Setting up a plumbers tool kit

[mtspark]

I'm building up a plumbers toolkit, so I'm wondering what hand-tools that plumbers at the coal face have found to be trusty and reliable. I don't want to buy junk that'll only last a few years

Obviously wrenches are necessary, but what sizes and brands are the most suitable for plumbing? How about copper/plastic pipe cutters, who makes the best ones?

Thanks,
Mark.

 

[kevplumb]

yer won't go far wrong with monument and bahco

 

[corgiman]

I have the follwoing in my kit

1 Fluke 116 Multimeter, with magnetic boot
2 Testo Digital Manometer
3 Regin U guage Manometer
4 Rothernberger 12" Pump Pliers (x2)
5 Cresent 48" Pump Pliers (x2)
4 Rothernberger 7" Pump Pliers (handy for tiny spaces)
6 Snap On Set Spanners (tiny to HUGE)
7 Imperial Allen Keys
8 Metitc Allen Keys (only ever really use 2mm, 2.5mm and 4mm)
9 Anton Sprint 2000 analyser
10 Rothernberg 22mm and 15mm Pipe Slices
11 Monument 28mm Pipeslice (handy for tight spots but you need forearms like arnie to turn em )
12 Rothenberger Plastic Pipe Cutters ( the biggies hand for push fit and waste pipe)
13 Stopcock Key (four in one jobbie)
14 Pointing trowel
15 Rothenberger Handy Benders
16 Rothenberger Electric freezing kit (bit of a luxury as I have only used it a few times but thank god i had for those few times )
17 Immersion Heater Spanner
18 Basin Wrench
19 Rothenberger extendable tap spanner
20 loads of screwdrivers
21 CK side cutters
22 CK wire strippers
21 CK electric screwdrivers
22 A neon screwdriver ( I know its naughty but what are you gonna do )
23 Megger Tester
24 Testo Differential thermometer
23 Test Infrared Thermometer
24 Monument Drain rods
25 stilsons VERY large
26 Foot prints As above
27 Rubber mallet
28 Ballpin hammer
29 Club Hammer
30 Makita 18v cordless
31 Makita heavy duty drill
32 Set on diamond core drills (cheap ones from Plumb centre used shed loads and they are still going strong)


And loads of other stuff but my fingers hurt now

good luck matey

 

[ChrisR]

5 and 9, ....

It does depend what work you're doing. I haven't seen my blowlamp for weeks...

 

[kevplumb]

5 and 9, ....

It does depend what work you're doing. I haven't seen my blowlamp for weeks...

that's cos i nicked it out of yer van

 

[mtspark]

Wow, thanks corgiman, you've got some pretty fancy kit there! Kev's right, you'd better keep it safe.

I was wondering if anybody actually used stilsons since they are so brutal and tear the hell out of anything you try to turn with them. What size do you use?

> loads of screwdrivers
Are you fussy about brands or will any do?

>27 Rubber mallet
>28 Ballpin hammer
>29 Club Hammer

What do you do with all those hammers, are they for dealing with customers?

 

[kevplumb]

the lad is just learning marra

I was wondering if anybody actually used stilsons since they are so brutal and tear the hell out of anything you try to turn with them. What size do you use?

is what PROPER pipefitters use

 

[corgiman]

Dammit forget me blowlamp

I love me rothenberger superfire two nice

I also have an rems clamp heater thingy well handy

screwdrivers seem to be my "free gift with every job" as i keep leaving the bleedin things on site!!!!!!! so I dont spend a huge amount on them


as for my kit it represents YEARS on the tools and accumlation of shyte, not many can pop down and buy what I, and many other time sevred gents, have in the back of their wagons.

as for security I had my van turned over when i was doing the part P (how lucky am I) and the saddest thing they nicked was my tool case with my old dads grips in it, not kevs but my real old man who was apprentice to noah godresthissoul, I did not use em but liked having them close as I am a silly old apath!!!

They were chancers as they left some serious kit alone and grab the nearest tool box, wish they had of left that and took the rest.

Now the van is like fort knox on wheels, with a few not strictly legit additons, put it this way you could tell who had tried to my van over by their glaezed expressions and very very spikey hair


and as pappy kev says you gotta have a pair of stilsons, more than that you gotta know how to use em RIGHT

 

[solo]

Tupperware......for keeping sarnies in.

 

[libby lou lou]

Corgiman, get rid of that ballpin hammer, ballpeen are better , bt the way, a rough estimate on the price of that lot please!!

 

[Paul Barker]

I refine my toolkit frequently. As a chronic bad back and neck sufferer (though it doesn't matter on the 3 days the apprentice is with me) I only carry bare essentials in the first toolkit to go into the job with.

This contains Footp[rint 9's 7's Bahco Water pump pliers, and the small Roten burger set.

The absolute smalles bahco adjustable shifter, another make for the more popular next size up as it opens enough for a 15mm compression nut and the bahco doesn't. Then some wide jawed stubby handle cheap shop adjustable, much better than the special plumbers bahco which is weak pathetic and handle is too long for tight spots. Canadian basin wrench doble ended.

Philips no 1 and 2 and a long philips no 2. largeflat for fga nuts and pump dust caps. No 40 security torx for modern gas valve adjustment. Small and medium flat screwdrivers safe to 1000v.

Fluke meter, weir guage, thermometer. Smoke matches, small tup with jet blue decanted into it, ptfe both types, silicon grease high temp, white paste that makes stats sense heat better, one or two smoke bombs, a modern thin flue way cleaner (the sort of thing a burgler would break into a car with) tyre pressure guage bycicle pump universal insert for blow off valves, service valve 15/22 pipe slices (which also do plastic, run it round then snap) junior hacksaw with highest quality blades and plenty of spares. Sidecutters, ratchet crimps and few crimp connectors, nose grip pliers. Small length of earth sleeving, clip leeds for test purposes.

Soldering gear is seperate.

Big tools are seperate and seldome needed. Most cases a plumber needs a hammer the footprint is adequate, likewise as a lever.

 

[corgiman]

Corgiman, get rid of that ballpin hammer, ballpeen are better , bt the way, a rough estimate on the price of that lot please!!

D'OH you are right libbby lou lou


as for a rough estimate, god knows a lot i suppose, havent even talked about what i have in me garage thats a right old alladins cave in there for tools.

 

[mtspark]

I'm surprised you guys use those stilsons, the teeth are terrible things that ruin anything you try to turn. Why don't you use an adjustable automotive wrench with a smooth face? They'd do the job just as well as far as I can see and are v.strong. Is there a reason why you need the teeth on the jaws?

 

[Paul Barker]

You are correct in saying that an smooth jawed adjustable shifter is neater and sufficient in 90% of cases, but the reason people often need us to do the job is because we cannot afford to fail. Therefore we have to have certain tools that allow us success where others would fail. If it were not so, we wouldn't be needed.

 

[ChrisR]

mtspark - ever tried turning a pipe with smooth jawed adjustables?

Also stillsons open wider. A 2 foot stilly will grip an immersion heater box spanner, but a 2 foot adjustable only opens to 68mm or so.
Stillsons grip as you apply pressure - which is controllable by exactly how they're adjusted.

There are times when the old-pattern F shaped adjustables are good, as they open wide, and can be used sideways to stop rad valves etc twisting.

Paul I think you might be missiing out on the most useful Bahco adjustable - opens to 22mm nuts but only 6" overall. 9029 I think it is. It came out later than the 9031 8" which does 28mm nuts.