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Plumbing Supply House offers information and detailed reviews on more than 1000 plumbing products as well as emergency plumbing advice and information and a comprehensive directory of licensed plumbers throughout the United States.

At Plumbing Supply House we also help you compare boiler efficiency, prices and reviews on oil, gas, steam, electric and wood boilers from most boiler manufacturers. You can also find information on boiler rental of residential, commercial and industrial boilers throughout the US.

In our DIY Plumbing section we offer advice on how to fix the most common plumbing problems such as a clogged toilet. When you need a professional we help you choose among the best plumbers or plumbing contractors.

Plumbing Supply - Getting the Basics

Professional plumbers and do it yourselfers who like to work on their own plumbing all know that you have to find the right plumbing supply house to provide them with the pieces and tools they need to do the job right. If you opt for the cheapest supplies you can find, the chances of being highly disappointed with what you get are very good. Both professionals and those who do their own work know that you tend to get what you pay for and prefer to spend a little more for quality parts and know that the parts they purchase are not going to break in the near future.

Setting Up Your Toolbox

If you have decided that you are going to do your own work then you are going to need to either go to your local plumbing supply house or shop online for the basic tools you are going to need. There are several different specialty tools every good plumber carries in his tool box. You should start by equipping your toolbox with a series of wrenches in both standard and metric sizes, while these may not fit everything that you will need to work on, they are a necessity in every tool box.

You should also add several sizes of adjustable wrench to your tool kit along with a basin wrench for tightening and removing water lines from the faucets where you cannot get any other type of wrench. While the standard open end wrench can be used for many tasks, you are going to find that the adjustable wrench will become one of your favourite tools. Along with the set of wrenches you should add various sizes of pliers including slip joint and locking pliers to work with those stubborn fittings that are rounded off to the point where your wrenches will not work.

In your toolbox you will need a variety of pipe cutters for metal pipes and PVC pipes as well as a hacksaw that can be used on both. A hammer or two can come in handy as can a tape measure and for those who are working with copper pipe a small set of acetylene torches to braze the fittings and pipes together so that the joint are leak free.

Thinking outside the Box

Once you have gone to your local plumbing supply house or shopped online to set up your toolbox you should consider keeping a selection of emergency repair parts on hand to meet those problems that always seem to occur late at night or on the weekends when the plumbing supply shops are closed and you cannot wait until they open. Murphy's Law states that nothing ever goes wrong at a convenient time and if you have the right spare parts on hand you can keep your family very happy.

For the most part you will need to keep simple repair fittings on hand in sizes to cover the most common pipe sizes in your house. These fitting should include straight fittings as well as elbow. If you are working with copper pipes you can use either compression fittings or sweat fittings if you are comfortable with you skills in sweat soldering fittings in place. With PVC pipes all you need are the compression style fittings that are made for PVC pipes or the type you use special glues to glue them together.

Other simple supplies include the flux and solder you would need to sweat the pipes and fittings together if you choose to perform this type of repair. Teflon tape or paste is used to help seal those fittings that are screwed together and of course a supply of nuts, bolts and washers to hold everything together along with a roll of metal plumbers tape to support the pipes you have just repaired.

Even if you are a novice do it yourselfer there is no reason that you cannot do your own basic plumbing repairs as long as you have the tools and parts on hand. If you are not sure what you need, you can always talk the staff at your local plumbing supply house; in most cases they will be more than happy to set you up with the basics that will help you save money by doing your own repairs.

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<<<Click On Any Picture To Enlarge

Kohler Hawthorne Tile-In Apron-Front Kitchen Sink
Kohler Hawthorne Collection
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