Expansion tank removal

Replacing an old expansion tank can be tricky. It’s filled with water. It’s heavy and slippery. It’s often in an awkward location. It’s an accident waiting to happen. I use an old piece of heavy-duty cargo net. It’s like an extra pair of hands. Secure it properly; do not leave a lot of excess space. When a tank drops, it has a lot of force.

Then connect a short length of hose slipped through the net openings. Flip the tank and drain into a bucket.

When picking up a new tank, use an air pump, such as the kind at gas stations, to fill the tank. It’s quicker than digging out your compressor.

Jim Hoxeng
Roto-Rooter
Providence, R.I.

Reinforcing plastic pipe clamps

Plastic pipe clamps have a good sound-insulating quality, but when used for bigger-size pipe, such as 1 1/4-in. and larger, they tend to bend or break over time under the load. I’ve found that placing a small piece of 22-gauge plumber’s tape, shaped to fit under the clamp, will help make a very secure insulating clamp last a lifetime.

Kamyar Ehya
Signal Hill, Calif.

Removal of nylon adapters

When trying to remove a 1-in. nylon insert x male adapter, sometimes the nylon adapter crushes. To avoid this, insert a 1/2-in. metal nipple into the 1-in. nylon adapter. This stops the crushing and allows removal. We use this procedure when nylon adapters are installed at pitless water wells.

Chuck Dross
Keiper Plumbing & Heating Co.
Pocono Lake, Pa.