# Your Best In A Pinch Repair



## Hero Plumber (Sep 2, 2010)

Anyone have any good in a pinch repairs that they are proud of, kind of.

Example:

-I was doing an under ground and I needed to tie in a 2" line and was short a 3x2 wye. I did not have any 3x2 bushings. The house was about 45 minutes from any supply house and I had an inspection in 2 hours. Rooted around in milk crates in the van and found a 2" PVC shower drain, I cut the mounting flange and all the ribs off the drain it was a perfect fit, had a nice 3x2 fitting reducer coupling. I glued up the threads a couple times to fill in the void of the female threads.

Edit- this was 10 years ago.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

I don't think I would be bragging about that one.


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

slickrick said:


> I don't think I would be bragging about that one.


 
Agreed. Times eleventy-billion.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

What is a *"fitting reducer coupling" :laughing:*


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

One time at band camp I took a shower drain and a coconut and made it into a Direct TV reciever.


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Schwinn....









end of thread.....


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## Hero Plumber (Sep 2, 2010)

ahhh come on guys, how is it any different than gluing a 3" hub in a 4" piece of pipe or sweedging a piece of frozen swelled piece of copper pipe to fit another piece of copper pipe in...........In a pinch repairs. 

A fitting reducer coupling would be fitting x hub.... hence fitting reducer coupling. 

the Inspector passed it.

It was a perfect fit, enough defending myself, flame suit on. :flamesuit:


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

It may have been perfect but it's not an approved fitting especially under slab. Leaving it on for inspection is one thing but it should have been cut out afterwards and installed correctly.




Hero Plumber said:


> ahhh come on guys, how is it any different than gluing a 3" hub in a 4" piece of pipe or sweedging a piece of frozen swelled piece of copper pipe to fit another piece of copper pipe in...........In a pinch repairs.
> 
> A fitting reducer coupling would be fitting x hub.... hence fitting reducer coupling.
> 
> ...


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Hero Plumber said:


> ahhh come on guys, how is it any different than gluing a 3" hub in a 4" piece of pipe or sweedging a piece of frozen swelled piece of copper pipe to fit another piece of copper pipe in...........In a pinch repairs.
> 
> A fitting reducer coupling would be fitting x hub.... hence fitting reducer coupling.
> 
> ...


That was not a " Have to situation" It was a matter of convenience. I run into way too much of that around here. Do it right the first time.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

Matt said:


> One time at band camp I took a shower drain and a coconut and made it into a Direct TV reciever.


Band camp...eh?


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

do you pay for cable now? :laughing:





Matt said:


> One time at band camp I took a shower drain and a coconut and made it into a Direct TV reciever.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

*



"A fitting reducer coupling would be fitting x hub.... hence fitting reducer coupling."

Click to expand...

*A coupling is hub x hub. :whistling2: Your fitting reducer coupling is known as a *Bushing :thumbsup:*


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Nothing new here folks...
Covered on page 97 of my book....


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Matt said:


> One time at band camp I took a shower drain and a coconut and made it into a Direct TV reciever.


And your flute is where?:whistling2:


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Redwood said:


> Nothing new here folks...
> Covered on page 97 of my book....


You sure you're not in Pueblo? I swear I was just in that crawlspace yesterday......:laughing:


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## AKdaplumba (Jan 12, 2010)

you should call this thread " the ticketed hackjob thread" or " how to do a professional hackjob" Maybe " Hackjobs are me!"


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh I've got some great ones, all of which still work today...otherwise I'd hear of the failures:



Zurn Air Gap - They don't sell long threaded shanks for granite. 


Cut the retainer nut the same way you would a dielectric plastic collar at an angle, slide it past the threaded shank where you need it (must gauge this as the nut won't move once glued) and glue it with cleaner/glue like a PVC solvent weld connection. 

Those will hold permanently, you then set that Air Gap once the nut is solid, tighten down and roll with it.


I've had a few situations where brass pipe is sticking up through the floor, can't get to it to rethread or the condition is too poor. << Take a step drill and build a socket inside the pipe to close tolerance to stick 1/2" copper into it, solder and it is a solid copper to brass connection. The next joint was 38" down according to the thread all we jammed down inside the pipe, and it was in a horrible spot in the floor. Floor as in basement floor, angled under a 22" footer. 

Been holding for years.

We used to fix leaks on undergrounds for PVC by over pressuring the system and releasing the pressure from the furthest distance of the leak, vaccum takes place at the leak and you dobber the leak with cleaner and follow with glue. You'll see it suck in both and the glue will solidify and stop moving. 

Give it 15-30 minutes depending on how cold it is... retest. 9 times out of ten it holds a test for a 2nd rough or final. :thumbup:


Reversing a trap under a sink to make the height work on a drain? <<< A plumber told me of another plumbing company locally that does that all the time. I've never done it personally...but I can see where that gains a couple inches.

:blink:


I'm sure I got others but I'm sitting here farting some of the worst smells imaginable and there's a turkey departure soon to arrive at dunbar pooport.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

I had to take the blow-offs off a big steam boiler once years ago. For Cintas, the big commercial laundry bizness. It was down for an 8 hour shift for maintenance and they wanted the blow-offs piped through the roof. They had female threads on the inlet. I had to put them in the tristand to pull a street 90 off the outlet, and I accidently overtightened one and squished the female threads almost flat. Where I live, it would have taken weeks to get a new one, and I couldn't just cap the t&p off now, could I?
With great patience, and lots of tapping with every size ballpein I have, I got the female threads opened up enough that I could start a nipple into it. Doped the crap out of the nipple and slowly worked it in, stretching it back into shape. 
It worked. I'm in Canada, the dudes doing the boiler maintenance were from Texas. They figgered it was a good save, for a dumbass Canadian kid.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

My supply house has free do nuts, coffee, and popcorn, why would I try to rig up some crap on the job. I could just go to the supply house get the part and coffee, go back to the job do it right the first time, and still get done quicker than doing it half .


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

They did'nt properly support any of that pipe.:laughing:


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

yea i did a job like that i had mickey mouse passing me the glue and donald duck cutting the pi[pe for me ha ha jk just having fun


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Colgar said:


> And your flute is where?:whistling2:


I just saw this. You managed a chuckle out of me. And it was a bari saxophone


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

A good time saver when glueing pvc in the cold is to use your torch or electric heater ( I call it my hair dryer) and gently bring the pipe temp up nice and warm, not hot. The joint will be ready to go pronto. scorching not allowed and careful with torch since the solvents and glue are flammable beyond belief. Done this for years never a problem.


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## gladerunner (Jan 24, 2009)

Have used 3" service wt. hub for 4X3 no hub reducer in a pinch, just cut the bevel off the end of the hub with a grinder


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## Ishmael (Dec 9, 2009)

I did a 2 bath job a few years back - one bath remodel on the 1st floor, new bathroom on the 2nd floor, but they weren't stacked. The problem I had was the original 3" vent stack ran up from the 1st floor bath up the 2"x4"-framed exterior wall, and it was riddled with shingle nails. They didn't want to open any more walls, and I also didn't want to replace a 3" stack in a 2"x4" exterior wall only to have the new vent stack get destroyed just like the old one when they eventually would have to re-shingle.

I noticed the old stack rose up with no bends, offsets or branches straight through the roof, so I reconfigured the venting: I cut the damaged 3" at the first floor ceiling height, and also a few inches above the boot on the roof flange; I put a piece of 2" up through the damaged 3". I filed the stop out of a 3" x 2" PVC coupling and slid that down over the new 2" roof vent extension and glued it to the stub of the old 3" stack and also glued around the final resting place on the new 2" stack (like a slip coupling).

Since the 2nd floor bath was new, I made the vent 3" so I'd still have a 3" stack in the building.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

One time I bought a new cartridge to replace in a tub valve. New cartridge and old were identical when I picked up replacement at stem supply house. (at least they appeared identical in every respect). 

But back at cust. house after installing new cartridge, OH NO, the splines on new cartidge were different. Old handle would not fit. So tommy plumber uses mini-hacksaw to cut approx. 1" off of spindle of new and old stem, (which is brass). I soldered old spindle with the correct splines to the new stem so handle would fit.


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

I used to work for a shop who's owner was known to donate his services from time to time to charitable organizations.

Anyway, an old twelve unit apartment complex was purchased and was being renovated for use as a women's shelter. All twelve of these units were re-plumbed by the company I worked for using materials which were donated by a variety of local retailers, supply houses, and private citizens.

The tub & shower valves were the Home Depot Crap-O-Matics. You know the ones I'm talking about. The one's we frequently tear out and replace just two years or so after a homeowner or handy-hack puts them in?

So, these valves come with a 1/2 npt plug to install in the bottom port if the valve is to be used as a shower only. Well, I had one of them that split when this plug was screwed in. Not having another valve with me, I decided I'd give something a try.

What I did was remove all remenants of the teflon tape and remove the cartridge from the valve. I then used a 3/4 fitting brush to clean the female threads of the valve, fluxed it, screwed the plug in after cleaning and fluxing it too, then heated and soldered the plug in place. After it cooled I turned the water back on and let it sit under pressure for an hour while I did other stuff. No leaks...

I admit, a little hackish, but better than JB weld:thumbup:


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Matt said:


> I just saw this. You managed a chuckle out of me. And it was a bari saxophone


 
I guess that's better than a tuba.


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

Billy Mays here for Mighty Putty!


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

We'll just have to give this thread its seal of approval...










:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I will never replace, nor buy seat springs for a Delta faucet ever again. Haven't been for years.

All I do is stretch them a bit, new seat cups and done. Beware of idiot supply houses that do not sell OEM delta seat cups.


Someone find, or better yet "prove" you've seen a worn out spring for a Delta, let alone a broken one.


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