In this video I demonstrate how to cut and join plastic push fit pipe, the pipe used is John Guest speedfit pipe and JG speedfit fittings. PEX barrier pipe is now very common and many plumbers will only install this type of pipe unless copper pipe is specified by the home owner. There are lots of advantages to using PEX barrier pipe and fittings and some manufacturers now guarantee the pipe and fittings for 25 years.

I know this video was uploaded on the 1st April and some people think it is an April fools video, I can only think that is because I said that you should not use one manufacturers fittings with another manufacturers pipe. Here is why I said that-

http://www.johnguest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/diy-installation-manual-july-2012.pdf
Page two of the manual says "Speedfit Fittings are suitable for both copper and Speedfit Pipe"
It does not mention other makes of PEX pipe!
Also on the Hep20 FAQ page here it states that Hep20 fittings cannot be guaranteed with JG fittings or pipe-
https://blog.wavin.co.uk/push-fit-hep2o-your-plumbing-faqs-answered/
Copied and pasted" Are Hep2O fittings compatible with the JG Speedfit system pipework? We cannot guarantee that all push-fit plumbing brands are made to the same standards for the internal diameter, so we cannot say that Hep2O fittings are compatible with JG Speedfit pipework. We always recommend that you to use Hep2O push-fit plumbing pipe with Hep2O fittings."

One of the questions I get asked regularly is how to fix heavy items such as a TV to plasterboard or drywall. Unfortunately there are no plasterboard fixings available that I would trust to hold up a 65 inch TV that has cost hundreds of pounds, as even the best plasterboard fixings cannot support enough weight for them to be effective for this job as they all rely on the strength of the plasterboard itself. By locating the studs and fixing to them you are guaranteed to get the best fixing available and guarantee that your expensive TV will not end up on the floor in several pieces.
I tested out some plasterboard fixings in a previous video, the results of which are interesting-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECDysfNhx_E

The magnets are available here- http://fave.co/2s3obkh

Finding the centre of a round bar can be difficult and time consuming. In this video I use a round bar centre finder which can be purchased on ebay for less than £6 http://fave.co/2sdV94Q
This enables you to find the centre of ant round bar, tube or pipe easily and quickly.

If you want to find the exact centre of the end of the bar you can do that using a bell punch (if you don’t have access to a centre lathe) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PssrSGRxNk8

I often get asked how much PTFE tape to use on compression fittings and other screwed fittings that do not require PTFE tape, this video will hopefully help people with limited experience where and when to use PTFE tape. Normally PTFE tape is only required on BSP/BSPT or NPT pipe and fittings, although it can sometimes be used to seal a leaking olive etc.

automatic radiator bleed valves can be extremely useful as they remove the need to manually bleed central heating radiators. Aladdin were kind enough to send me a few of these to test out. These automatic bleed valves are widely available at most plumbers merchants but are also available on ebay and Amazon.
 

The Aladdin EasyFit Isolator can be used on any 15mm copper or plastic pipe containing hot or cold water at mains pressure, once installed it offers a means of isolating the water safely and quickly without using a freezing kit. This makes The Aladdin EasyFit Isolator a very useful piece of kit, especially if you work in buildings where it is not always possible to isolate the water supply. You can see more information here including stockists- http://aladdin-products.co.uk/products/easyfit-isolator/

In this video I look at how to remove some rounded screws by using everything from an elastic band to a dedicated damaged screw removal bit. The 7 techniques used in this video are-
Elastic band
Impact screwdriver
Damaged screw remover
Trend Grab it pro
Left handed drill bit
Centre punch
Cold chisel

There is no one method that works on all screws and if you get a long wood screw with a rounded head you have not much chance of removing it.

This video briefly shows what can happen to double glazed windows in cold weather once the sun heats the unit up too quickly. The difference in temperature can cause the window to implode, as you can see from the pane of glass on the inside of this double glazed unit I can imagine this went with a real bang. The good news is that this problem normally only affects small double glazed units which are not as flexible as larger double glazed units.

A rusty corner bead or a rusty angle bead can be a real problem to fix and must be done correctly because if you try to paint or paper over it without fixing the rusty bead first the rust will eventually come through the paint or paper. This video shows how to remove the plaster for the affected area, clean the bead and apply some rust convertor before filling the area and painting it using a stain blocking primer. Once the primer has dried you can paint the damage with the paint of your choice, or even wallpaper over it.

Speedtaps are a very fast way to tap drilled holes. The speedtaps are made from M2 steel and nitrate coated to make them extremely tough. The hexagonal heads on the speedtaps correspond with the head on the bolt so you use the same socket for the speedtap and the bolt. In the past I have used a cordless drill to tap holes in metal but you have to be very careful and have to reverse the tap to break off the chip, but with the speedtap when its used in a impact wrench it means you can power all the way through because of the constant torque supplied by the impact wrench.
 

Some of the plasterboard fixings today can leave a large diameter hole in the plasterboard or drywall once they are removed. In this demonstration a Geefix fixing is removed and also a GripIt fixing, both of these fixings will leave a 25mm or 1” diameter hole in the plasterboard or drywall which will need repairing. The filler used in this video is Gyproc easifill, which can be seen in more detail here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM_FD403--k

Magnetic base drills, often called mag drills or mag base drills are extremely useful. These drills are used widely in industry and construction, they can be used on any type of magnetic steel and once the magnet is energised they are almost impossible to move. This video shows how to use a mag base drill in a few different situations, including drilling out a hard wheel stud on a vehicle.

This video shows how to repair minor damage to plaster or drywall. Special thanks go out to indianaP wnz who suggested using Audacity to record and filter out the background hum from my computer which made this video possible much sooner than would have been possible otherwise.
Repairing damaged plaster or drywall is not normally difficult as long as you use the correct technique and decent filler. Feathering out the paint is the most important part as this makes it much easier to hide the damaged with a coat of paint.

Key steel is often used in engineering especially for couplings or fixing things to round shafts. By using key steel it means that you are not just replying on the friction from the taper fitting gripping the bar. Key steel is often used with spider couplings, taper bushes and other types of coupling that need a high torque connection to a round steel bar. Key steel is called key bar in some places and is available in sizes from about 2mm to 50mm, it is also available in imperial sizes. Fitting the key steel into the key way is normally fairly easy and the piece of key steel can easily be shaped using an engineers file.

Fixing to insulated drywall can be very difficult. In this demonstration I use space-plugs to bridge the gap between the item being fixed and the external wall. Fixing to an insulated wall is much easier if you use the space plugs. Some insulated drywall can be as think as 90mm, making it difficult to get a good fixing but by using the space plugs you are guaranteed to get a good fixing.

When painting a kitchen ceiling it is critical to choose the correct type of paint or else you might find that it needs repainting much sooner than you thought. In this video I clean a dirty, yellowed ceiling and then paint it with some Zinsser cover stain followed by two coats of Zinsser perma-white. The cover stain will cover the already yellowed ceiling and will prevent the yellow showing through and the Zinsser perma-white will leave a surface that is easy to wipe clean and also will not go mouldy or attract mildew. When doing jobs like this the right tools make the job much easier, hence a quality Purdy Paint brush and Purdy Jumbo roller were used to get the best finish possible.

Decorators caulk is one of the most useful of products when decorating. It can be used to fill any gaps which cannot be filled using a regular filler. Decorators caulk is flexible, available in several colours, can be over painted after just one hour and is very easy to apply using a standard silicone/caulk gun. Once the decorators caulk has been applied it’s simply a case of smoothing over the caulk using a wet finger (preferably using a weak solution of water and liquid soap).

Skinny Leonard by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

This video shows how to paint a radiator using Zinsser perma white. There are three separate radiators in this video, one is in a bathroom, which is rusty at the bottom. This radiator is sanded to remove the rust, then treated with a rust convertor before a coat of Zinsser cover stain is applied, then two coats of Zinsser perma-white are applied. The large radiator has been painted previously, so this is painted using Zinsser 123 as a primer and then two coats of Zinsser Perma-white. The other small radiator is painted using just two coats of Zinsser perma-white tinted to a magnolia colour. For all the painting a quality Purdy XL brush was used, even when painting the rusty radiator.


Background music-
Skinny Leonard by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Zinsser Gardz is a high performance sealer that can repair damaged drywall or lining paper, it can also eliminate bubbles. This primer can also be used to seal skim coats of plaster, can be used to prime drywall/plasterboard giving it a hard and durable finish and it can also be used to seal old wallpaper residue. Zinsser Gardz really is a useful product when doing decorating projects or home improvements.

GripIt fixings are a quick and easy way of fixing to plasterboard or drywall. These fixings are easy to use and currently come in four different sizes depending on what you are fixing to the plasterboard or drywall. Currently 4 different GripIt fixing are available- Yellow 15mm, Red 18mm, Brown 20mm and blue 25mm. GripIt fixings were made famous when they appeared on Dragons' Den and were backed by Deborah Meaden.