Almost every homeowner faces plumbing issues now and then. Most homeowners call a plumber immediately when they feel the problem is worth paying attention to. They avoid sorting the issue themselves. The primary reason is that they are so busy in their lives that they do not want to stick their heads in it. However, the people also fear lacking plumbing skills.
Sorting the plumbing issues yourself is not impossible. Rather you only require a few plumbing tools. These tools can be found in any hardware shop. In this guide, we will introduce you to the fundamentals of plumbing tools that will be required for kitchen sink and drainage issues. Nevertheless, we recommend you consider calling the professional if the problem has matured.
Sink Auger:
A sink auger contains a stainless steel cable with a corkscrew tip at the end. The cable is coiled within a small canister and is extended at the time of use. The canister contains a handle and a thumbscrew that locks the cable with the canister.
You have to put the cable into the drain and turn the handle. The cable will make its way through the bends and will ultimately reach the clog and clear it. That is why it is also named “Canister auger”. It is the ultimate tool to clear a clog in the drain. It is important to note that this sink auger is unsuitable for clearing clogs in the toilet drain.
Cup Plunger:
The Cup plunger contains a wooden handle and a cup-like rubber. It is useful in clearing the clogs of tubs, sinks, and showers. It is not used for toilet drain clogs. Instead, there are specially designed plungers for toilets known as “flange plungers”.
Teflon/ Plumber’s tape:
The Plumber’s tape is the most common thing that you will need for plumbing work. This is used on the threaded connections or joints. The basic purpose of Teflon tape is to prevent leakage at these points. It is a thin white tape made with Polytetrafluoroethylene.
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It is wrapped around the threads on pipes and fittings before being twisted. It adds a bit of a lubricating effect to seal the joint and make it leak-free.
Pipe Wrench:
An adjustable pipe wrench is a plumbing tool that you will find almost in 80% of houses. The importance of this tool lies in its abundant use. It is normally used to hold things and grip around them. The pressure is then applied or released on them once they come within the teeth of this wonderful tool.
However, the teeth of the wrench leave marks on the objects that it holds or grips. That is why it is not recommended to be used on pipes or objects with shiny finishes or fragile compositions like copper water pipes. Rather it is used on objects with rough and tough finishes and heavy-duty fixtures such as hydrants.
Channel-type Pliers:
Channel-type pliers are also known as slip joint pliers. In the plumber’s world, it is said that” if you want a single plumbing tool, own channel-type piler”. These are the updated version of ordinary pliers. Channel-type pilers have an extended adjustment section and angle jaws. Furthermore, it has a long handle as compared to the ordinary plier.
These updated features offer robustness and versatility in the size of the pipe and other plumbing items that are to be gripped around. Moreover, a long handle allows more squeezing and twisting power. These pliers grip heavy steel pipes and smoothly tighten large plastic nuts on the sink drains.
Faucet valve seat wrench and compression sleeve puller:
This is a wrench used to remove valve seats on the old type of faucets. You might also require a compression sleeve puller. When the washer ages out, the valve seat gets damaged and prevents a complete seal. You will need this valve seat wrench to remove the old valve seat. If the valve seat is irremovable, you should grind it into a smooth surface using a reseating tool.
Washers and O-rings:
Faucet packings, washers, and O-rings are the saviors for fixing leaky valves on sinks and other traditional equipment. Rubber washers and O-rings are usually found in a variety of sizes. These are handy to be kept with you. These small rubber accessories might save you a trip to the hardware shop.
Tubing Cutter:
If you are working with copper pipes, tubing cutters should be essential for your toolkit. Tubing cutters do clean and square cuts. This is the requirement of copper pipes. A hacksaw also does the same but with a little more effort.
There are two wheels, a flat pressure wheel, and a thin cutting wheel. The cutting wheel cuts the metal while the pressure wheel applies pressure when you turn the tool’s knob.
Clamp the pipe around and rotate the pipe. Rotate the knob of the cutter after every two or three rotations, the cutter will do its job. Now use the deburring tool to remove the burr on the inside of the pipe due to cutting.
Conclusion:
Often you only require a basic set of tools to fix your plumbing tools but you end up calling a plumber for that job. It usually does not require technical plumbing knowledge to sort small issues rather you just require a basic toolkit. This article depicts the use of a few plumbing tools that will be used for plumbing issues in your home in general and your kitchen sink in particular.