Tool Tips — February 2013

Perfect Sizing for Pipe Insulation

I believe this is a low-cost, effective tool for fitting pipe insulation, either fiberglass or Armaflex-type insulation. You need a plain mitre box, the kind for cutting wood. Then take a 9-in. or 12-in. drywall taping knife and sharpen the edge on a grinder.

Insert the insulation in the mitre box and swipe the taping knife through the mitre slot, at the angle you need. You will get a perfect cut and your elbows will line up perfectly.

– Teddy Foufas
Atlantis Plumbing & Heating Corp.
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Easier Quick-to-Connect Fittings

Tired of fighting quick-to-connect fittings, especially those on 8-in. widespread faucets? I always keep plumber’s grease on all my trucks for these fittings. Just wipe some of the grease on your fittings with the O-ring and they’ll pop right on. It will save you costly mistakes, such as bending the 3/8-in. copper supplies and breaking plastic clips.

– Billy Blackburn
Blackburn Plumbing
Durant, Okla.

Sticky Notes for a Cleaner Jobsite

When you're drilling a smaller hole in dry wall or plaster and you don’t want to make a mess, take a sticky note and fold it in half. Stick the note to the wall underneath the hole and it will catch the wall dust, saving you from having to use a sweeper.

– Jeff Jaruszewicz
Longo Plumbing Co.
Erie, Pa.