# Your favorite tool that’s not a tool?



## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

For some reason I love to use dimes as a flathead pulling hose clamps when I forgot to bring my screwdriver upstairs with me - makes me feel like McGuyver I guess - my favorite though (that I invented XD) is using solder to pull stuff like the time I had a delta mc cart that was stuck af break at the tabs that hold the 2 parts together - I fished solder behind it between the legs and wrapped it back around the spool like 4 or 5 times, screwdriver through the spool, and *yoink* - was a proud victory on that day!


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

My apprentice 😁


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

canuck92 said:


> My apprentice 😁


Hahahahaha.. hahahahahahaaasshahshah.. haha haha haha... lucky you.. mine IS a tool 😕


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

A bit off topic, but why do I always see a strin of $$*()’##@$*) at the end of some posts?

On topic, a lot of times I use carefully sculpted pvc in order to cable upstream from a one way clean out.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> A bit off topic, but why do I always see a strin of $$*()’##@$*) at the end of some posts?
> 
> On topic, a lot of times I use carefully sculpted pvc in order to cable upstream from a one way clean out.


They must be using phone emoticons that a PC doesn't recognize. All I see are codes too.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Look what I found :

https://www.quackit.com/character_sets/emoji/emoji_v3.0/unicode_emoji_v3.0_characters_all.cfm



😺 ☠

🙀 🦄

👹


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

Yea but not even on pourpose - I did a colon slash face and I guess my phone changed it to the emoji °~°


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## Andrej (Nov 18, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> A bit off topic, but why do I always see a strin of $$*()’##@$*) at the end of some posts?
> 
> On topic, a lot of times I use carefully sculpted pvc in order to cable upstream from a one way clean out.


OMFG. Use a custom pipe, to reroute the snake upstream. That is priceless! Thank you!!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Andrej said:


> OMFG. Use a custom pipe, to reroute the snake upstream. That is priceless! Thank you!!


??? Have you not done this? PITA, but works. I charge extra for material and time.


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## Andrej (Nov 18, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> ??? Have you not done this? PITA, but works. I charge extra for material and time.


I have only assisted with snakes. About the only thing I know about it, is to use a drop head in case the stack connection is a Tee, not a Wye or a Tee-Wye so that you don't end up going up (and out) the stack. And yes, I "may" have been laughed at when the plumber opened the window blinds to show me the snake that I sent up, instead of down the tee.

I have to do a lot of cleanouts on the job that I'm on, as they are digging down some 100 feet, and I really doubt they want to suspend entire manholes. Clean-outs are not my thing. The way my line runs, it's straight. I can bend the pipe itself, but not too much. Manholes, they are my bends, and the clean-outs.

Mind you, I wouldn't suggest your solution; each fitting gives me an extra hour of work. It would be easy to change the clean-out wye's to tee's, oversize them from 150 mil (6 inch) to say 250 mil (10 inch) and use your rig for directional jetting/snaking. End result, is access and less clean-outs. However, I am not an engineer, so I'll build it to their spec


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Went out to calibrate a shower valve the other day. Having forgotten to grab a thermometer, I walked into the kitchen and rifled through the carving drawer and found a meat thermometer. Worked like a charm.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

*Bit of history.*



Andrej said:


> OMFG. Use a custom pipe, to reroute the snake upstream. That is priceless! Thank you!!


*Where did the priceless tool come from?

I am from Allentown PA, and the code here requires house traps and they are installed just inside the basement wall. In some cases the trap line up is outside. Now a bit further South towards Phila, The house traps are located at the curb just on the property side. So if the house sewer blocked you had to snake backwards from the curb to the house. Those risers could easily be 10 of 12 feet deep. So the tool mentioned in the quote was born. It was called a curb spoon. The custom pipe used to reroute a snake.*


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Coins are handy:
1- a loonie or quarter is great to tighten newer style basket strainers.

2- a stack of nickels(with silicone) to shim a w/c, will get you out of a jam.

3- use a dime to block an ariator, while back-flushing a faucet.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Logtec said:


> Coins are handy:
> 1- a loonie or quarter is great to tighten newer style basket strainers.
> 
> 2- a stack of nickels(with silicone) to shim a w/c, will get you out of a jam.
> ...


I didn't know about the dime and aerator, what's the purpose of this "back flush"? I'm unfamiliar with that.


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Dime in the ariator trick:

If you have a newish more expensive single handle faucet(lav/KT) where the hot or cold has less flow/pressure(usually the hot) then the other, some times a piece of dip tube or rubber washer, scale or crud has made its way thru the pipes passed the valve and gotten jammed in the supply line, faucet body or cartridge. 

I sometimes Try this before I replace the cartridge or faucet, depending on the situation.
(Let’s say the hot water is 1/2 the flow of the cold, but good everywhere else in the house)

1-shut the shutoff for the hot water side and unscrew the supply line.

2- unscrew the ariator, and place a dime under the washer, then screw it back on.

3- now shut off the cold side’s shut off valve, and “turn on” the (single handle)kt faucet to “warm”.

4- under the sink, hold the hot water supply line in a bucket, and turn on the cold water shut off valve.

5- cold water will go thru the supply, hit the dime then go down and out into the bucket thru the hot water supply.

———————

This will usually back flush the crud into the bucket. If not, this will tell you one of two things:

1- If the flow is still low, something is still jammed in the cartridge/faucet, try doing the same to the cold. If that doesn’t work replacing the cartridge “might” work, sometimes the faucet has to be replaced.

2-If the cold water is coming out of the hot side at full pressure, then the problem is in the shutoff valve itself or upstream of the shutoff valve.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Logtec said:


> Dime in the ariator trick:


Thank you for this trick!


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Tango said:


> Thank you for this trick!


I tried it here, but couldn’t get 7 cents in the aerator...


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Logtec said:


> Coins are handy:
> 1- a loonie or quarter is great to tighten newer style basket strainers.
> 
> 2- a stack of nickels(with silicone) to shim a w/c, will get you out of a jam.
> ...



We use to put pennies in the old Zurn trap primers to get them to stop running.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

89plumbum said:


> I tried it here, but couldn’t get 7 cents in the aerator...


7 cents?? You calculating exchange rate or something? :wink:

Anyway pennies have been removed for many years, we round off to the nearest dime or zero.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Tango said:


> 7 cents?? You calculating exchange rate or something? :wink:
> 
> Anyway pennies have been removed for many years, we round off to the nearest dime or zero.


Yes, that was an attempt at exchange rate humor!


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Tango said:


> 7 cents?? You calculating exchange rate or something? :wink:
> 
> Anyway pennies have been removed for many years, we round off to the nearest dime or zero.


geez you let me down..lol 7 pennies stacked to make 10 cents ( a dime) wont fit in the aerator and tighten on...:wink:


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

Logtec said:


> Dime in the ariator trick:
> 
> If you have a newish more expensive single handle faucet(lav/KT) where the hot or cold has less flow/pressure(usually the hot) then the other, some times a piece of dip tube or rubber washer, scale or crud has made its way thru the pipes passed the valve and gotten jammed in the supply line, faucet body or cartridge.
> 
> ...


Wish i read this 2 days ago, came across this issue with a delta touch faucet 6 months new. 

Blew the lines out into a bucket
Checked the aerator
Took the cartrige apart.
Finnaly last but not least blew out the selenoid.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Here's my new alternative carrier to bring my tools in condos. I was always fighting with things slipping off the hand truck walking from the parking lot to the building fumbling with doors and elevators even with bungee cords. It also looked disorganized like gypsy caravans loaded with stuff piled on the sides just like in the movies.

The cart folds up nicely too.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

My wife's hooha.




.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> My wife's hooha.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



yes its quite nice.....:biggrin:


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

but best all around non tool...so many uses and usually gotten for free ..the 5 gallon spackle bucket.....too many uses to list and everyone in the trades has several on the truck or job sight...


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> but best all around non tool...so many uses and usually gotten for free ..the 5 gallon spackle bucket.....too many uses to list and everyone in the trades has several on the truck or job sight...





Yes!! BUCKETS!!! We get a ton of noburst buckets, especially this time of year. I keep like 10 on the van at all times. Unlike spackle buckets you don't have to clean them 



DUDE!! A couple weeks ago I got _19_ *7 Gallon* buckets off the side of the road!! I switched a couple of my parts buckets to the 7 gallon ones, so much better.






.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> Yes!! BUCKETS!!! We get a ton of noburst buckets, especially this time of year. I keep like 10 on the van at all times. Unlike spackle buckets you don't have to clean them
> 
> 
> 
> ...



upstate by me theres a yogurt factory and they give away for free and cleaned, 5 gallon buckets, 3 gallon buckets both have lids and steel 55 steel drums with closing lids...when ever I pass it I fill my truck with a little of everything..tons of uses for the 3 gallon buckets..


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

The automotive coolant jug makes a perfect trap bucket. Just cut one of the sides out.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> The automotive coolant jug makes a perfect trap bucket. Just cut one of the sides out.


I have some narrow one for close quarters.

I use a kitty litter pan to catch the water and cruddy cut off pipes. It's also useful to put my glue jar if it spills over and catch glue dripping from the joints.


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