Plumbing Toolbox Help.

[WelshMan]

I am in the process of starting to get my own tools together, still training but you never know one day ill qualify . So just wanted some advice on some must have tools.

Already got my blowtorch,pipe benders, pipe cutters and one or two wrenches so can eliminate them i guess.

Many thanks in advance

Paul.

 

[Softus]

Off the top of my head: adjustables, metric spanners, allen keys, screwdrivers, torx screwdrivers, right-angled screwdrivers, basin wrench (proper one, not a DIY one), box spanners, hacksaw, junior hacksaw, olive puller or cutters, rad tail keys, power drill, cordless drill, HSS bits (decent TC ones, not DIY sh*te), SDS+ bits, hole saws, flat bits, augers, TCT or diamond core drills, shovel, crowbars, chisels, sanigrips, mole wrench, chain wrench, boa wrench, cable reel, dry vac, wet vac, buckets, sheets, electrical screwdrivers, multimeter, Stanley knife, stubby screwdrivers, steel tape measure, pencils, bradawl, magnifying glass, mirror-on-a-stick, rubber bungs, tap seat cutter, torch, lead lamp, step ladders, extending ladders, drain rods, manhole lifting tools, stopcock keys, dust sheets, tarpaulin, garden hose, trestle, workbench, tile cutter, wet saw, floats, claw hammer, lump hammer, slide hammer, sledgehammer, pick-axe, cold chisels, bolsters, mitre block, 4' level, 2' level, 1' level, plumb bob, sanisnake, plungers.

I'll look in my toolboxes if you want the complete list.

Or you could wait until the need arises and buy each one as you go along...

 

[Balenza]

I picked this up once on another forum and thought it was a pretty comprehensive kit for a plumber.

Box 1
Rothenberger and spare gas, bacho wrenches x2 18", 1 14" stilston, basin wrench, hacksaw, junior hacksaw, dee burer, olive puller, pipe slice, plastic pipe cutter, bending springs, micro bore bender, record bender, mole grips, bungs, plastic pushfit endstops for emergency, maglite torch, imersion spanner, rad key, pressure test kit, heat mat, bossing stick, tin snips, pipe freezing kit.

Box 2

decorators knives x5, hacking knife, dusting brush, paint brushes, razor scraper,plug cutters, forstner bit set, coping saw, set square, chisel set, old chisel, push pin, hand saws, tenon saw, skeleton gun, glass cuter, mallet, block plane, jack plane,spoke shave,sliding bevel, mortice gauge warington hammer, estwing hammer, tape measure

box 3
assorted screwdrivers, pincers)lithium driver, rubber mallet, club hammer, bolster, cold chisel, plugging chisel, hand brush, laying on and finishing trowels, hawk, gauging trowel, pointing trowel, brick trowel, brick hammer, internal angle trowel, wrecking bars.

brief case type box (4)
socket tester,fluke multi meter, insulated screwdriver, pliers, side cutters, strippers, disto clasic

other tools:
shovel, pick, broom, spirit levelsx2, darby, mixing wheel, mixing bucket, milk cratesx2, assorted core drills and drill bits, collection of notched trowels, knee kicker, trim cutter.

Power tools. 4kg makita SDS, bosch percussion drill, 24v cordless, circ saw, jigsaw, bosch 24v recip, bosch wall chaser, bosch core drill, elu router, dewalt router, dewalt 707, dewalt 718, makita 4" grinder, stihl saw, bosch power planer, rubi tile saw, fein multi master, transformer. extension leads.

4m double ladder, 6 step ladder

gloves, ear muffs sand fulland half face respirators, dust sheets, rubbish sacks, Assorted fixings and joints, assortment of pipes, trims, angle beads, silicone, grip fill, multi finish, cement (white and grey)(( small quantities in buckets)) ,red and white sand, builders buckets

 

[WelshMan]

There is a lot of time and money gone into that toolkit Softus . At the moment every little job i do i put the cash into buying a new tool, which is probably the only way to do it.

 

[Balenza]

You could spend £5000 on either of those two lists if you wanted.

 

[gas4you]

There is a lot of time and money gone into that toolkit Softus . At the moment every little job i do i put the cash into buying a new tool, which is probably the only way to do it.

Take your time. The essentials will soon raise their head as you want them. Only buy quality tools, especially power tools. Forget the B&Q, Homebase, Screwfix etc offers.

Don't be fooled by flashy Dewalt stuff either. Black and Decker in a yellow case. Come out of the same factory. Good marketing/branding trick

 

[wonderb0y]

never enough tools, but i think Softus has covered a good all round their.

always carry some spare fibre washers, rubber washer, o-rings, compression fittings, push-fit caps as mentiond, pushfit fittings, some spare copper fittings, flexi hoses, isolator valves, silicone greese (has come in handy many a time and eases pushfit waste onto pipes, and plumbers mait. As it's very noying when you forget them and end up having to fork out twice as much at diy stores.

Don't be fooled by flashy Dewalt stuff either. Black and Decker in a yellow case. Come out of the same factory. Good marketing/branding trick

very true a makita drill i bought went after about 3 uses

 

[WelshMan]

Agree wonderboy with regards carrying spares e.g fibrewashers etc. Also i try and buy quality tools only, they are more expensive but they should last longer and are of a much better quality. These tool boxes are making me cringe tbh never realised i would need so much, need a 40ft truck with all that gear !

 

[fitz1]

i bought 2 bosch 24v sds drills (recon) with 2 batteries each about 3 years ago . cost me 160 each (bargain) couldnt work without them. batteries are getting tired though now.

 

[corgiman]

All you need is

PTFE
a Hammer
and a knife

 

[Mike2007]

A modern plumbers toolbox (Fanky Howard joke in there somewhere) is probably the most complicated group of tools in the trades, a mass of regular tools and "bits" of kit sometimes made just for one purpose. Gives you the wrong impression of a guy in dungarees with a pair of stillsons!

Always buy good kit first time (Rothenberger etc), pays off long term.

 

[Softus]

...and a knife

...or a sharpened hammer?

 

[sambotc]

olive cutter's and rad valve ratchet are 2 of the best tools i bought. Use them suprisingly often too, dunno where i'd be without them now.

Also depend's what work you do, you'll probably find you'll come across a job where a certain tool is needed or make's the job so much easier, so you buy it and then rather than going out and buying it just for the hell of it.

If you need a U-gauge,and can't be bothered with digi one's like me, the regin premier gauge is a good bit of kit! Nice clear reading and almost impossible to lose the fluid from too i paid £40 for mine from plumbase.

Anyone else find buying tool's addictive? Sometimes i spend more time looking at all the new shiny tool's then getting the gear i went in the nerchants for

Sam

 

[fitz1]

cheap tools , expensive tools , all depends on what your working on. years ago i worked on one day heating team. i lost tools galore. now i work for myself . still loose tools , but not on the same scale.

 

[fitz1]

those toddle guns are great aswell.