Our NEW Toilet Wouldn't Flush! We Found Out Why... 

Suggestion for you. When you solder a vertical pipe, always start at the bottom. You heat the bottom fitting, the heat will rise to the next fitting requiring less time to heat it up. The fitting under, will begin to cool as you work up. If you start at the top, as you work down the heat will rise in the pipe, possibly melting enough solder out to cause a leak.

I would recommend to the owners that they have the sewer connections checked and investigate having a rat baffle installed.

Thanks guys for another awesome video. I love how you keep the curveballs in so we can watch you problem-solve in real time. Experienced DIY'er, but I feel like I learn something new every time I watch your viideos

I always replace the wax ring with a Fluidmaster rubber gasket just in case you ever have to remove the toilet again just like you had too. You don't have to dig that wax off the flange or the bottom of the toilet. I keep one in my truck in case I ever need it. Great video.

Excellent video!!! Besides learning everything you might come across in the trades in the Jobsite. Keeping calm, a clear mind and a positive attitude will make you overcome every situation you might face. Your Dad is a great Dad, He not only teaches you his trades skills but his personal skills too. Good Job Guys!!!

I love the father-son combo. Great work, great memories.

I was in the trade for quite a number of years and sometimes I found it easy to stick a shop vac hose down the closet drain to retrieve lost or stolen items haha the 1-1/2 shop vac hoses seem to work good in those scenarios!

Paul Your videos are great because you show what could possibly go wrong and how to solve these problems 👍👍👍

When removing old soldered fittings, they may not want to move and with soft copper you can crush it out of round. So, try using a crescent wrench and hammer on the shoulder of the fitting. Another tip, if the copper is out of round you can use a crescent wrench to make it round again by carefully adjusting the crescent wrench and rotating it on the out of round end. This will save a lot of frustration. Also, when removing soldered parts, wipe the molten solder off the ends with a dry rag so that you only need to give it a touch up with sand cloth and the new fitting will slide right on.

To dress up those solder joints, take your flux brush and wipe quickly while still hot from the torch. You'll have beautiful connections and be able to visually see that the joint will not leak.

I enjoy watching your videos. So calm and collective with any setbacks. You have all the tools to do jobs correctly and clean. I'm learning alot since I'm a first time homeowner thank you.

If you ever have a pipe with a slow trickle that you can’t bend up like you did a good trick is to use a small ball of white bread. You can use it to stop up the pipe long enough to solder and when you are done it will dissolve and can be flushed from the pipe. 👍🏻

You are a real jack of all trades, master of everything. Impressed by your soldering skills...

Way back when my Dad built his house he used diagonal sheathing for the roof and walls. His entire house was built with recycled lumber from old barns and grain bins. Anyway, there was an odd end cut off, a wedged shaped 1X4 piece about 14 inches long. He kicked it off the roof so as not to slip on it. Years later, he was no longer a bachelor, and women started using the pumping. One day the 4 inch sewer main plugged up and snaking the drain was not clearing the problem this time. The main would plug up from time to time, we never could figure out why, it was a simple 4 inch line straight down one 90 degree angle and out to the septic tank. After inspection under the house we found the blockage was just below the main floor joists, about a foot above the clean out. So my cousin and I reluctantly cut the sewer main pipe to find a 1x4 pine board wrapped in feminine products and toilet paper. My first thought someone is using way too much fiber in their diet. We put the largest metal wash tub we had under the drain to attempt to catch roughly 17 feet X 4 inches worth of nasty coming from the upstairs bathroom and wiggled the board. It came out surprisingly easy and painted us in gallons of nasty. What came out with the filth was a wedged shaped 1X4 about 14 inches long pine board. After cleaning the mess and taking a couple of baths in the lake, then a couple showers we were wondering how in the hell a board got in the drain in the first place. Then Dad remembered the board he kicked of the roof, he said, he never heard it hit the ground, or ever found the piece and kinda forgot about it. Somehow when he kicked the board found its way down the vent pipe and remained in the drain for a good 6 years before it became an issue. There has never been an issue with the sewer line since we removed the board.

As much as I enjoy watching you guys do a job that goes without any hitches, in all honesty, I think your vids where something goes wrong and watching how you troubleshoot a solution is far more interesting. Really good stuff and keep 'em comin!

Nice you shined the inside of the pipe with that rag. Polished it up nice! 👍🏽

Thank for the video. I run a sewer and drain business. I was cabling a clog a few months ago and pulled out a big ol" dead rat. it died in the pipe and clogged it up. I see a lot of gross smelly jobs. This was the worst! Great video. I am now subscribed an looking forward to more. Way to go. Dave from Kirkwood, MO. USA

I know it’s extra cost, but I like to factor in new stop valves when changing plumbing, unless it is obviously in new condition. Saves on coming back later to fix them.

Thanks for the detail in wrench sizes and other details that others typically "assume" you would know. The best part of this, aside of the hassle's you had to deal with, great Father - Son working relationship. Kudos to you !!.

Love your videos, great information! I have gone back and watched all your previous series. I learned a lot. Keep up the great work!

I've almost caught up with the older series'... and I think this is the first "use your (insert random tool) to hit the like button". Love it guys. Keep 'em coming. Thank you!

A little lubricant or pipe dope on the valve threads helps the angles top install much easier

I bought a $25 camera snake from Amazon for things like that. It connects to the phone over its own wifi connection and connects to a free app 👍🏽

I love when I have to do things twice😡🤬. Nice recovery... and I’m amazed by your always calm and positive attitudes.

Love the content and standard of work you guys have. At first i thought it just fell and when you flushed the toilet it was pushed down the pipe and the "rat pulling it" was just a way to cover a mistake. Once it was pulled out consider my words eaten, that was unexpected. Love the content guys and love humble pie.

I have been in construction since 1975 . I did for more finish carpentry than anything , but always a variety trades mixed in . So I at 72 I am still working but mostly as a handyman now . So i can relate to your videos. Just watched you installing a toilet. I would add a couple of things I do that you might find interesting . When i am replacing a compression stop i just leave the old nut and ferrule in place . I put some teflon based pipe dope to the threads and ferrule as a lube . Then install a new quarter turn stop. Never had a problem . Next when setting a toilet I always attach the flange bolts to the flange with a washer and nut before adding the seal and then the toilet and another washer and ,nut and decorative cap. How many times have you struggled getting an old toilet loose from the floor because the bolts were spinning as you tried to unscrew the nut or sawzall them off ?! . Next I have gone to Sani Seal brand synthetic seals over wax rings . I have tried all the brands available and found that this is the best . With wax you get one chance to luckily get it right, with no option to reposition because once the wax has been depressed it wont spring back if necessary. What do you do if the floor is not flat or you tilted the toilet a little when first setting it ? The ones i use are thick and springy .They cost more but call backs are way worse! I would say that about 99 % of toilets I have replaced showed signs of rot onthe sub floor . Finally the stainless steel supply lines are the best. but you have to get the right length. Also Menards sells supplies with built in shut offs which will shut off the water flow in the case of a burst supply line . I always say a little bit of water goes a long long way when it is leaking in your home ! And I will add that I have found cheap cone looking gadgets that you put into the toilet seat holes before putting the seat hinge into position and bolt it down . Seems like normally no matter how tightly you bolt down a seat without these cones the seats loosen up over time and wiggle around until the hinge breaks .

I second 50's kid, I didn't know about the ferrule puller. The lenghts I have gone to in removing a ferrule is ridiculous.

People wonder why remodeling costs so much. once you start tearing things out there is no telling what you're going to find so you have to cover yourself. Thank you for the video.

Great job & video. Gives homeowners a good understanding of what goes into, and hopefully not out of a toilet installation!

I love the adventures of Paul and his son. Re: the rag in the toilet; this is the kind of caw caw that invariably happens when doing DYI. It's not about technique, it's just unexpected WTF issues! Thanks guys for showing real life issues during renovations.

I don't understand the reasoning for un-sweating the coupling since you were putting in new copper anyway. Couldn't you just cut the coupling off?

Definitely use blanks/ plugs to cover toilet flanges, not a rag or a wad as this vids shows why. Might even want to solidly affix the cap so some other contractor don't kick them off, and also you can stand on them , with worrying about getting a foot caught or dropping a tool/ part/debris/glue/paint, etc. down the pipe.

Awesome info. Great idea on the test plug

I love the way you guys do things. This is more than inspirational. Now I have to go and look at all your videos

Good info. Good job handling it. You guys are great!

Hey Paul, My son suggested I watch your videos since I'm a do it your selfer and I have to tell you that I REALLY enjoy watching every video you and Jordan put out. You seem like such a lovely man and you have such a good, close relationship with Jordan. It's a joy to watch and learn from your videos. Please keep them coming. Lynda

Put a sewer inspection camera into the pipe and look out to the street. You may have more problems than you realize.

Always a good idea to have a 3 claw screw pull on hand. My husband is a mechanic, so I have access to one. More than once has that been down a pipe to grab something. Just don't tell him what I use it for. :P

Good catch, enjoy all the information you share. Thank you

I've been Plumbing for 30yrs and I have never seen or heard of a Compression Nut & Ferrel Puller!! That is a awesome tool! If I had a dollar for every one I've had to remove I'd buy everyone on this channel that Tool! Where would one go about purchasing one of these life saving tools! Never have seen one in Ga!

Nothing better than finishing off an install that was easy to fit, only to then having to take it all out and spending the rest of the afternoon figuring out the problem. Been there, done that. Great job as usual guys.

When you said a rat pulled that down there I was like "that is BS", but when you pulled it up........words eaten. DANG!

Awsome retrieve!! 👍👍👍

copper brillo/scratch pad works wonders for collecting solder. Basically the same thing that they sell you for cleaning soldering iron tips used in micro soldering circuit board work and such.

Great videos. I learned the same way. Saw your video about the crown moulding. I'm doing mine next. ThankYou.

Paul, a few years ago my neighbor’s toilet had a flood because the plastic nut on the supply line got old and snapped off in the middle of the night. I immediately replaced all of my lines with ones that have metal nuts on either end and stopped using the ones with plastic.

You can cap the drain with a red solo cup. :) Nice job taking a food break to think and relax.

If there's a rat in there the sewer line is probably broken. That rat can easily come out of that toilet at any time.

Paul, we gotta hear the story about how you came to be a carpenter and how Jordan got into working with his pops!

I felt you should have replaced both valves under the tub, both vales looked a similar age. This would reduce the chance of a later flood. This could have been done prior to tub installation. Great video.

Well done. Good that you didn't push the rag further down.

You guys are living right!! Another well planned execution. Wish my old Dad were alive so I could show him your videos!!

I have been watching y'alls videos all weekend and y'all are so awesome!!!

Hey Guys, Luv the series. When I saw the blockage I was screaming "Use your fish/glow rod with the hook on it"..... but i guess I was about 9 months too late. I'm now watching everything from your start about 2 year ago and loving every one. Paul, have you always been a jack of all trades and a master of them all? Was your DAD like that also? You and Jordan make a great team and will never run out of customers or projects with that quality of work. 200k on the way!

Hey Paul. I used to carry 2 big wrenches around with me to change out those angle stops. But I found a better wrench made by ridgid. Model 27023. It works to hold and tighten/ loosen angle stops and supply lines.

I remember as a kid working with my dad, starting to plug the the flange/pipe with a rag and my dad saying, "Not a rag, if it falls in or, you forget you'll have to buy another wax ring. Use wadded up TP, because you can eventually get TP to clear." I've been wasting lots of TP for the last 60 years. And yes I have forgotten a couple and had to get the plunger, but that's easier.

14:00 very resourceful 🤓. I’ve done the same but only to look in the attic space through a recessed lighting cutout.

at least it didn't go too far down the hole, and that puller is great, i'm going to go and find one to invest it tomorrow great video as usual

Great Video and Instructor.

I realize its not cheap, but I typically use either a union on one side of a threaded ball valve. If ever the valve needs to be replaced, you can disconnect the union and then un-thread the valve... replace the valve... and re-install your valve assembly. A bit more up-front cost, but far less headaches in the lifetime of the piping system.

When connecting water supply lines to toilettes or fixtures, it is a good idea to run some water through the supply lines before hooking them up to the fixtures so that any debris from your work or that was disturbed in the pipe or the hot water tank will not plug the screens in spouts, cause the stops to leak, plug up toilette flush valves or mess with ceramic stem cartridges. The screens and restrictors in telephone showers or kitchen sink faucets are difficult to clean, so better to be safe than sorry. When installing hot and cold lines, if they are inadvertently crossed or you are installing two taps back to back, don't despair. In single handle Moen valves the hot and cold can be reversed by rotating the cartridge 180 degrees. Unfortunately, if hot comes out in the toilette you have a problem....it can't be used as a bidet.

Wow I love the father and son duo 💙 and the uncut part of the video showing the cause of the slow water leak!

My drain snake has a corkscrew at the end of it, rotate it clockwise and it will catch that rag. I hear strange things coming out of the toilet like snakes and baby alligators! Couldn't stop the water flowing while soldering. Turn out the street shut off and the house shutoff valves were both leaking. The old white bread trick giving just enough time for soldering.

Woo something big is in that towel pipe, but what a great 👍 job you guys did 👏, thanks for your information I appreciate you guys.

I keep zip-lock bags that fit my phone in my van... have used them (seal downward) taped to a stick to get clear underwater videos. Very minimal risk of damaging (or contaminating!) a phone when it's sealed in a bag.

I had this happen once, at least kinda similar. I stuck my shop vac hose down and got it that way

You guys are great. High quality work.

Killer episodes, guys! I'm a fan & also do home repair & improvement. 👍🏽👍👍🏿

I learned more today than i have in a while. Thanks for the lesson..

I would’ve put BOTH of the valves over by the drywall underneath on that tub....& then follow the framing stud to anchor it (Remember water “hammers” And hammering eventually due to pipe movement causes leaks). As always? When soldering? Wait for the green flame & then apply the solder.

Hey Paul you should consider using MAPP gas (yellow bottles) instead of propane its much more efficient

I've been doing some remodeling on three bathrooms and have been changing from copper to PEX A it is making live a lot easier. And for the toilet issue Milwaukee makes a closet snake that is driven the 12 volt battery or by hand crank

Lil tip for ya... either ditch the purple primer on finish work and get Clear Primer Or Just Ditch The Primer All Together and Just Use Glue If All U Have Is The Purple primer trust me from experience it has been a catastrophe I have seen $1000 doors get ruined new tubs tile grout sinks rugs it can Be An absolute nightmare clear primer on finish work or just Glue Never bring a marker or purple primer into a finished house ... From 10yrs of experience ... Love the video and content I'm a subscriber you Do Great 💪 work

I like that your son works with you. Very nice!

My late uncle was a professional cabinet maker and a very thrifty guy. When he would see a clean wax ring removed he would save it. Then, he would use some of the assorted small plastic cups he kept that held the frosting in cans of cinnamon roll dough ( did I mention he was thrifty) and fill them with the wax. Then he kept them in his tool box and on his bench to dip screws in before driving them. Just like soap only better. You would think this would stain or keep finish from applying well, but he never had a problem.

That rag situation must’ve been annoying to deal with but it’ll certainly make for an interesting story at parties.

I now use the green foam toilet seal instead of wax rings. As of yet none have failed. One almost three years latter had to pull the toilet and then reused the seal. Sometimes you can't use the foam seals do to they sit too tall.

You guys need to invest in a endoscope. Lol

I love the one u used with the drill Am learning.

12:25 The Dad stance. Very powerful. 😂

I use a red or blue Large Solo Cup or plastic Chinese Soup takeout container to plug the toilet drain. It works well.

Always start with the lowest fitting on a vertical run and work your way up, and use MAPP gas, far quicker.

Nice, I didn’t know they made pullers for that!

I was finishing up a bath remodel about 6 years ago and I decided to christen the toilet. The toilet backed up immediately; I forgot to remove the test plug!

THE BREAD TRICK WORKS GOOD WHEN ONE CAN'T BEND THE PIPE

Repiping that large of a section, makes me curious as to why you didn’t just cut before the coupling and not worry about unsweating it?

Whenever I have water in a pipe that I can't get out I put a little bread in the pipe. It absorbs the water and blocks anymore from flowing out. Don't jamb it in, just a little

Should have tried the waxless rings so you could reuse it after pulling the toilet. I believe they are nitrile.

try stuffing white bread into the copper this will form a plug and and allow you to solder can be flushed away after in an emergency I've used this on lead pipe in a trench 2 meters deep to tin copper and wipe a joint just to get the water on over night till i can get a lead lock from the merchants 6 houses it works bill from the UK we use olive splitters to get the olive rings off nice to see different tools enjoying the clip

wish you hit 100k soon, good quality vids and funny sheit :)

I (master plumber) do the plumbing for several general contractors...it saves them time and money.

Fish tape, wow. I would thought of hand snake. Good going

Just have to say I love watching you guys! I remodel homes myself, just something I love doing and apparently love watching too!

Great video

Great work!

Fantastic informative video. Thank you.

Haha this was one of the best I've viewed only recently subbed your work ethics are spot on 👍👍 and you always get the job done with a smile.

And coming up next time.. we retrieve a GoPro from the sewer line 😝

Good catch on using that fish tape to lure the rag out. Ur very good at what u do.. real recognize real!!

if you secure the flange directly to the subfloor you don't have to drill through tile and don't have to deal with the tile under the flange if you ever want to change the tile. I stopped using rags years ago. I use mechanical test plugs instead... they are bright orange and hard not to notice when you are putting the wax ring down. it's easy to vacuum the detritus that collects as well...