Plumbing issues are bound to happen if you live in a home or condo and are the most frequent house hold issue to come up. For example at one time or another you will come across a leaky pipe or hair clog. Luckily plumbing problems are easy to fix and can easily be done by yourself if you have to right tools. Here is a list of tools you will need to fix the most common of plumbing repairs and what every home owner should know about these tools.
Tools you’ll need for plumbing repairs include some that are part of your homeowner toolbox collection and some you may want to add to it. Among the basic tools that you should have on hand are Standard/Phillips screwdrivers for faucet screws, adjustable and open-end wrenches for nuts and bolts, and rib-joint pliers to remove some fixtures. You may also need a set of Allen wrenches for setscrews and a hacksaw blade to cut off any rusted on bolts.
Additional plumbing tools fall into three categories: Drain-clearing tools, Wrenches and Job-specific tools.
Drain-Clearing Tools: These three tolls are used to clear plumbing clogs, like hair clogs, in fixtures and drains:
- Plunger: A plunger uses exchangeable pressure and suction to unclog drains and plumbing fixtures. The funnel cup types are intended for toilets, but it can fold flat for drains as well.
- Snake: A snake, drain and trap auger, comes available in lengths from 10-75 feet. The snake stretches into a drain and clears deep clogs within pipes. By locking the snake’s thumbscrew and tuning the handle will drive the corkscrew-like tip into the clog and releasing the blockage.
- Closet Auger: A closet auger is designed especially for toilets; it’s bent into the toilet’s trap.
Wrenches: You may need some addition wrenches then what you have that are specialized for plumbing:
- Spud Wrenches: With its wide, smooth jaws, this wrench is useful for unfastening extra large nuts and fixtures on sinks and toilets.
- Pipe Wrenches: With serrated jaws for gripping fittings and galvanized or cat-iron pipe. Use them in pairs on pipes. One wrench holds one section of pipe as the other turns the pipe or fitting.
- Basin Wrenches: With its long handle you can reach out-of-the-way couplings and nuts. Its jaws allow you to tighten or lessen nuts as well.
Job-Specific Tools: Certain jobs call for very specialized tools:
- Valve-Seat Wrenches: And valve-seat dresser is tools you will need for compression faucets. A valve-seat has both a hexagonal and a square end to remove valve seats. A valve-seat dresser cleans corroded seats and smoothes pitted non-removable seats.
- Deep-Socket Wrenches: This wrench will remove the hard-to-reach packing nut on a tub or faucet.