The ULTIMATE Plumbing Mistakes Guide (30 Mistakes And How To Fix Them) | GOT2LEARN

what's up guys in this video I would like to highlight the most common plumbing mistakes do-it-yourselfers make when attempting to take on a project and how to fix them so here goes number one putting teflon tape on the wrong way teflon tape could be installed correctly or incorrectly the incorrect way of doing it is installing it in a counterclockwise fashion like this if installed this way when tightening your fitting it'll tend to want to unravel itself thus removing it and potentially creating a small leak so always install it in a clockwise manner just like this number two is improper venting on a waste system a lot of do-it-yourselfers aren't aware that a plumbing system needs to be well vented just like the straw phenomenon if you don't allow air in the back of the waste going down a pipe I don't want to find air somewhere such as a peach wrap and it could cause unpleasant odors to appear from the system so always make sure to inform yourself when attempting to do this kind of work number three is over tightening or fitting fittings aren't made to be over tightened if you over tighten one you may have a risk of leaks or even break a fitting as I've already seen before the trick to knowing when to stop is to measure the threads inside the fitting for example a half-inch of threads indicates it shouldn't go in more than half an inch number 4 is installing a saddle valve on a potable water system these valves are really ingenious but are very prone to leaking and are banned in most places you'll still see them in your local hardware stores but it's highly recommended not to install them the correct way of branching up a water line is to cut the pipe and solder or crimp a tee fitting and you're sure to never have any problems this way number 5 is using harsh chemicals to unclog a drain most times the first step for a do-it-yourselfer to unclog a drain is to use chemicals such as Drano or drain Aid these are both viable solutions but they could damage your pipes in the long run abuse of them the solution for two parts vinegar and 1 part baking soda into the drain it'll sizzle and might just loosen the clog enough to unblock it and plus it won't damage your pipes number 6 cutting a life pipe without shutting off the water most repairs need the water shut off and a lot of people tend to skip this part and get a big surprise when cutting into the pipe yikes the solution is to always make sure the section you're working on is properly isolated before attempting to cut it if for whatever reason there's no valve nearby close the main water valve and drain all the water before proceeding to any kind of repair number 7 is connecting a copper line to a steel pipe often you'll need to transition from steel to copper and there's a right and a wrong way to do it if you join these two dissimilar materials together they'll corrode and eventually fail causing water damage to resolve this you need to either use what they call a dielectric Union or just a brass nipple to join them together this way your shirt allows for many years and you don't have to worry about anything number eight is soldering and not wiping the leftover flux flux is basically an acid that prevents oxidation when soldering a joint this so called acid is strong enough to eat through a copper pipe if not wiped off again creating a pinhole and wreaking havoc on your property the fix always wipe any excess flux after soldering it takes 5 seconds to do and could save you a lot of trouble in the long run number 9 overheating a joint when soldering like I mentioned above your flux will prevent any oxidation while soldering however if it's overheated as such the solder won't flow properly into the joint and could cause a leak to prevent this don't overheat the joint before the flux becomes black and burns off move away from the joint and apply your solder and number 10 is tightening a pipe cutter too fast I often see apprentices cinching down on it on the first turn just like this this could result in two things one a broken cutting wheel and two at the forum pipe which isn't good so in order for this not to happen you should only turn the knob a quarter turn for each complete rotation this way you're not applying too much force on the wheel and you won't get an out of round pipe number 11 not sloping your pipe or sloping it incorrectly a proper slope is a must when doing any type of drain if it's sloped right it'll allow for two things the first is for the waste of flow adequately in a particular direction and secondly not to siphon out a p-trap if a waste pipe is full of running waste as seen here it might siphon out just enough water in your fixtures pitch wrap to allow for sewer gases to escape into the house to prevent this from occurring always use a one-eighth inch drop per foot and don't drop more than the diameter of the pipe itself number 12 is not installing water hammer arrest errs before these appeared we'd install a tee with an 18 inch section of pipe that would be filled with air upon filling of the system and cushion any hammering inside the pipes but with time these would fill up with water and cease to do their job to fix any knocking in the pipes it's highly recommended to install dedicated arrest errs like these they're most often installed near fast valve closing appliances such as toilets or washing machines number 13 is reusing flexible speedways speed ways otherwise known as flexible hoses are one of your home's weakest link in terms of plumbing these flexible hoses are made of rubber and have a stainless steel jacket to protect the core from anything that could damage them such as animals and so on these typically have a lifespan of around five years and should be replaced soon after to know if yours are still good visually inspect them and if there are any phrase or leaks it's a good sign it needs a replacement number fourteen using lead solder on a potable water system lead as many of you may already know is proven to be harmful if ingested for a long period of time many homes built before the 1980s use lead solder to join copper pipes together with the new code lead has been bad for potable water systems and replaced with 95 595 5 is a mix of tin and antimony and is completely lead-free so it's safe to use for drinking water what to retain from this is always check your solder before to make sure you're using the correct one if doing a repair number 15 not diverting the inside of your pipes when a pipe is cut a burr is formed inside which results in several negative outcomes it reduces the pipes inner diameter and causes turbulence if not removed turbulence in the long run could cause unwanted leaks and lead to a lot of damage in your home to resolve this issue always deburr your pipes with either around file a utility knife or if you have a dedicated reaming tool that's even better most pipe cutters have one built into them and a lot of people don't know about it number 16 improper cleaning of pipes and fittings when soldiering cleanliness is crucial to getting a leak free joint a store-bought copper pipe has oxidation on it due to being in contact with the air and needs to be properly cleaned before soldiering fittings are less likely to have any oxidation on them and don't always need to be brushed however if they've been laying somewhere for a while and need it you could use a fitting brush like this or cut the tip and use it in your drill to accelerate the process to properly clean a pipe use an abrasive material such as this or this and scrub the pipe thoroughly until it looks like this one also make sure the flux you're using is clean and free of debris I prefer to use this instead of an open jar as it's contained and free of any contaminants when not in use number 17 not isolating your exterior hydrants in winter an exterior hydrant like this is in contact with the outside temperature and it's not insulated could burst due to water expansion in the pipe it's highly recommended to isolate with a valve inside the house and drain any excess water outside to properly winterize it better yet install one of these non freezing hydrants and never worry about forgetting to close a valve anymore these use a rod type system and close the water inside the house where it's a lot hotter and less likely to freeze if you want to learn how to install one go check out my how-to video on how to properly swap out your old hydrant with a non freezing one like this number 18 not hanging your pipes correctly this could sometimes be overlooked but mustn't for copper water lines not hanging your pipes correctly can eventually weaken them and cause them to fail at a joint for example resulting in water damage think of it like a metal wire if bent a couple of times it'll just break off the same thing applies for your water lines to make sure this doesn't happen always add a hanger at every 6 feet or so for 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch copper lines this way you're sure to never have any problems number 19 applying pipe dope then teflon tape there's a lot of controversy going on whether you should put pipe dope on first or after applying your teflon tape the answer is simple if you don't then teh the tape will tend to want to be pushed back instead of staying on the threads possibly causing your joint to leak the proper way of doing it is installing your teflon tape first then applying your pipe dope if so desired this method will give you a much cleaner finish and has less possibilities of it leaking as well number 20 stripping or cross threading a pipe or fitting this is a common mistake that a lot of beginners and do-it-yourselfers make and that can easily be avoided a cross thread is easy to diagnose it'll be a lot harder than usual to tighten and most likely leak and won't go in straight like a normal pipe would the reason this happens is that the threads aren't aligned at the beginning and you basically make new ones as you're tightening it for this not to happen always start off by hand and make sure it's cruising smoothly before using a tool to finalize the tightening process a quick tip here is to start off in a counterclockwise direction to align the threads you'll see it go into place which means you're good to go number 21 trying to glue a fitting on a painted pipe I see this all the time where someone's in a hurry and doesn't take the time to remove the paint off the end of a pipe when gluing a fitting the glue or solvent is made to weld both plastics together if there's a thin layer of paint in between the connection won't be good and it'll eventually leak you could get a utility knife and scrape it off but that could get time-consuming and slow down your productivity instead get some paint thinner or VAR Saul on a rag and just wipe it off it's much quicker and a lot easier to number 22 using water to cool a solder joint down I mentioned this in my how to solder video right here and why it's wrong to do so accelerating the cooling process could cause the solder to crack just like an ice cube in hot water which is something you don't want to do for this not to happen you must let the joint cool on its zone which normally takes around 30 seconds an easy way to know if it's cool enough is to watch the solar change from shiny to a matte color this means it's completely solidified and ready to be wiped clean number 23 is leaving a host connected outside during winter not only will leaving your hose outside and freezing temperatures damage it but it could also damage the water line it's connected to even if you have a frost proof sillcock the reason why this happens is that any water after the shut-off valve needs to be drained out to be considered winterized so if the hose is left on there it'll stain the pipes freeze and eventually burst and cause a flood inside the house so always disconnect your hoses before freezing temperatures number 24 non unsold during a leaky joint to fix it a big mistake that do-it-yourselfers or even some plumbers make is not completely unsoldering a leaky joint to fix it some people will flux the joint solder it and call it a day but doing this will eventually leak seeing the solder didn't penetrate into the joint the proper way of doing it is to heat it up disassemble the joint clean everything properly and re solder it this way you know the joint is properly prepped and the solder will be able to fill up the whole joint without any doubts number 25 is not installing a p-trap any fixture would a drain must have a p-trap installed as it keeps sewage odors from coming into the house a toilet for example has one built into it so there's no need to install one however sinks showers bathtubs floor drains and washing machine outlets need one to be installed so always make sure there is one if you have unpleasant odors in a specific room it's most probably because there's one missing number 26 using a sink plunger for a toilet a sink and toilet plunger are both very different a sink plunger is meant and block flats surface fixtures because of its flat design if it's used for a toilet the pressure used to push the clog is lost too due to the fact that it doesn't have a flap like a toilet plunger does a cool trick that not too many people know is that a toilet plunger could also be converted into a sink plunger by folding the flap inwards so there's no need to get both models number 27 laying a pipe over another it's often seen in homes that a copper pipe is in contact with another one like this instead of using some fittings to pass over it the proper way this could become problematic because pipes move when they're closed or open and having a pipe in contact with another would eventually cause friction and eat right through it the proper way to fix this would be to use some fittings to pass over or under it if ever you do spot this in your own home an easy way to prevent further damage is to get a piece of insulation and tuck it in between both pipes this way they aren't in direct contact number 28 using your toilet as a trash can a toilet is meant to flush human waste not garbage here are some things your toilet drain pipes and septic tank aren't meant to see cooking grease hygiene products such as tampons or similar things dental floss q-tips diapers pills as they contaminate the water paper towels which can easily block a toilet or drain cat litter and cigarettes and the list goes on but these are some of the most popular ones that should be avoided number twenty-nine not using the correct glue or solvent for a specific pipe all glues and solvents are made differently for different types of pipes if you were to use ABS glue for a PVC pipe it would blew them together but it would eventually fail due to an incorrect weld so whenever choosing a solvent or glue choose the correct one for your application by reading the label carefully if you're transitioning from two dissimilar pipes you'll need the correct transition glue or the same thing will happen and number 30 not installing a backflow preventor in the basement your basement is what's most prone to getting flooded if the city's sewage system decides to back up every drain coming out of a slab is supposed to have a backflow preventer on it which should be underground and should have access to the flapper if the sewers were to back up you'd have no protection and it would flood your basement with waste the top clip is with the backwater valve and the bottom one is without and as you can see the waste was blocked thanks to the check valve if you don't have one you can easily get one at your local hardware store and installed yourself just make sure you have access to it at all times in case that the flapper comes off and that's it if you guys enjoyed and learn something from this video please give it a big thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for more upcoming videos and until the next one thanks for watching

Channel: Got2Learn

Views: 851,726

Rating: 4.9147458 out of 5

Keywords: got2learn, DIY, plumbing trick, plumber, do it yourself, pex plumbing installation, plombier, plumbing hacks, plumbing, plumbing tools, plumbing repair, plumbing diy, plumbing how to, how to do plumbing, how to repair plumbing, how to fix plumbing, toilet, rough in plumbing, solder with mini torch, how to solder, how to solder copper, how to fix copper leak, how to fix copper pipe, soldering copper pipe, sweat copper pipe, plumbing tips

Id: zzGWwsEmL7U

Length: 18min 24sec (1104 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 16 2021