The Plumber's Tool Kit

By Author: Kalish
Total Articles: 4
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The majority of plumbing repairs in your home will require a pipe wrench, an open end wrench, a Phillips head and a regular slot screwdriver, a suction force cup (plunger), and a pair of pliers. You could go for years and never need any other tools unless you decided to build a new bathroom with an over head tank, capcitating hot water at times. There are, however, several other tools that Visalia CA use and that you may someday have occasion to need. Here is a breakdown of the most usual ones.

WRENCHES

Adjustable Open-End Wrench

This wrench has one fixed jaw and one that slides along a screw to adjust the opening. The jaw faces are smooth; therefore they are useful for gripping bonnet nuts on faucets and other fixtures hut not pipes. Adjustable open-end wrenches can be purchased in many sizes, with their jaw opening get-. ting wider as the tool becomes longer. The 12-inch wrench is the most useful for plumbing repairs because the jaws will open to more than an inch, which is wide enough for gripping most bonnet ...
... nuts.

Pipe Wrench

For turning and holding pipe, the adjustable pipe wrench is an absolute necessity. In fact, you should own two of them. The pipe wrench has serrated jaws, one of which is movable, and a pair of pipe wrenches, one 12 inches and one 10 inches, will let you handle practically any pipe or pipe fitting in your home. Pipe wrenches are designated by their overall length, but it is the width of their jaw opening that really countsand ofcourse the sink attached. A 10-inch pipe wrench will open to 1/4 inches, which is enough to get at most drain pipe fittings.

Basin Wrench

If you are disconnecting or installing a sink, you will find this tool indispensable. It consists of a long handle on the end of which is a serrated, adjustable jaw that can grip the fittings that connect the faucets to the water supply lines a heater may be attached as well. Given the confined spaces where they are usually hidden, sink nuts are almost impossible to get at with other types of wrenches and times the could be a poisonous gas leakage.

Chain and Strap Wrenches

These are used for handling large-diameter pipe, and they will not mar a chrome or brass finish. You will probably never need to own one.

Open-End Nut Wrenches

You can buy these separately or in sets; a set consisting of sizes from ¼ inch to ¾ inch is sufficient for most plumbing chores. The chores will consist of removing small lock nuts, faucet bonnets, etc., from areas that are inaccessible to larger tools.

Vise-Grip Wrenches

These look like ordinary pliers but they have the curved, serrated jaws of a pipe wrench. They can be purchased in several sizes and if you have one that is big enough, it may be used on pipes and fittings in the same manner as a pipe wrench. A popular size is 10 inches.

What makes the vise-grip wrench unique is its adjustable screw in the handle, which widens or closes the jaws. Once the jaws are fitted around an object, the lever handle is squeezed shut and the tool locks onto it like an angry fox terrier. It locks so well that most models also have a releasing lever that can be pulled to open the jaws.

PLIERS AND SCREWDRIVERS

Pliers

A good set of common slip-joint pliers, including square-nosed as well as long-nosed pliers, can be very handy to have when you are working with small nuts, fittings, and so on, especially when you find yourself in a confined area. You can also buy a pair of channel-lock pliers, which have an extra-wide grip that is extremely useful as an alternative to using a pipe wrench,its like video killed the radio star.

Visalia Plumbers is a licensed, bonded, and insured plumbing contractor in Visalia ca. Technicians of Visalia ca Plumbers specializes in drainage, piping, heating, and plumbing services. http://www.visaliacaplumbers.com/