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

[Bunker]

Window fitters use about a hundred mastic tubes per window....ask them for a handful of left over unused nozzles, they have hundreds of them, very useful for us.

 

[Chalked]

Service engineer mate of mine showed me this tip today.

for boiler expansion vessel replacement or testing ( with braded hose) he uses a brake pipe clamp to clamp the flexi hose, then replace vessel or test without draining the boiler or system.

one of these.

 

[Bunker]

Service engineer mate of mine showed me this tip today.

for boiler expansion vessel replacement or testing ( with braded hose) he uses a brake pipe clamp to clamp the flexi hose, then replace vessel or test without draining the boiler or system.

one of these.

That is genius, unless it could damage the line?

 

[Chalked]

Mechanics use them all the time on brake lines.
Good enough for 20 bar.

 

[solutions]

Service engineer mate of mine showed me this tip today.

for boiler expansion vessel replacement or testing ( with braded hose) he uses a brake pipe clamp to clamp the flexi hose, then replace vessel or test without draining the boiler or system.

one of these.

Not sure I like the idea of crushing a braided hose. Pinching the hose alone wont allow you to test the expansion vessel unless you also detach the hose before testing the charge. Flexible break hoses are quite different to braided plumbing hoses. You can buy schrader valve extensions from truck supply stores which can make connecting to concealed valves easier. They are intended for lorries with double wheels each axle end to allow the inner wheel valve to be reached from the outer wheel but they work great for expansion vessels.

 

[Whyme]

Service engineer mate of mine showed me this tip today.

for boiler expansion vessel replacement or testing ( with braded hose) he uses a brake pipe clamp to clamp the flexi hose, then replace vessel or test without draining the boiler or system.

one of these.

bet thats good for clamping plastic pipes

 

[kay-jay]

bet thats good for clamping plastic pipes

I usually clamp plastic with my teeth at arms length from where I'm gonna cut it, then give it a snip and whack a valve on it.

The above method works in england and wales however due to poor dental hygiene should not be attempted if you are scottish.....

 

[tamz]

Especially west coast :smile:

 

[Ermintrude]

When your on a job and there isn't one it's polite to fit one. Sick of muppets who fit system or do a boiler swap and neglect to spend £3.49 and two mins to fit them !!!!!!!

 

[Bunker]

Service engineer mate of mine showed me this tip today.

for boiler expansion vessel replacement or testing ( with braded hose) he uses a brake pipe clamp to clamp the flexi hose, then replace vessel or test without draining the boiler or system.

one of these.

Had a thought about this yesterday as I removed an exp vessel. You only have to let the pressure off not drain the system down anyway. I then wind a cap onto the flex just to stop the drips.
If you did use that clamp then the vessel would still have pressure in it and would make a mess.
Just release system pressure (ideally from a drain off or rad, try to avoid the temptation if the PRV)

 

[Ermintrude]

Don't most boilers with internal exp have ISo valves and drain off? With most intergalactic filling loops u can empty boiler off? That is if the previous fitter understood regs and fitted nrv on cold not ch

 

[IDCHAPPY]

If you're going to change the syphon on a close couple toilet that's been in for a few years, it's always worth having a spare donut and bracket handy as the old one will probably be rusted to buggery

 

[gasmanrob]

If you're going to change the syphon on a close couple toilet that's been in for a few years, it's always worth having a spare donut and bracket handy as the old one will probably be rusted to buggery

Just buy a fluid master kit from our forum sponsor Williams and co for a very reasonable £19 and it comes with a bracket and donut

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I'm way up in scotchland though

 

[stevetheplumber]

I'm way up in scotchland though

not got the post that far north?

 

[IDCHAPPY]

not got the post that far north?

Not even got inside toilets yet

 

[Chalked]

Had a thought about this yesterday as I removed an exp vessel. You only have to let the pressure off not drain the system down anyway. I then wind a cap onto the flex just to stop the drips.
If you did use that clamp then the vessel would still have pressure in it and would make a mess.
Just release system pressure (ideally from a drain off or rad, try to avoid the temptation if the PRV)

This is used so you don't have to isolate the boiler and drain off. How many times do you use the boiler isolating valves, only to see them start dripping when you move them.
yes there will still be pressure present in the vessel, but undoing the hose and catching the water will get rid of that. Then it's a simple replacement.

 

[spanner]

When using polypipe pushfit, always Use the insert (don't forget to insert a pipe collar fgs ), for the flitting and not the pipe..
Eg!, if you have a "JG" elbow 22mm and Hep2o pipe 22mm. To get the 101% watertight outcome it is necessary you use the "JG"guide or vice versa...

 

[TBServices]

When using polypipe pushfit, always Use the insert (don't forget to insert a pipe collar fgs ), for the flitting and not the pipe..
Eg!, if you have a "JG" elbow 22mm and Hep2o pipe 22mm. To get the 101% watertight outcome it is necessary you use the "JG"guide or vice versa...

This makes close to no sense.

 

[spanner]

Okay 100% then you can keep the %%

 

[TBServices]

What advice are you trying to offer? Re-write, then proof read before posting again.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

no the insert should suit the pipe not the fitting you have got it the wrong way round spanner

 

[TBServices]

Well that was the point I was going to make Steve, but I wasn't sure whether his "advice" was actually contradictory to this, due to it's general incoherency.

To clarify - The insert/liner must be the correct brand for the PIPE, due to differing inside diameters of pipe between brands. NOT the fitting.

 

[kay-jay]

What a tulip!

 

[Killy Bing]

Spanner.
Pipe sizes relate to the outer diameter of a pipe.

this means jg, polyplumb, hep and the other plastic fittings will work on each others pipes as they fit the same OD

BUT
They have different internal diameters which the insert goes too.

jg could be 14mm id while hep is 13mm.
you need the correct insert to stiffen the pipe or they sit lose and are useless.