No more chasing sand cloth

While installing the water supply copper piping on a five-story commercial building, I was spending a lot of time chasing my strip of sand cloth, which I used for sanding the outside of the copper pipe. No matter where I placed the sand cloth — in my tool bag pouch or slung over the pipe itself — it always ended up on the ground.

So I came up with this idea of using a mesh golf glove and two pieces of Velcro. I attached one piece of the Velcro to the sand cloth and the other to the glove, placed between the thumb and index finger. Then I could grab the end of the pipe and sand it without searching for my sand cloth. When the sand cloth wore out, I replaced it. I was able to complete my work much sooner as I wasn’t climbing up and down a ladder to retrieve my sand cloth.
Andrew Gottesman
Livermore, Calif.

Selfie tip No. 1

If you can’t stick your head in somewhere to look around to find the source of a leak or other problem, such as a valve buried in a wall or soffit, use a selfie stick to take pictures or video of the inaccessible area. It will give you a better view of the issue and cut down on access holes that need to be made, saving time on the job.
Richard Palsgraf
RC Plumbing and Heating
Johnstown, N.Y.

Selfie tip No. 2

When working on old copper tubing in ceilings, it can be hard to tell when you have it completely cleaned all the way around. You can never fit your head between the joists to check the top. Simply take out your phone, turn the camera on selfie mode and hold it above the pipe. You can either view it on the screen live or snap a picture so you can see it up close.
Mike Bash
Bash Plumbing
Natrona Heights, Pa.

Send Us Your Tool Tips

If you have an idea that has saved you time and money, Plumbing & Mechanical would like to share your tip with our readers. The first-place winner each month will receive a Kinetic Water Ram from General Pipe Cleaners with a retail value of $325. http://www.pmmag.com/tooltipshttp://www.pmmag.com/tooltips