The tips library

A tip without a source is just an opinion. These come with the number, the order or the tell, and where it came from.

Every tip in here carries a number, an order of work or a tell, and every one has its source listed right under it. Pick the job you're on.

• Valves that have to work

  Back a stuck gate valve's packing nut off 1/4 to 1/2 turn before you work it, why an old gate drops, and which way a globe valve goes in.

  5 tips

• Sillcocks done right

  Pitch a frost-free down toward the outside, buy it at least 2 inches longer than the wall is thick, and give an anti-siphon one 12 hours of continuous pressure, tops.

  6 tips

• Threads and what goes on them

  Tape clockwise with the first thread bare, sealant on the male thread only, and finger tight plus one or two turns on plastic female threads.

  5 tips

• Sweat it right

  A gap of 0.004 to 0.006 inch, the flame on the tube before the cup, and a length of wire about the size of the pipe.

  9 tips

• PEX by the numbers

  Crimp rings 1/8 to 1/4 inch back from the end, a 1/8 turn between expansions, and no bend tighter than 6 times the tube's actual outside diameter.

  9 tips

• Glue joints

  A dry fit that binds 1/3 to 2/3 of the way in, primer until the plastic goes soft, then a quarter turn and a hold.

  8 tips

• Drains, traps and cast iron

  The washer's tapered side toward the threaded fitting, score, turn and snap on cast iron, and 60 inch-pounds on a no-hub band.

  9 tips

• Setting a toilet

  The flange on top of the finished floor, tank nuts snugged side to side until it sits level and stops rocking, and 1/2 inch of slack in the flapper chain.

  9 tips

• Caulk that holds

  Every bit of the old bead out, backer rod 1/8 inch bigger than the joint, and silicone where it's wet, latex where it's painted.

  6 tips

The Old Tradesman is a cartoon character. Every tip stands on the sources listed under it: he is the voice, they are the authority.