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.
Make a Ground Vise From Three Pipe Wrenches
No vise in the field? The old gas-line trick: one wrench works the fitting, a second grips the pipe, and a third locks the second wrench's handle against the ground under your foot — the pipe can't spin.
pipe spins when loosening a fitting, unscrew pipe without a vise, galvanized pipe won't come apart, hold black iron pipe still
The Problem
Threading pipe on and off fittings takes two opposing forces — one to turn, one to hold. On a bench you have a vise for the holding half. On the ground in the field, you don't, and a pipe that spins with your wrench gets you nowhere.
The Technique
A trick passed down from gas-utility old-timers — the vise is two more wrenches and your boot:
- Wrench one goes on the pipe or fitting you're actually turning.
- Wrench two grips the pipe as the holding wrench, handle toward the ground.
- Wrench three clamps onto wrench two's handle, bracing it against the ground — and you stand on it.
Your body weight through the third wrench locks the holding wrench in place, the pipe can't rotate, and both of your hands are free to pull on the working wrench. Watch the video for the arrangement — the geometry of the three wrenches is quicker to see than to read.
Pro tip: Working pros in the comments confirm the family of tricks — some run just two wrenches with a foot on the hold-back — and the modern money answer is a portable pipe vise. But three wrenches you already own beat a tool you have to buy and carry, which is presumably why the old-timers taught it.
Electrical, plumbing, and structural work may be regulated where you live — check local code before you start, and note that a permit may be required. More in our disclaimer.
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