Tape Cap for a Rough-In
A first turn of tape wrapped sticky-side out, so a debris cover over an open pipe stub holds firmly and still peels off clean.
Plumbing
Supply and drain work: pipes and fittings, faucets and fixtures, clearing drains, and water heaters.
29 techniques
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Pipes & Fittings 10
Ice Maker Supply Line
Checking and replacing the water line feeding a refrigerator's ice maker, where a split in thin plastic tubing leaks unseen behind the appliance.
Teflon Tape Wrap Direction
Wrapping thread seal tape clockwise so a fitting's own tightening motion presses it into the threads instead of unwinding it.
Compression Fittings on Plastic Line
The three-part stack for adapting plastic tubing to metal — metal nut, plastic ferrule, and the support sleeve that keeps the tube from collapsing.
Angle Stop Valve Lifespan
Spotting corrosion on the shutoff valves under sinks and toilets, and replacing them before they fail.
Foil-Wrapped Buried Pipes
Wrapping plastic pipe in aluminum foil before a wall closes so pipe detectors can find it forever after.
Pipe Wrench Ground Vise
Locking a pipe against rotation in the field with two extra wrenches and your boot instead of a bench vise.
Right-Angle Boring Bit
A multipurpose drill bit that steers up to 90 degrees inside framing to channel paths for wire and supply lines.
Thread Seal Tape in Tight Spots
Pre-winding tape onto a slim rod to wrap threads where the spool has no room to orbit.
Extract Broken PVC Stubs
Getting a snapped-off PVC pipe end out of its fitting without cutting the joint apart.
Fixtures 10
Free a Stuck Shower Cartridge
Using a rubber drain-pipe coupling as a full-surface grip to turn out a seized shower cartridge that a wrench can't budge.
Repair a Toilet Fill Valve
Two takes on getting a toilet filling again: swapping just the top half when a screen is clogged, or replacing the whole valve when it has seized completely.
Tiled Access Hatches
A removable hatch panel faced with the surrounding tile, so concealed cisterns and valves stay reachable without demolition.
Tub Liners and Unfixed Leaks
Why a liner over a leaking tub traps water and turns a drip into a mold tear-out.
Pull-Down Faucet Hose Weight
Repositioning the counterweight on a sprayer hose to fix retraction that's too weak or too hard.
Fix a Running Toilet: Flapper or Flush Valve
Telling a flapper that won't seal from a worn flush-valve seat underneath it, so you stop replacing the cheap part over and over.
Size a Toilet Rebuild Kit
The two variables that decide whether a kit fits: a two- or three-inch flush valve drain, and which tank-to-bowl gasket.
Fix a Leaky Hose Spigot
Reading where an outdoor faucet leaks — handle vs. spout — to know whether the bonnet packing or stem washer needs service.
Faucet Nut From the Top
Starting a kitchen faucet’s half-moon seating nut down through the counter hole instead of overhead from inside the cabinet.
Paint-Transfer Plumbing Marks
Painting pipe ends to print exact cutout locations on a cabinet back.
Drains 4
The 24-Hour Drain Fill Test
Filling every drain and vent stack with water before the walls close up, to catch a hidden leak while it is still cheap to fix.
The P-Trap Explained
What the curved pipe under the sink actually does, how to check its water seal, and why S-traps were outlawed.
Drain a P-Trap Without a Bucket
Rotating the trap assembly on its wall stub so the trapped water pours down the drain line instead of into the cabinet.
Leak-Proof Slip Joints
Keeping under-sink drain slip joints from loosening and weeping.
Water Heaters 2
Water Heater T&P Relief Valve
Exercising a dripping temperature and pressure relief valve first, and replacing it if that fails.
Flush a Tankless Water Heater
Descaling a tankless water heater with an annual vinegar flush.
General plumbing 3
Valve Off Is Twelve to Three
The clock-face rule for lever valves: off always swings the handle from 12 to 3, so a stuck valve never gets forced the wrong way.
Move-In Plumbing Checklist
Five jobs worth doing once, before the boxes are unpacked, that head off the usual emergencies.
Seat Rubber Rings
Getting tight gaskets, O-rings, and seals onto a pipe or shaft.
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