Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws
Discuss Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please! in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at Plumbers Forums
- Status
B
Bunker
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Depends on size but often its about £25 for one with insulation, maybe £45 with no insulation but youd expect about £55 for the same size if cut up. I cut all my copper up anyway to separate bright from brazings, so grinder already out and turning. I do this on a sunny sunday afternoon and strangely enjoy it...sad eh!
- Messages
- 219
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
I do exactly that. It is strangely satisfying.
I do exactly that. It is strangely satisfying.
K
kay-jay
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
i would find a better scrappy! ask around about the prices paid. my scrappy only pays an extra 10p per kg for 'bright' than he does for mixed brazed imo it is not worth the faff
i would find a better scrappy! ask around about the prices paid. my scrappy only pays an extra 10p per kg for 'bright' than he does for mixed brazed imo it is not worth the faff
- Messages
- 8,572
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
£3.9 per kilo here for mix copper and some brass with it
£3.9 per kilo here for mix copper and some brass with it
- Messages
- 919
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Always charge the customer for absolutely everything, & i mean everything.
some customers will waste your time by asking alot of dumb & stupid questions, you dont have to accept this sort of thing.
the other day, someone phoned me and asked, How much do you charge ?, i said to him, i charge £300 to answer 3 questions, he said to me, That's abit steep isn't it ?, so i said yes it is, And what's your 3rd question ?
you need to be absolutely ruthless in this game, dont let the brass-tards walk all over you.
Always charge the customer for absolutely everything, & i mean everything.
some customers will waste your time by asking alot of dumb & stupid questions, you dont have to accept this sort of thing.
the other day, someone phoned me and asked, How much do you charge ?, i said to him, i charge £300 to answer 3 questions, he said to me, That's abit steep isn't it ?, so i said yes it is, And what's your 3rd question ?
you need to be absolutely ruthless in this game, dont let the brass-tards walk all over you.
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
How to repair a leaking Essex flange
For some reason, Essex flanges come with pathetic rubber washers which seem designed to perish after about 5 years.
I come across this quite a bit and have developed a technique for repairing them.
Firstly drain down the cylinder to below the level of the flange, and gripping the tail of the flange, unscrew the nut about 10mm and clean out the remains of the perished washers and the exposed thread so the nut can screw freely backwards and forwards.
Take some lengths of hemp and paste them up with Boss White or Hawk White. Screw the nut back on so that the flat washer is about 3mm off the face of the cylinder and disconnect any pipework to it so you can get your hand round it.
Centralise the flange in the hole and wrap the hemp tightly around the flange between the cylinder and the flat washer. Try to push the wound hemp along the thread into the cylinder using the flat washer, build up so you have filled the entire space between the cylinder and washer and have excess hemp wound past the washer.
Carefully hold the end of the Essex Flange with grips and with a large spanner wind the nut back tightly onto the cylinder to compress the hemp and paste as tightly as it will go. It needs to be VERY tight.
Reassemble, fill with water and allow water to heat up. Occasionally you may need to repeat the process again if you are slightly off-centre in the hole.
Once the hemp and paste has set, you've got no chance of redoing the joint without cutting it out and using a new Essex flange.
I tend to assemble new Essex flanges this way instead of using the washers that come with them.
A similar technique can be employed for repairing leaking coil connections on a cylinder.
How to repair a leaking Essex flange
For some reason, Essex flanges come with pathetic rubber washers which seem designed to perish after about 5 years.
I come across this quite a bit and have developed a technique for repairing them.
Firstly drain down the cylinder to below the level of the flange, and gripping the tail of the flange, unscrew the nut about 10mm and clean out the remains of the perished washers and the exposed thread so the nut can screw freely backwards and forwards.
Take some lengths of hemp and paste them up with Boss White or Hawk White. Screw the nut back on so that the flat washer is about 3mm off the face of the cylinder and disconnect any pipework to it so you can get your hand round it.
Centralise the flange in the hole and wrap the hemp tightly around the flange between the cylinder and the flat washer. Try to push the wound hemp along the thread into the cylinder using the flat washer, build up so you have filled the entire space between the cylinder and washer and have excess hemp wound past the washer.
Carefully hold the end of the Essex Flange with grips and with a large spanner wind the nut back tightly onto the cylinder to compress the hemp and paste as tightly as it will go. It needs to be VERY tight.
Reassemble, fill with water and allow water to heat up. Occasionally you may need to repeat the process again if you are slightly off-centre in the hole.
Once the hemp and paste has set, you've got no chance of redoing the joint without cutting it out and using a new Essex flange.
I tend to assemble new Essex flanges this way instead of using the washers that come with them.
A similar technique can be employed for repairing leaking coil connections on a cylinder.
Last edited:
- Messages
- 8,572
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
will a roll of ptfe not do the job ? never had to repair one so that is why I am asking
will a roll of ptfe not do the job ? never had to repair one so that is why I am asking
K
kay-jay
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
sounds like it would be easier to just replace it tbh
sounds like it would be easier to just replace it tbh
- Messages
- 10,602
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
not for use on potable water but then who drinks hot water
not for use on potable water but then who drinks hot water
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
PTFE won't work as you wouldn't be able to get it tight enough, and hemp and paste seals better. Hot water systems are classed as non-potable.
It's actually not that hard to do it the way I have described. You could replace the washer as Kay-Jay suggests but I consider hemp and paste a better means of permanently sealing it.
In the past when I haven't had an Essex flange handy, I have on occasion simply soldered a tank outlet connector onto the cylinder and if soldered properly it'll never come off.
PTFE won't work as you wouldn't be able to get it tight enough, and hemp and paste seals better. Hot water systems are classed as non-potable.
It's actually not that hard to do it the way I have described. You could replace the washer as Kay-Jay suggests but I consider hemp and paste a better means of permanently sealing it.
In the past when I haven't had an Essex flange handy, I have on occasion simply soldered a tank outlet connector onto the cylinder and if soldered properly it'll never come off.
Last edited:
M
Mike Jackson
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Hot water is still potable, and some people do drink it.
Hot water is still potable, and some people do drink it.
R
R1CKY
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
When you remove a part from a boiler, smash it to pieces! No way of mistaking it with a serviceable part!
A small piece of 15mm copper crimped at one end and a pushfit cap end at the other makes a great container for your flux brush!
When you remove a part from a boiler, smash it to pieces! No way of mistaking it with a serviceable part!
A small piece of 15mm copper crimped at one end and a pushfit cap end at the other makes a great container for your flux brush!
W
Whyme
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Never ever ever change an expansion vessal on a worc 35cdi unless youve got a morning to kill and dont mind completely gutting a boiler, unbelievable.
Never ever ever change an expansion vessal on a worc 35cdi unless youve got a morning to kill and dont mind completely gutting a boiler, unbelievable.
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
when replacing a part on a combi and you need to drain it,once you have drained it repressurise the expansion vessel as the vessel usually is holding a little water and carrys on dribbling out
when replacing a part on a combi and you need to drain it,once you have drained it repressurise the expansion vessel as the vessel usually is holding a little water and carrys on dribbling out
W
Whyme
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Id like to say too any young plumbers, dont be afraid of taking on new challenges and dont get stuck in a rut doing the same thing day in day out. variety variety. do as many outlandish jobs you can and go on as many manufacturers courses as possible cos youll end up a well rounded plumber....speech over.
Id like to say too any young plumbers, dont be afraid of taking on new challenges and dont get stuck in a rut doing the same thing day in day out. variety variety. do as many outlandish jobs you can and go on as many manufacturers courses as possible cos youll end up a well rounded plumber....speech over.
G
Gmal1
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream
Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream
R
RPG 80
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
After turning the power off on a Ultracom 2 CXi, make sure you reselect the hot water mode, as on restarting the boiler will run in heating mode only. Causing you to get recalled through 15 miles of rush hour traffic to push a button.
After turning the power off on a Ultracom 2 CXi, make sure you reselect the hot water mode, as on restarting the boiler will run in heating mode only. Causing you to get recalled through 15 miles of rush hour traffic to push a button.
B
Bunker
When taking rads off the wall, shut both ends, undo from valve and lob a 1/2 or 3/4 compression cap onto the tail and do up. Then do other end. Voila, no need to drain in the house and can be carried out with no fear of dripping sludge.
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
Don't leave bits of kit you have replaced lying around at the customer's place as it's bad practice. One local engineer I come across seems to leave debris and junk with customers and today I was presented with a shoebox of worn out oil pumps, used flexi hoses, nozzles, bust control box, broken solenoid etc. Fair enough if something still functions (such as an old nozzle, but only one), leave it there, but otherwise If you replace something faulty, show it to the customer and ask if they would like you to dispose of or recycle it for them. If they say they want to keep it, fair enough, otherwise take your junk away with you.
It is one of my main pet hates, tradesmen leaving junk for me to clear away, whether they be electricians, joiners, plumbers etc. Wire trimmings, rubble etc swept under floorboards really annoys me. I only use tradesmen for my own jobs who are tidy.
In industry for commercial work, it is an absolute no-no to leave junk on site and if you do so, the customer will take a dim view of it. Domestic is no different. There's also a potential liability risk if you leave a broken component and someone later tries it and something goes wrong, they could blame you.
On another note, as a previous post has said, make it obvious what you take off is useless by breaking it so it can't get mixed up with good stuff again. I always bend old immersion heater stats in half for example as soon as I take them out.
I worked in a printing works once. In the past, a plumber had left a short pipe offcut on a gantry which months later had accidentally been knocked off and fell into a printing press, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Don't leave bits of kit you have replaced lying around at the customer's place as it's bad practice. One local engineer I come across seems to leave debris and junk with customers and today I was presented with a shoebox of worn out oil pumps, used flexi hoses, nozzles, bust control box, broken solenoid etc. Fair enough if something still functions (such as an old nozzle, but only one), leave it there, but otherwise If you replace something faulty, show it to the customer and ask if they would like you to dispose of or recycle it for them. If they say they want to keep it, fair enough, otherwise take your junk away with you.
It is one of my main pet hates, tradesmen leaving junk for me to clear away, whether they be electricians, joiners, plumbers etc. Wire trimmings, rubble etc swept under floorboards really annoys me. I only use tradesmen for my own jobs who are tidy.
In industry for commercial work, it is an absolute no-no to leave junk on site and if you do so, the customer will take a dim view of it. Domestic is no different. There's also a potential liability risk if you leave a broken component and someone later tries it and something goes wrong, they could blame you.
On another note, as a previous post has said, make it obvious what you take off is useless by breaking it so it can't get mixed up with good stuff again. I always bend old immersion heater stats in half for example as soon as I take them out.
I worked in a printing works once. In the past, a plumber had left a short pipe offcut on a gantry which months later had accidentally been knocked off and fell into a printing press, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Last edited:
W
Whyme
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
buy a pipe flarer cos you dont always have imperial to metric fitting on.
buy a pipe flarer cos you dont always have imperial to metric fitting on.
- Messages
- 10,602
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
the flarer nis good for pipes that have been frozen youll not get those in a compression coupling
Compression fittings will do the job whyme
the flarer nis good for pipes that have been frozen youll not get those in a compression coupling
P
plum ber
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
When adding inhibitor or cleaner to a system, shut off both sides drain a few litres or so then use a 15mm compression elbow in the top of the rad to pour inn your chemicals...
When adding inhibitor or cleaner to a system, shut off both sides drain a few litres or so then use a 15mm compression elbow in the top of the rad to pour inn your chemicals...
- Messages
- 8,572
re: Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!
also get 15 to 28 reducer and solder it to a bit of 15mm and here is your funnel
Male to copper elbow
also get 15 to 28 reducer and solder it to a bit of 15mm and here is your funnel
- Status
Similar plumbing topics
- Article
Compex EX 04 fail
Hi. I’m new to the Forum...
- Jackson123
- Electrical Advice
- 0
- 203
- Latest:
- Jackson123
- Question
I have some 3 and 4 port valves from them and...
- Raul L
- UK Plumbers Forums
- 13
- 2K
- Latest:
- Knappers
- Sticky
- Question
I never have, but if it were a decent place...
- Lou
- UK Plumbers Forums
- 9
- 1K
- Latest:
- Ric2013
Boiler Fault
I’m hoping someone can help with...
- Question
There were issues with failing heat exchangers...
- SteveRPX1010
- UK Plumbers Forums
- 3
- 1K
- Latest:
- king of pipes
