1. You will get wet.
2. You never have the right part first time.
3. It always leaks.
Spent yesterday tearing down the central heating system to fix a leaking valve. Re-filled the system and now it's weeping water from a compression fitting that I didn't touch. 😭
And compression fittings never stop leaking once they've started, regardless of what people say about tightening them up a bit. And, of course, it's located BEHIND the part that I spent all day tearing out and replacing.
I hate plumbing with a vengeance. With electrical work you can start with a coarse instrument and then typically move progressively finer and more precise. With plumbing you just keep swapping out tools for the bigger and beefier version of the former. And electricity doesn't leak out of the wires.
I've always assumed that a plumber's training is 10% sticking pipes together and 90% being a contortionist.
1) Befriend a plumber
2) Provide biscuits
3) Sit back.
Only one law...
Get a plumber. DIY seldom ends well, certainly in my experience.
And compression fittings never stop leaking once they’ve started
My dad taught me that giving it a whack with a hammer helps. No idea if it stop them leaking, but I always feel good after whacking things with a hammer.
Spent yesterday tearing down the central heating system to fix a leaking valve. Re-filled the system and now it’s weeping water from a compression fitting that I didn’t touch
Ahh, you forgot the 4th rule: All plumbing is connected and by working on one part you will inevitably disturb other parts somewhere!! (wasn't there a thread recently on a bathroom fitter causing a leak further down the line which they didn't touch and the 'discussion' was around if the filter had liability?).
But to be fair I have a 100% success rate with fixing leaks from compression fittings by giving the nut a further nip up, often not even a 1/4 turn is needed to re-seal.
If it's CH, whack leak stopper in there.
now it’s weeping water from a compression fitting that I didn’t touch
5th rule - always have some self-amalgamating tape...
And electricity doesn’t leak out of the wires.
Well yes it can, you just don't get wet.
I have one rule: rip it out and replace with push-fit
I'm reasonably handy and will have a go at most stuff, but plumbing, honestly unless its the simplest of jobs I just get a plumber.
Bit of Boss White on the leaking compression fitting, lather it all over the olive (that you ensured was dry beforehand) and nip it back up. Never failed for me.
No need for a plumber. Just needs a quick open up the compression fitting, PTFE tape around the pipe end/olive, re assemble, retighten and your good to go.?
I like plumbing, it is visual and easy to work out. Unlike electrics or working on a car, you can easily follow the pipe to see where it goes, you can easily tell if you did the job properly - a bit too easily if you didn't do a good job 😉
Also, the copper pipe is so shiny and pretty. No idea why we hide it in walls and floors.
Top tip, when using compression fittings put 2 or 3 wraps of ptfe tape around the olive and don't over tighten it.
It's about time plumbers changed their title, not too many will work with plumbum these days although it's good to see a nice fish scale weld. They mostly are pipe fitters
That might work but it's a bit of a bodge. PTFE tape is a thread sealant for the likes of radiator valves. You should really use a jointing compound for assembly of compression fittings.
I've got jointing compound and typically use it on compression fittings (I know people say you don't have to, but belts and braces etc). It's just so awkward to get to, one of those places where you get an eighth of a turn with the spanner then have to swap it around and repeat until the nut is undone or you have no skin left on your knuckles, all while contorted into a shape a professional gymnast would be impressed by.
And the hassle of draining down the central heating system again.
1 - its obsolete you carnt get the parts (even when brand new,)
means - I am going to sell you a brand new XYZ and make £2000 for a mornings unnecessary work
2 - it doesnt meet regulations
means - it doesnt meet the latest eurobollox ruling for new build blocks of flats but theres nothing actually wrong with it, I expect to intimidate you into paying me to rip it all out and make £5000 this week
3 - The air supply wont do -
a complete lie, building regulations are all online and we can all see for ourselves that its fine.
and 4 - the punter is an utter mug Im going to stiff him good and proper cos I "need" a new VW van to put silly wheels on and look the part with my mates.
Yes, I installed my own central heating from scratch, used a plumber for connecting the boiler only. It aint rocket science is it.
I have one rule: rip it out and replace with push-fit
There was one pushfit fitting in our house, it had been there 25 years (before we bought it). When it leaked, spontaneously with no disturbance, it cost us a new ceiling.
OK plumbers - whilst you're assembled; I have a shower pump that has a screw fit attached feed (not sure yet if its in or out, hot or cold) but a couple of times in the last year it's vibrated loose (cos it's a pump) and the seepage has caused minor plaster damage. I nip it up but occasionally but I want to stop it happening altogether. So is it best to nip it up more, use some sort of thread lock, or disconnect, wrap it in PTFE (how many rounds) and re-attach? I'm should be OK with working out what the feed is and draining / isolating appropriately.
Or do I take heed of this cautionary tale and get a man in?
I have one rule: rip it out and replace with push-fit
Great until there is a pressure surge
They mostly are pipe fitters
That's a separate trade, very specialised industrial stuff that can kill on failure.
You will get wet.
2. You never have the right part first time.
3. It always leaks.
4. whatever standard you think it was, it will be a new one on you and you will end up with a fribble adaptor to take copper 7/43" to 43.2mm plastic.
The two actual laws of plumbing :
1) Sh1t doesn't flow uphill.
2) Bait time is 10 am.
Nothing else above this post applies.
Rule 5. 3 sugars please luv
Just be kind to your future self and only tighten compression fittings enough that they don't leak, not until the spanner bends.
My in-law's plumber managed to compress the copper pipe to a smaller diameter by nipping up a leak, which made the repair job much more involved when they binned him off.
Isn't the first law of 'tradesmanship' ignore your future self? Presumably they thrive commercially on their predecessors short cuts 😉
now it’s weeping water from a compression fitting that I didn’t touch
5th rule – always have some self-amalgamating tape…
6th rule - get some Fernox LS-X (other sealants are available) for when it all goes wrong at 11pm and the shops are closed.
Ahh, you forgot the 4th rule: All plumbing is connected and by working on one part you will inevitably disturb other parts somewhere!!
Common in IT also. Install a video driver on someone's machine or give them a new keyboard or something, a week later the hard drive dies and it's your fault because "it was fine before you touched it." I was once in an office patching in a network cable, I came out to find like a dozen salesmen crowded around the office door going "what have you done?" Turned out that the core switch had died at the other end of the building, knocking out the entire floor.
Rule 7: the rule of inverse ball-ache: the perceived simplicity of the job is inverse to the ball ache it will ultimately cause
not restricted to plumbing - see also many household diy tasks, particularly prevalent when stripping wallpaper
not restricted to plumbing
Quite possibly applicable to bike maintenance for many on here (me included)
Only one law…
Get a plumber. DIY seldom ends well, certainly in my experience.
I think of 8 plumbers I've used over the past few years, only one hasn't managed to introduce leaks.
All my DIY plumbing has been fine.
Rule 7: the rule of inverse ball-ache: the perceived simplicity of the job is inverse to the ball ache it will ultimately cause
Corollary: The amount of ball ache is inversely proportional to the amount of gratitude you'll receive from completing the task.
It’s just so awkward to get to, one of those places where you get an eighth of a turn with the spanner then have to swap it around and repeat until the nut is undone
That sounds like a spectacular fail on the "only use compression where it is accessible" rule.
Plumbing is generally ok for a DIY job. I've done quite a bit on our CH system. The odd leak, usually easily fixed.
Most trouble I've had with our plumbing was oddly enough an existing solder joint that started leaking quite spectacularly after (as usual) some plumbing in another part of the house.
First rule.
When you need to dispose of that bucket of dirty water/sludge do not pour it down the sink that you have just removed the the U bend from.
Plumbing's just Lego innit? Water lego
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aberdeenlune
Free MemberNo need for a plumber. Just needs a quick open up the compression fitting, PTFE tape around the pipe end/olive, re assemble, retighten and your good to go.?
This x1000, I've done some awesome leak sealing bodges in the COMAH chemical industry with a bit of PTFE tape
First rule.
When you need to dispose of that bucket of dirty water/sludge do not pour it down the sink that you have just removed the the U bend from.
Most of the issues i do not recognise but this one - done it a couple of times.
I have one rule: rip it out and replace with push-fit
I have one rule, never accept pushfit on a job.
Google full-bore catastrophic failure for a flavour...
When you need to dispose of that bucket of dirty water/sludge do not pour it down the sink that you have just removed the the U bend from
I've watched my brother in law do this twice in one afternoon.
Ahh, you forgot the 4th rule: All plumbing is connected and by working on one part you will inevitably disturb other parts somewhere!!
This happens when i work on my bike as well.
I have one rule, never accept pushfit on a job.
Google full-bore catastrophic failure for a flavour…
As a bathroom and Kitchen fitter, I have seen more leaks from others badly made compression fittings (don’t use ptfe, or give it an extra nip to make sure) or dry soldered joints, than I’ve ever seen pushfit leaks/failures.
First rule.
When you need to dispose of that bucket of dirty water/sludge do not pour it down the sink that you have just removed the the U bend from.Most of the issues i do not recognise but this one – done it a couple of times.
Donkeys' years ago my granddad was under the sink taking out the trap and my gran chucked the remains of a pot of tea down the sink. To a small child, seeing him emerge coughing and spluttering with a face covered in tea leaves was absolutely hilarious.