Plumbing Tool & Equipment Flashcards

Channel-lock Pliers

The trade's default grip. Tongue-and-groove adjustable pliers. Get two sizes (10" and 12"). Teeth grip anything round.

Pipe Wrench (14")

Toothed jaws grip threaded pipe. Teeth face direction of turn. Turn it around to loosen. 14" is the first buy.

Basin Wrench

Long shaft + pivoting jaw reaches faucet nuts UP BEHIND a sink. Dedicated to this one miserable job. Own it.

Tubing Cutter

Cuts copper tube clean. Score and rotate 3–5 turns, tighten slightly each time. Always deburr the inside cut edge.

PEX Pipe Cutter

Ratchet cutter dedicated to PEX. The cut MUST be square (not angled) — angled cuts cause leaks at crimp fittings.

PEX Crimp Tool

Squeezes a copper crimp ring over PEX fittings. Inexpensive (~$30), safe to practice on scrap. Check with go/no-go gauge.

Hacksaw

Cuts metal pipe, threaded rod, cast iron (with right blade). 18–24 TPI for metal. Keep blades sharp — dull blades wander.

Adjustable Wrench

Open-end wrench with movable jaw. Pull toward the FIXED jaw to avoid slipping. Get 6" and 10" sizes.

Tape Measure

Read to 1/16" without thinking. Plumbing uses center-to-center (C-C) measurements and rough-in dimensions.

Torpedo Level

9" magnetic level. Checks drain slope (1/4" per foot). Magnetic tip sticks to steel pipe and fittings.

Cup Plunger

FLAT rubber cup — for SINKS and flat drains ONLY. Wrong plunger on a toilet = rookie tell. Seal and push water, not air.

Flange Plunger

Extra rubber flange (extension) seals the toilet's curved outlet. The ONLY plunger that works on a toilet.

Hand Auger (Drain Snake)

Manual cable, 15–25 ft. Rotate handle to grab clogs. Safe to use. The step before calling for the machine.

Copper Pipe (Type L)

Rigid, durable, antibacterial. Type L (blue label) = residential supply standard. Joined by soldering (torch) or press fittings.

PEX Pipe

Flexible plastic — 60%+ of new residential supply. Red=hot, Blue=cold, White=either. More freeze-tolerant than rigid pipe.

PVC Pipe

White rigid plastic — drainage and vent standard. Primer (purple) + cement = SOLVENT WELD (chemical fusion, not glue).

CPVC Pipe

Cream/yellow rigid plastic. Like PVC but rated for HOT water supply (up to 200°F). Requires its OWN cement — never use PVC cement.

ABS Pipe

BLACK rigid plastic — older drainage standard, common in western U.S. One-step cement (no primer). ABS cement only.

Galvanized Steel Pipe

Gray threaded steel — OBSOLETE for supply. Rusts shut from the inside over decades. Low flow at old fixtures = suspect galvanized.

Cast Iron Pipe

Heavy BLACK drain/waste pipe — durable and acoustically quiet. Joined with no-hub couplings today. Cut with a snap cutter.

Ball Valve

Quarter-turn shutoff. Handle PARALLEL to pipe = OPEN. Handle PERPENDICULAR = CLOSED. Preferred over gate valves.

Gate Valve

Multi-turn (many rotations) shutoff valve. Common in older homes on supply mains. Can fail to fully seat. NOT preferred in new work.

Angle Stop (Supply Stop)

Small shutoff under every sink and toilet. Isolates ONE fixture. Failed angle stops flood homes — inspect them on every service call.

Pressure-Reducing Valve (PRV)

Drops high city pressure (>80 PSI) to safe home pressure. Required by code when street pressure exceeds 80 PSI. Adjustable setpoint.

P-Trap

The U-bend under EVERY fixture. Holds water that seals sewer gas out of the building. Rule: every fixture gets a trap.

Wax Ring

ONE-USE seal between toilet and closet flange. Never reuse. Rocking toilet destroys the seal and rots subfloor invisibly.

T&P Relief Valve

HARD STOP. Opens if temp/pressure go dangerous to prevent tank explosion. NEVER cap, plug, or remove it. A dripping T&P = diagnose, not plug.

Tank Water Heater

Stores 40–80 gal. Cold water enters via dip tube at bottom; hot exits top. Has anode rod, T&P valve, drain valve, and thermostat.

Tankless Water Heater

On-demand heat exchanger. No storage tank = endless hot water. Needs annual descaling to remove mineral buildup.

Anode Rod

Sacrificial magnesium or aluminum rod that corrodes so the steel tank doesn't. Inspect every 3–5 years. Cheap; tank replacement is not.

Toilet Flapper

#1 cause of running toilets. Rubber seal must reseat airtight after flush. Test: food dye in tank — color in bowl = leaking flapper.

Fill Valve (Ballcock)

Refills tank and bowl after flush. Float-controlled shutoff. Running toilet after flush = fill valve, flapper, or float issue.

Drain Machine (Power Auger)

HARD STOP. Motorized rotating cable — catches gloves and breaks wrists. Learn by NAME AND PURPOSE. Trained supervised hands ONLY.

Press Gun (ProPress)

Battery press tool that crimps copper/stainless fittings — no flame. Expensive tool, usually rented. Learn to recognize it, that's all.

Sewer Inspection Camera

Snake-mounted camera that diagnoses drain problems live on a screen. A licensed plumber's diagnostic tool. Learn it exists.