Hints, tips & secrets of plumbing - No Banter please!

[CXR100]

if you get a tap that has loosened up because of a split top hat and you cant undo the water connection or cant get to it easily (i have had this happen before) . instead of undoing the water connection , jest unscrew the backnut a bit down the tap thread . then cut a 1 1/2" (ish) square piece of ply and drill a central 20mm hole in it, then cut from side to the hole as to create a kind of C piece of ply that can be slid easily inbetween the bottom of the sink and he backnut , then tighten in back again , this acts as a tophat without the need to dissconnect the tap if you cant turn the water off or something!

 

[CXR100]

if you get a snapped lockshield pin because somebody has closed it too tight with a wrench and you cant open it again because it has snapped too low to the gland , jest undo the gland nut totally then you have much more of the pin to hold with pliers to open it again , obviously you would jest replace the lockshield , but this trick has helped me out before, dont know if its just common sence but i struggled for a while trying to open it before this idea came to my head!

 

[CXR100]

im a maintance plumber at the moment, i often get broken trv heads because somebody kicked them by "accident" or something, i work for somebody else so i keep a small box of various old heads in my van for a quick replacement, my pocket personally would not benifit from a draindown or whatever for a valve replacement! i get them from other guys in work that do heating replacements!

 

[CXR100]

spray shower door runners with silacone spray , does a hell of a diference ! they run much smoother!!! also gives the van dashboard a lovelly smell & shine!!!!

 

[mikegas]

if you get a tap that has loosened up because of a split top hat and you cant undo the water connection or cant get to it easily (i have had this happen before) . instead of undoing the water connection , jest unscrew the backnut a bit down the tap thread . then cut a 1 1/2" (ish) square piece of ply and drill a central 20mm hole in it, then cut from side to the hole as to create a kind of C piece of ply that can be slid easily inbetween the bottom of the sink and he backnut , then tighten in back again , this acts as a tophat without the need to dissconnect the tap if you cant turn the water off or something!

You can get split top hats mate

 

[mountainman]

Or make your own using one of these tools.

 

[PlumberTiler]

always dampen tile before drilling a hole into it

 

[Pipedream]

if you get a tap that has loosened up because of a split top hat and you cant undo the water connection or cant get to it easily (i have had this happen before) . instead of undoing the water connection , jest unscrew the backnut a bit down the tap thread . then cut a 1 1/2" (ish) square piece of ply and drill a central 20mm hole in it, then cut from side to the hole as to create a kind of C piece of ply that can be slid easily inbetween the bottom of the sink and he backnut , then tighten in back again , this acts as a tophat without the need to dissconnect the tap if you cant turn the water off or something!

You could try a Split Klick top hat washer, does the same thing

 

[hmfc]

Never start a bathroom until you have all the sanitaryware on site ,even if your merchants guarantees it will be there on set day !!

 

[GQuigley67]

this doesn't really work if your a sole trader but more of an employee

if while your cleaning up and a customer tells you "don't worry about that i'll get that" and you leave assuming the customer is quite happy cleaning up the remainder of the mess no matter how small, INSIST that you finish up cleaning up and its part of the job.

This happened to me before it was 7pm and the following day I got pulled up from the boss because customer complained about the mess I left.

Trust no one!

 

[WHPES]

If the customer wishes to do the labouring for the job and you are happy with that, you need to write down exactly what you need them to do and what they are not expected to do when you put your price together.

 

[rideorhide]

Measure twice, cut once.

 

[Jimbob]

Never loads the rubbish into the van without first making sure they don't mind you taking the scrap.

If they want the scrap, they can also have the rubbish.

Someone got me with the a few weeks back.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

Never loads the rubbish into the van without first making sure they don't mind you taking the scrap.

If they want the scrap, they can also have the rubbish.

Someone got me with the a few weeks back.

to avoid that :
always list on your quote/estimate remove of rubbish and scrap mettal is included in the price

 

[Mike Jackson]

I always state "remove and clear away". The money from the scrap pays for the waste removal and my waste licence. If the customer wants to keep the scrap they can pay a disposal charge for the rubbish.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

And also illegal. It will make a really good impression on your customers when your picture is splashed across the local paper leaving court after you've been prosecuted for the illegal disposal of trade waste. I know the cost of rubbish disposal hurts but it's something we all have to live with.

I usually just cost in the size of an appropriate sized hippo bag, clean tidy ,collected no bother. Plus I only have a teeny weeny van

 

[Whyme]

if your letting the scrap men take rads from site have a bucket of water handy cos they dribble black muck everywhere everytime..

 

[GQuigley67]

I'm currently only doing boilers so my scrappy takes my old boilers and my rubbish for £15 per boiler, Yes I know i could make more by stripping down but I'm too busy and he takes my rubbish away so I win and he wins. If you could find a similar arrangement then happy days

 

[GQuigley67]

If you are replacing an open vented boiler which has the flow and return drop feeding from above into the boiler and there are currently no air vents cut into the pipes above, then save yourself alot of hassle and install air vents while you install the boiler otherwise you will be trying to shift an airlock for quite some time.

especially if there is very little head of pressure, and the cold mains is poor

 

[SafeGasInstall]

pump wasnt next to boiler though it was quite a bit away next to cylinder, and the new boiler wasnt top entry was bottom

I understand but I would have not fitted any unless pipe work from boiler had a long horizontal run ......
I would have fitted and I alway do a drain of on the return just next to boiler and when filling up I always run hw only first and then run ch separately ....
We all had them 2-3h to clear the air lock on a open vent boilers ....

 

[BN9Pete]

if your letting the scrap men take rads from site have a bucket of water handy cos they dribble black muck everywhere everytime..

keep the plastic plugs that protect the tappings in new rads and put them into the tappings of the old rads, this will stop getting black sludge everywhere, this also helps when carrying a rad down stairs or in a clean property.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

keep the plastic plugs that protect the tappings in new rads and put them into the tappings of the old rads, this will stop getting black sludge everywhere, this also helps when carrying a rad down stairs or in a clean property.

Cracking idea !

 

[lame plumber]

keep the plastic plugs that protect the tappings in new rads and put them into the tappings of the old rads, this will stop getting black sludge everywhere, this also helps when carrying a rad down stairs or in a clean property.

if both inlets are at bottom, turn rad upside down, simples

 

[BN9Pete]

if both inlets are at bottom, turn rad upside down, simples

No not simples, read post 817 plastic plugs will stop this, also will stop sludge running round your van if you are taking a rad away, also carrying a large rad downstairs and you never know you may trip when carrying a rad, as you know black sludge goes through dustsheets. your idea is fine if in a property with no carpet and you are putting a rad directly into a skip.

 

[BN9Pete]

Cracking idea !

thanks, you know this makes sense!:yes: