You’re pulling a toilet, and but first you need to get that last bit of water out of it.  Traditionally you might suck it out with a turkey baster or absorb it with a sponge, but next time you might want to try LiquiLock.  A one-tablespoon packet will solidify the remaining water into a non-toxic gel.

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If we can take ReTherm’s claim at face value, by installing their device to recover waste heat that would otherwise go down the drain, we can save at least as much as we would with tankless water heaters, at a fraction of the install cost — which means the device might actually pay for itself in a reasonable period of time.

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At first when I saw this I thought it’d be great for the “city dwellers” to prevent a prankster from strolling by, turning on the water, and walking away. But I hear now that the newest “prank” is to turn on the water and stick the hose into an open window, dryer vent, or window well.  The wet floors, walls, drywall, and whatever could run into the tens of thousands of dollars for repairs — plus you get a high water bill to top it all off!  You can foil those vandals with this Hose Bib Lock.

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Unclogging the sink or toilet is never a pleasant experience, especially if you have to call the plumber or break out the drain snake.  Before you resort to those extreme measures you’ll want to try your “first” options:  the typical plunger, or “water swisher” as I call it; the CO2-based units that shoot a small blast of carbon dioxide; or, probably the best of the “first” options, the Johnny Jolter from Metro Products.

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Here in sunny southern California, as in many other areas of the country, we’re experiencing a drought, and it seems like all we hear about is water conservation. We were forced to switch out our high-powered behemoth of a toilet for a more efficient low-flow model, but what if you’re not satisfied with that level of water conservation — what do you do?  You pick up a couple of oddly named Toilet Tummies.

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When you run the washing machine or dishwasher do the pipes shake or make loud thumping noises?  That’s probably water hammer at work.  Solenoid-driven valves that close abruptly can be the worst offenders;  suddenly stopping the flow of water creates a pressure spike behind the valve which can reverberate throughout the supply pipes in your house.

Most water hammer arresters absorb the reverberations with a pressurized cushion of air.  But that air chamber can become waterlogged over time, so Sioux Chiefs Mini-Resters use a piston sealed with dual O-rings to separate the water from the air chamber.

Sioux Chief sells a wide variety of Mini-Resters for washing machines, tub and shower valves, toilets, ice makers, sinks, and other single-use applications.  Prices range from $10 to $20.

Water Hammer Arresters [Sioux Chief]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

A few weeks ago we posted stubby spade bits, but today we noticed that Greenlee has announced a line of stubby auger bits.  One big difference between the two types of bits is that auger bits tend to leave much cleaner holes with less tear-out than spade bits.  The trade-off:  Auger bits also tend to cost more.

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You use a chain wrench when a pipe won’t move and you want it to.  You use a chain vise to keep a pipe from moving when it wants to.  This portable chain vise and stand from RIDGID will help you thread, bend, or cut pipe when you’re away from the shop.

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A basin wrench will help you get at hard-to-reach nuts, especially up behind sink basins, but not everyone has the room for an extra wrench in the toolbox.  Superior Tools makes this 3/8″ drive attachment that turns your ratchet into a basin wrench — and you can make it any length you need by changing extensions.

The spring-loaded jaws fit 1/2″ to 1-1/4″ hex and square nuts and anything in between.  You can find this basin wrench attachment for about $12 at Sears.

Basin Wrench Attachment [Superior Tool]
Basin Wrench Attachment [Sears]

While the Gordon wrench will help you turn stuck shutoff valves, to reach the valve you still might have to bend like a contortionist.  Plus you probably don’t want to venture that close to the scummy area behind the toilet or under the sink.  Although the WaterShutOff wrench from Superior Tool may not let you apply as much torque on stuck valves, it can keep you 11″ farther away from all that unpleasantness that hasn’t seen the light of day in years.

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You probably won’t see a couple of plumbers in the back room with a bunch of these tools and a playground ball, trying to get twosies — but it’s fun to imagine.  These jack-lookalike tools are actually drum tap wrenches for removing cleanout plugs.

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For routine maintenance or emergencies, you can simply squeeze off polyethylene (PE) pipe, instead of locating a valve upstream.  Timberline designed their TR-650 tool for squeezing off 3″ to 6″ PE pipe without completely excavating around it.  You just open up an 18″ “keyhole” or trench, and slip the 17-1/2″-wide jaws down into the keyhole.

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If you’re a DIYer trying to solder some plumbing, you’ve probably found the most difficult part is getting the system drained.  If you leave any water in there, it turns to steam and makes a pinhole in your joint, which you won’t find till the system’s pressurized.  To prevent that frustration, Clean-Fit’s Water-Gate will seal off any pipe from 1/2″ to 4″ diameter.

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A couple years ago we posted about Ridgid’s plastic nut basin wrench.  Ridgid has since updated the 2006 model of this tool to be a “multipurpose under-sink plumbing tool,” and they renamed it the Faucet and Sink Installer.  The notched ends of this tool still fit 2, 3, 4, and 6-tabbed plastic mounting nuts on faucets, sprayers, and ball cocks — but now the tool does so much more.

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This isn’t the work of some strong man — Ridgid intended its offset hex wrench to look like this.  They claim the odd-shaped jaws give you a secure grip on multiple sides of hex and square nuts, unions, and valve packing nuts.  Plus it opens from 1-1/8″ to 2-5/8″ wide, allowing you to fit it around tub and sink drain nuts.

The 9-1/2″ long wrench weighs just 1-1/2 pounds, with smooth thin jaws to slip into tight places.  Ridgid offers a lifetime warranty against defects in material or workmanship — not bad for a $30 to $40 pipe wrench.

Offset Hex Wrench [Ridgid]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The Pipemaster soldering tool probably came from this idea, familiar to everyone who’s ever soldered copper pipe: “If I could just heat the whole thing at once, I’d be done by now.”  Its jaws close around pipe to heat it up and make an even seal, rather than heating with open flame.

Just mount the correct heads for the pipe size on the Pipemaster –- the heads for 1/2″ pipe are standard — then plug it in, lay it on its steel bracket rest to keep it elevated, and let it preheat for a minute before use. Place the heads around the pipe close to the joint. Let the solder flow into the joint once the pipe is hot enough, and remove the heads from the joint. After cooling, the joint should be ready.

It sounds pretty easy, but we wonder if it works even half as well as it sounds.  Has anyone had some firsthand experience with it?  Let us know in comments.

Street pricing starts at around $95.

Pipemaster [Antex]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The forged jaws of this thumbturn pipe wrench tighten as you apply torque to the pressed steel handle — and the jaws continue to tighten as you increase the force.  The knurled thumbscrew provides a convenient way to adjust the wrench without changing your grip.

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