve that when loosening the top nut, the water supply will actually drop a good 1/4″ which creates a downward strain on the fill valve.

Not good in the world of plastic fill valves as they can crack! I also think the chrome plated copper supply tubes make for a more professional looking installation in an exposed application whether it’s for a toilet or an exposed wall hung sink.

In general I use the FSS versions under cabinets where they’re out of sight.

If you’re in doubt about anything covered in this video I look forward in hearing from you! info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

Teflon Tape Explained

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In this video I give you my take on Teflon tape.

When I started in the business way back when there was no such animal, we used a roll of cotton lamp wick which actually looked like a spool of thread but much heavier. We would wrap it around the threads just like Teflon in a clockwise fashion and then follow up with a good brushing of pipe joint compound.

Teflon tape comes in a variety of thicknesses and widths so you’ll choose which to use based on the application.

The key in getting Teflon tape to do its job is to make sure that you apply it in a clockwise direction which will ensure it stays inside the joint. I see all too often people applying it in a counter clockwise fashion which will cause the Teflon to remove itself from the joint when you attempt to screw it in.

The other tip I want to mention is that although it comes in a variety of widths, I generally use the ½’’ version and keep it toward the front or tapered portion of the threads. By doing this I find that when the joint is completely made-up (tightened) you cannot visibly see any of the Teflon making it a cleaner looking job.

The worst thing to see is a series of pipe joints with the white (or whatever color your using) Teflon sticking out past the tightened joint. Very unprofessional!

There have been some new and improved versions of Teflon that have recently made their way onto the market since I shot this video. They’re denser in weight which means you can use less, and that’s a good thing because the new versions are not cheap.

Take a look at the video and if you feel I missed something, please by all means contact me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!

How To Install a Toilet Tank to Bowl

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This is a new video about how to install a new toilet tank onto an existing toilet bowl.

I wasn’t sure if I had mentioned removing the protective plastic wrap around the wax gasket and that’s the reason you see my arm pop up in the opening shot. Yes you have to remove the plastic covering!

Hey I’m just getting started with this video stuff, so bear with me, I promise it’ll get better.

Anyway the biggest tip I can offer you in this video is to use a small ribbon of plumbers putty just underneath the rubber gasket that sits inside the toilet tank.

Over the years I’ve had other plumbers say “what are you wasting your time for, that’s not necessary,” but I always had the last laugh when they got the call back for the leaking tank bolts.

It’s just good insurance against having to go back draining, removing and re-installing the tank. After the bolts are tightened on both sides, install your flush valve gasket and proceed to set the tank onto the bowl.

Tighten each bolt by alternating from side to side while having a level across the tank to check for level.

Once you’re satisfied it’s securely in place, connect the water supply tube to the fill valve and flush away. You want to make sure their are no leaks between the tank and bowl especially when it is flushed, I would do this several times to insure a leak free job.

That’s it guys, not too difficult to do and if you follow the steps in the video I’m confident you can do it. Any questions, feel free to drop me a line at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

Happy Plumbing!

More Toilet Repair Videos
If you need more step by step guidance, check out my free 2 part video series:
How to Remove and Intsll a Toilet Tank and Bowl – Part 1
How to Remove and Intsll a Toilet Tank and Bowl – Part 2

How To Remove and Install a Toilet Tank and Bowl – Part 2

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Welcome to part 2 of this two part series showing you how to remove and install a new toilet tank and bowl.

If you haven’t seen part 1 check it out here:
How To Remove and Install a Toilet Tank and Bowl – Part 1

It’s time to remove the wax gasket and you can do this simply by using a flat blade paint scraper or putty knife. In this video I’m working on a new P.V.C. floor flange, but if you’re working on an old lead or cast iron floor flange I would recommend you inspect it to make sure it’s in good shape before proceeding.
The wax gasket in this demo is in a protective plastic sleeve and not to confuse you; it must be removed from this sleeve before setting it in place. Some plumbers choose to place the gasket onto the male horn of the bowl before setting it into place, but I like to place down on the floor flange. I can see exactly where it’s going to sit and not worry about it accidently falling off while I’m lowering the bowl.

You don’t want to have that gasket halfway on or off the flange, which could happen if it falls off the horn. When I place the bowl down I like to rock it back and forth to set the wax gasket, let me explain why for me it might be a little tougher in the winter months.

I store the wax gaskets in my work van and here in the northeast when the temperatures drop to 30 degrees and below. They get hard as a rock.

A good tip to mention here is that I’ll fill a gallon bucket with some hot water and drop the wax gasket in to bring it back to room temperature.

Once the bowl is securely in place you’re ready to complete the installation. Check out the video for the conclusion and as always if you have questions, you may reach me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

HAPPY PLUMBING!