10 Useful Tools and Materials for Plumbing Projects

Once in a while, you will need to tighten your kitchen tap or unblock the sink. Because it happens unexpectedly, many homeowners have a few useful tools readily available to help fix simple plumbing issues at home. But a professional plumber has assorted plumbing tools and materials for use during regular plumbing projects or in emergency situations. The top ten useful implements for plumbing projects include:

1. Hand Auger

A hand auger/drum auger is a long serpentine-like stainless steel tool that comprises a large spinning drum canister. The plumbing tool has a handle attached to one end of the drum canister, a cable on the inside, and a tapered auger bit on the other side.

Hand Auger Usage

While turning the handle, your plumber pushes this cable into a sink through the p-trap to help pull out the clog.

Even though you can use a hand auger to unblock your bathtub drain, professional plumbing Toronto experts advise homeowners not to use this tool on toilet drains.

2. Tubing Cutter

An electrically or manually powered tubing cutter/wheeled pipe cutter is a “C” shaped hand-held tool fitted with a rotating cutting wheel blade. It has a handle extending from one side.

Tubing Cutter Usage

It cuts tubes into two or more parts. Plumbers clamp the tube cutter onto a pipe and turn it in a circular motion while tightening the handle after a few turns until the blade cuts through the line. Attached to this tool is a triangle-shaped metal you can use to create fine edges of the tube.

3. Faucet Packing, Washers, and O-rings

Packing is wax-coated soft wire plumbers wrap once around valve stems. Washers and O-rings are waterproof materials made of plastic, rubber, or metal.

Faucet Packing, Washers, and O-rings Usage

Washers come in handy when you have a leaky issue in your sink or bathtub by providing a seal at the screw threads to help prevent dripping. Plumbers use washers and O-rings to block a gap in water faucets.

4. Toilet Plunger

A toilet plunger or flange plunger comprises a long handle and suction cup with a small soft rubber flap that folds out from the inside cup.

 Toilet Plunger Usage

You can use a flange plunger to break up the clog in toilets. It works by forcing enough water down the drain to unblock the pipe. For the plunger to work effectively, ensure you situate the rubber lip of the plunger to create a seal around the hole of the toilet.

5. Toilet Auger

Also known as a closet auger, this plumbing tool can withstand unusual strain. An ordinary toilet auger comprises a manual crank that guides the plumbing snake down the drainage pipe. This tool has a long metal cord with a curved rubber-coated end.

Toilet Auger Usage

A toilet auger removes stubborn clogs in your toilet by pushing against the blockage to break down the material and direct it toward the cesspool.

6. Cup Plunger

The cup plunger features a flat rubber cup attached to a wooden handle.

 Cup Plunger Usage

You can use this tool on flat surfaces like the kitchen sink or bathtub to help clear the drain. A cup plunger creates a vacuum over the drain outlet to break down the grime and remove blockages from your drainage pipe.

7. Thread Seal Tape

It is a spool of thin, whitish, and silk-like polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film strips known as plumber’s tape or Teflon tape.

Thread Seal Tape Usage

Top plumbing Toronto experts use PTFE tape on pipes and ductwork to fill the gaps and aid in lubrication when tightening the fittings. Experts use Teflon tape as a sealant on pipe joints and when securing a metal nut to the threaded end of a metal pipe.

8. Adjustable Pipe Wrench

A pipe wrench features saw-like hook jaws, a sturdy lever, and a notch at both ends.

Adjustable Pipe Wrench Usage

Plumbers use a pipe wrench to grip and assemble or disassemble round galvanized bars, threaded pipes, and pipe fittings. This plumbing tool is unsuitable on shiny or square material because the wrench can slip or the teeth may scar the pipe.

9. Faucet Valve-Seat Wrench

It is an L-shaped plumbing tool with a head on each end of the rod.

Faucet Valve-Seat Wrench Usage

You can use a seat wrench to grip and remove a damaged valve seat and install a new replacement faucet seat.

10. Channel-type Pliers

These sets of pliers have an angled head and serrated self-locking jaws typically set 45 to 60 degrees from the plastic-coated handles. Channel-type pliers have five adjustable positions.

Channel–type Pliers Usage

A notable feature is their firm grip on objects. Channel-type pliers are an ideal plumbing tool for grabbing and pinching nails, pipes, or wires and tightening bolts/nuts on sink drains.

Conclusion

When unsure about fixing your kitchen sink or drainage pipe, you can call our professional plumbing Toronto experts to help with issues such as blockage, installation, and cleaning your drains.

Roger Griffith

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