Replacing faucet parts

When servicing a Delta faucet, this tool makes short work of replacing the seal and spring internal parts. Take a Phillips No. 2 screwdriver and the used portion of a caulking tube nozzle. Clean the nozzle piece and cut the narrow end so that it just fits over the screwdriver. Place the seal and spring over the screwdriver and you’re ready to install. Place the screwdriver end into its position and push the tube end until it is set.

Raymond Charpentier

Ray Charpentier Plumbing & Heating

Sanford, Maine

Unfreezing main lines

We have been experiencing freezing weather here in the Philly-area. Many homes have had their main lines freeze and can-not get water from the main into the house. We use the General Hot Shot machine with 100-foot cables. We have taken a piece of 1-1/4 type L copper and hammered it around a ¾ curb stop in our shop so it sits correctly on top and around the body of the valve. We now have a complete connection with continuity on the valve that’s more than 3 feet in the ground, making unfreezing the main lines faster and more efficient.

Eric Slifkin

Guaranteed Plumbing & Heating

Philadelphia