Tools of the trade: plumbing

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A few years back, the young man that came to install our water heater and furnace didn't have a pipe wrench. He was sitting and looking at the 50 year old 1 1/4 gas line and his channellocks :) He was really relieved when I offered the use my pipe wrench :)
 
A few years back, the young man that came to install our water heater and furnace didn't have a pipe wrench. He was sitting and looking at the 50 year old 1 1/4 gas line and his channellocks :) He was really relieved when I offered the use my pipe wrench :)



Thats a job for an 18 for sure
 
We had a wharehouse job the otherday. Install 6 600k btu heaters and pipe out the gas. 2 1/2 inch medium pressure system. The only tools on that job were 2 24 inch and 1 36 inch pipe wrenches. And they were all steel. Let me tell ya, i was sore when that job was over
 
One place I worked had a leak in the old steam boiler system. I found the leak easy enough but I had to take apart the old 2" lines. I had a 36" pipe wrench and plenty of room so I put on a ten foot cheater bar. I still could not break the connection. Every day for about a week I would apply more penetrating oil and then I would hang from the end of that 10' pipe and bounce all my weight on it. Finally a friend saw me doing that and he said he would help. The next day he gave me a can of Kroil. I applied this 'new' penetrating oil and the connection loosened almost immediately. Sometimes it pays to have friends. Or maybe a person sometimes is not as smart as they think.:)
 
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I saw the wrench.
I do not use tread tape, it does not last.
I use pipe dope only, so does the company I work for, we do water, air & gas lines, as well as some vacuum lines.
 
This stuff is the best penetrating oil on the market.
PB Blaster.jpg
 
I went to help some guys install a CT scanner. The lead guy from another shop had a tool box with 6 tools total. He was trying to remove 10mm bolts with channel locks. I asked him why he didn't have tools and his reply was the boss wouldn't not issue him any. I said I wouldn't work for a guy like that. He said he had quit and it was his last week.
Finally one of the guys from my shop showed up with his complete tool box.
I'm one of those guys that has always taken care of tools and always had every tool I needed. I'm still the same even in retirement.
 
I saw the wrench.
I do not use tread tape, it does not last.
I use pipe dope only, so does the company I work for, we do water, air & gas lines, as well as some vacuum lines.



My employer has been in business since 76. They have always used thread tape and/or pipe dope. They have never had an issue
 
My employer has been in business since 76. They have always used thread tape and/or pipe dope. They have never had an issue
I use either dope or tape and never had a problem with either. In my view it is a metal-to-metal seal anyway and the tape or dope just acts more like a lubricant than a sealer. That's why you can put on liquid thread sealer but use the joint before the sealer dries.
 
My employer has been in business since 76. They have always used thread tape and/or pipe dope. They have never had an issue
My employer started in the 1800's & we got tired of replacing the tape, when we found leaks.
We even tried the liquid tape, but it would not stop leaks, so we use only dope now.
 
My employer started in the 1800's & we got tired of replacing the tape, when we found leaks.
We even tried the liquid tape, but it would not stop leaks, so we use only dope now.



I wonder why we aren't having leaks?
Maybe different systems. We dont do air or vacuum lines. Mainly residential plumbing: water and gas lines.
 
It used to be. Then kroil came out. And then jack of all sprays came out. Now i only by jack of all sprays
I'm a Kroil user myself. My cans of PB Blaster and WD-40 have been sitting, untouched on the shelf for years. Kroil is 10x better IMHO.
I'd check out "jack of all sprays" but I still have almost a gallon of Kroil and that may last me a lifetime.
 
I'm a Kroil user myself. My cans of PB Blaster and WD-40 have been sitting, untouched on the shelf for years. Kroil is 10x better IMHO.
I'd check out "jack of all sprays" but I still have almost a gallon of Kroil and that may last me a lifetime.



Kroil is good stuff but for me the jack of all sprays is all i grab for things that are severely stuck like fan blades on ac condensers. Those things get so bad i used to have to use a torch to free them from a motor shaft. No i just spray them and let it sit 5 mins and twist it off with a wrench
 
That being said kroil is the best at plumbing stuff where you have a bunch of limescale and corrosion. It frees that stuff right up. I think its better at dissolving limescale.
 
I use two kinds of thread sealant. for oil and liquid I use Loctite 518 for LPG and natural gas I use a paste sealant that I was taught to use on propane fuel systems.
I don't want to think about all the teflon tape I have pulled out of regulators and control valves. Between teflon tape and silicone RTV that will cover about 90% of the non-wear problems in equipment of all kinds.
 
I use two kinds of thread sealant. for oil and liquid I use Loctite 518 for LPG and natural gas I use a paste sealant that I was taught to use on propane fuel systems.
I don't want to think about all the teflon tape I have pulled out of regulators and control valves. Between teflon tape and silicone RTV that will cover about 90% of the non-wear problems in equipment of all kinds.




For gas pipes like lpg and ng i use rectoseal only. Water pipes i use thread tape and a layer of ptfe (pipe dope)
 
I hate using Kroil. The stuff stinks awful and if you get it on your hands then shortly after you can taste the stuff in your mouth so I assume it absorbs through your skin. But I have the remainder of a gallon under the bench and I use it whenever the need arises.
 
First, you should make sure the treads are cut correctly, if you cut threads at all.
We do for our systems, only the boiler is under contract & any new unit is under contact for one year.
We stop using tape because it would not hold pressure over 80 pounds per inch in any of our system.
I do use silicone when I do not have gasket martial to cut a gasket from, but that is few & far that happens.
We use sanded silicone to patch holes in walls or very small cracks.
 
First, you should make sure the treads are cut correctly, if you cut threads at all.
We do for our systems, only the boiler is under contract & any new unit is under contact for one year.
We stop using tape because it would not hold pressure over 80 pounds per inch in any of our system.
I do use silicone when I do not have gasket martial to cut a gasket from, but that is few & far that happens.
We use sanded silicone to patch holes in walls or very small cracks.


I dont mess with boilers. Out of my pay range. And we just dont see many here in residential. Mainly resi hvac and plumbing service/repair, but ive threaded many a gas pipe and it all passed the 5 lb test and passed inspection.
 
That being said kroil is the best at plumbing stuff where you have a bunch of limescale and corrosion. It frees that stuff right up. I think its better at dissolving limescale.
I wonder if it would work on my hard water stained windows? Sprinklers used to hit the back windows and now you can't even see through them because of the white crud.
I'm going to giver it a try. So far the only thing that removes it is a razor blade and that is a lot of work.
WOW that stuff is expensive.
 

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