I love it when Molly puts her paws on the steering wheel and looks out the windshield, lol. Molly’s workin’ again! It’s a leaker mama, great job Steven 👍👍
I wish I had the old radiators in my house instead of the baseboard ones. They are beautiful. The way that tank was installed was shoddy. Definitely the work of a slasher.
You are correct about soldering. It is a dying art. I don't mind soldering, but it looks like crap because I put too much on. I'm happy to see there's some old school plumbers still out there.
Looks like my piping setup. Converted gravity hot water system. Everyone hates them but I love my cast iron radiators! All of them were low hanging. I had it replaced with copper moved up to the ceiling. No more head banging pipes and with smaller piping it gets hot very quick!
I always looked up what the difference was between M and L copper. And you just gave the easiest explanation. Everything I found was technical and complicated.
I am so glad that you solder your joints. Most of them have went to that cramp fittings which I still don't trust. If I have a line where I can't get the water out I use a compression fitting like I seen you used sometimes..
Thanks for showing us that hacks are alive, well, and making plenty of money. What total slob job that guy had. Using black iron for domestic water on the expansion tank, poor soldered joints, letting dissimilar metals touch each other, using a gas valve for domestic water shut off, creating a huge moment arm by hanging that expansion tank that far back to the fitting? That guy is really REALLY fortunate that tank didn't fill with water, because if it did, his basement would have filled with water too. Its disgusting that someone paid good money to have this crap slopped in there. Great fix. That guy was really smart to address this and have you there to help him!
The problem with hacks is that they know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to do anything right. There's a reason plumbing requires a 5-year apprenticeship and formal schooling to be licensed. Hacks think because they were a helper for a few months that they now have enough experience to install boilers and water heaters on the side and then you get hacked up jobs like this. This is why you don't hire unlicensed people or companies that sub out the work to unlicensed people. They don't know what they're doing and then your home becomes their guinea pig to test out their complete lack of knowledge on. They're cheaper for a reason because you end up paying more down the road. Pay more money, hire a licensed professional, and get it done right, folks.
@@losferwords100 Couldn't agree more. When you get the cheapest bid, 9 times out of 10 you get the cheapest end result. The sad part is when you see people (and I've seen tons of them) that paid the money of a realistic bid, hired the professional they thought was professional, and they end up with a cob job like this. Homeowners are now becoming more educated and actually doing some homework, so at least some of this stuff is mitigated. But it still happens, all the time. Speaking of lowest price, don't get me started on handymen. I think handymen have a place and I respect their profession, but they should stay the hell away from plumbing work. There's a well known Handyman channel on YT and watching his plumbing work is maddening, and of course, all he uses is Sharkbite trash.
@@bullmoosepiper7732 That's another thing. All the new technology and innovations in the trades makes anybody think they can do it. Sharkbites are a perfect example of that. Almost an entirely foolproof product but yet people still install them wrong and they blow off or leak. Sharkbites are the telltale sign of an amateur and/or DIY'er. Handymen love their sharkbites. I've used sharkbites myself as a temporary cap and used them as fixture shut-offs on my own house. I'm just curious to see how long those o-rings will last so I used my own house as a guinea pig. Been 5 years and no problems yet. Still don't have a lot much faith that they'll last more than 10 years. ProPress seems to be the new water connection of choice for contractors. Seeing it more and more out in the wild. But same thing; it's just a glorified sharkbite connection with just an o-ring holding up the seal. I don't see those lasting the test of time either. They've got it for gas piping too, yikes. And now I'm seeing push to connect drain piping, no more glue. I don't know, on one hand I like that the job is being made easier by these innovations but on the other, I don't have much faith in the quality of these innovations over the tried and true ways of doing plumbing. I guess when cast iron was on its way out for PVC, all the old-school guys were saying the same thing about PVC so we'll see. Only time will tell.
@@losferwords100 Good stuff. We are on the same page. The only time I'd use Sharkbite is for an emergency patch until I had the time to get the torch out and properly sweat in a patched copper line. Pro Press is still the new girl on the block and I believe it has its place, particularly when you have to drain down a big building that could take an hour or more to drain. But for residential work? Its attraction is how fast you can throw pipe together and it offers some advantages, but in my opinion, Pro Press joints look bad and the fittings are absolutely outrageous in price. There will never be anything that looks as good as a professionally sweat set of fittings and it is still, in my opinion, the gold standard for connecting copper. It has stood the test of time and passed that test with flying colors. And there are places where a Pro Press simply will not fit. I think it's another tool in the box to have, but I wouldn't make it my main form of connecting. Sharkbites try to make everyone a plumber, and everyone is not a plumber. Cheers to you sir.
@@bullmoosepiper7732 I know they make extensions for ProPress so it can fit into tighter spots but yeah, it's just too expensive. It saves time which will save you money but I don't know about that much money. I'd imagine it'll get a little cheaper over time but I'm not rushing out to get one any time soon. I just got the Milwaukee press tool for PEX just because I work with PEX more than copper these days. Most expensive tool on my truck by a good margin and ProPress is 3x the price. It's indeed outrageous. Guys at the supply house always try to sell me on it. "Most others guys use it!" is like their number one go-to selling point. "That's because most other guys don't know how to solder" is my usual response.
Just a few tips: -if you have a seized screw fitting, use your blow-torch to heat it and it'll be a lot easier to remove -when soldering copper for Heating use leaded solder and don't quench it with water -you want to heat the thickest part and apply the solder from the opposite side from where you're heating -cut copper pipe with a proper cutting tool. The angle grinder will leave edges that are hard to deburr.
@Patrick Hemken ; @steven lavimoniere; someday, Steve should mount a couple of 'hidden' cameras in the truck, just to see what Miss Molly is up to while he's inside the customer's home/business/building. Heck, for all he knows, she could be operating a 'mobile craps game', roulette wheel, casino - etc...
I love the Megalock dope. I do alot of stainless piping and proves tough to make a good seal at times, have tried all brands including the blue block and this product reigns supreme.
Steve I’m a master plumber in Worcester and see these hack boiler installs constantly even with customers I’ve worked for fir years , I ask why I didn’t get the job they said your price was high and I say wel fir that cheap price this is what you get
Hey howdy! There was a lot of pipe mess going here and there. Getting the right pipes fitted in the right place should make the customer more comfortable. And you happy with a job done well.
To be technical its aluminum. I work in a school from the 50's and it's everywhere. We still have some paint left. U can leave it uncovered for months and it will never harden Makes u wonder what's in it 🤔
Why not get rid of all of those cast "T" and elbow connections and just replace with copper to reduce the amount of galvanic corrosion in the system? For example the 2" T at 14:00 behind the fitting your working on, with 1" copper on all three sides, with adapters and reducers etc. Just sweat on new 1" copper "T" and remove all those extra fittings? Keep up the good work Steve.
im a second year and just curious why you wipe the joints right after you apply the solder? is it just to make the joint look nice? because i was taught to wipe the joint after it hardens.
Wow, a day in the life (almost). Thank God my grandad taught me how to sweat pipe. Been a while. Miss Molly sure like working. I haven’t done copper in 20 years. The $$$ is nuts. I’m retired living in Florida. Grew up, up that way. I love the Spring up there. Miss it
Yes soldering is a dying art. I wouldn't but a compression fitting anywhere in my house. Especially those pro press or push on fittings. Not behind my walls. I've been in homes 60 plus years strong and solder joints are still good.
Great soldering!! You called it its a dying art Everythings pex pex pex nowadays and I get it pex makes more sense most of the time but at least know how to solder properly if your in the trade. Great video I always appreciate you posting them May God bless you & Molly she is great!!
The You here in Asheboro North Carolina was built in 1976. I used to do Maintenance work there. They had a bunch of 1" Cooper Pipe. Everything was worn out there. All of the Faucets dripped. I Quit because I couldn't couldn't fix stuff that was worn out.
you could have have installed a ball valve for the expansion tank, so in the future when it goes bad, you wouldn't have to drain the whole system to replace it. and yes they go bad
Heat bottom of pipe put solder on top solder gets pulled to heat that's why your wasting so much solder and if you have water in lines put a piece of bread in fixes the problem
That boiler instal actually looks ok , they should've checked their though. Instead of repiping the expansion tank could you have screwed a flange for a split hanger to the top of the boiler and added all thread and a half inch split hanger ? Just wondering. You do great work Steve I am a plumber out of cambridge maryland. I don't know much about boilers. Dad's a plumber to he does boilers , I've always TRIED to learn them but I just haven't got it yet.
Steve I love watching your videos. Could you take it easy on us Propress guys? I Can solder with the best of them but my time is valuable. if I’m repairing something it’s way easier to use the Propress. Boiler installs on the other hand are to expensive to Propress so, that’s when I Solder. How ya doing mama!
Steve is the master. Wish I had a Steve in my neighborhood.
I love it when Molly puts her paws on the steering wheel and looks out the windshield, lol. Molly’s workin’ again! It’s a leaker mama, great job Steven 👍👍
Molly Drivin Steve get in the back seat
"Hope nobody takes a dump while I am draining"
ya brown dump!
Best part of the video was seeing how Miss Molley was so happy to see you. Thanks Steve!!
That was a great video - got to see the good and the bad (prior work). The homeowner seemed like a good guy also.
I enjoy watching the old guys working ! And yes, I’m an old guy.
Same here
You can tell this isn't your average customer this guy knows enough to probably have fixed the leaks but he still called a pro
I wish I had the old radiators in my house instead of the baseboard ones. They are beautiful. The way that tank was installed was shoddy. Definitely the work of a slasher.
You are correct about soldering. It is a dying art. I don't mind soldering, but it looks like crap because I put too much on. I'm happy to see there's some old school plumbers still out there.
Looks like my piping setup. Converted gravity hot water system. Everyone hates them but I love my cast iron radiators! All of them were low hanging. I had it replaced with copper moved up to the ceiling. No more head banging pipes and with smaller piping it gets hot very quick!
I always looked up what the difference was between M and L copper. And you just gave the easiest explanation. Everything I found was technical and complicated.
M TUBING IS FOR HEAT ...L TUBING IS FOR WATER PIPE
It's 2021, Steve. That male adapter could be a female. Great video.
That is funny stuff , so true
The failure in your logic is assuming its binary tsk tsk
I didnt see this the first time through. Very well played
@@kpdvw If it's a outty it's a male, if it's an inny it's a female.
@@kpdvw 4
40min Vid from Steve Lav. 🤩 Thank you so much sir! Have a good Weekend!
Hope you enjoyed it!
#COREYBABCOCK I DID NOT GET IT .. I LOOKED
@corey Babcock WHO WAS IT ??
@corey Babcock no i do not go of twiter
@corey Babcock i do not have any messages on there maybe i have them shutoff . not sure
Nice soldering work especially with not burning up the already made up dope connections so close. Well planned and executed for sure.
Glad you liked it!
Your real good people Steven, you give honest good work to your customers kinda rare these days. Thank you for the video.
Good stuff cleaning up....Adding more of Miss Molly ( best helper) is a great bonus too Thanks
Nothing better than diesel power and canine company on the job:) Steve's got the life!
I am so glad that you solder your joints. Most of them have went to that cramp fittings which I still don't trust. If I have a line where I can't get the water out I use a compression fitting like I seen you used sometimes..
Nice to know that people are seeing your videos and hiring quality. I like that guy.
Thanks for showing us that hacks are alive, well, and making plenty of money. What total slob job that guy had. Using black iron for domestic water on the expansion tank, poor soldered joints, letting dissimilar metals touch each other, using a gas valve for domestic water shut off, creating a huge moment arm by hanging that expansion tank that far back to the fitting? That guy is really REALLY fortunate that tank didn't fill with water, because if it did, his basement would have filled with water too. Its disgusting that someone paid good money to have this crap slopped in there. Great fix. That guy was really smart to address this and have you there to help him!
The problem with hacks is that they know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to do anything right. There's a reason plumbing requires a 5-year apprenticeship and formal schooling to be licensed. Hacks think because they were a helper for a few months that they now have enough experience to install boilers and water heaters on the side and then you get hacked up jobs like this.
This is why you don't hire unlicensed people or companies that sub out the work to unlicensed people. They don't know what they're doing and then your home becomes their guinea pig to test out their complete lack of knowledge on. They're cheaper for a reason because you end up paying more down the road. Pay more money, hire a licensed professional, and get it done right, folks.
@@losferwords100 Couldn't agree more. When you get the cheapest bid, 9 times out of 10 you get the cheapest end result. The sad part is when you see people (and I've seen tons of them) that paid the money of a realistic bid, hired the professional they thought was professional, and they end up with a cob job like this. Homeowners are now becoming more educated and actually doing some homework, so at least some of this stuff is mitigated. But it still happens, all the time. Speaking of lowest price, don't get me started on handymen. I think handymen have a place and I respect their profession, but they should stay the hell away from plumbing work. There's a well known Handyman channel on YT and watching his plumbing work is maddening, and of course, all he uses is Sharkbite trash.
@@bullmoosepiper7732 That's another thing. All the new technology and innovations in the trades makes anybody think they can do it. Sharkbites are a perfect example of that. Almost an entirely foolproof product but yet people still install them wrong and they blow off or leak. Sharkbites are the telltale sign of an amateur and/or DIY'er. Handymen love their sharkbites. I've used sharkbites myself as a temporary cap and used them as fixture shut-offs on my own house. I'm just curious to see how long those o-rings will last so I used my own house as a guinea pig. Been 5 years and no problems yet. Still don't have a lot much faith that they'll last more than 10 years.
ProPress seems to be the new water connection of choice for contractors. Seeing it more and more out in the wild. But same thing; it's just a glorified sharkbite connection with just an o-ring holding up the seal. I don't see those lasting the test of time either. They've got it for gas piping too, yikes.
And now I'm seeing push to connect drain piping, no more glue. I don't know, on one hand I like that the job is being made easier by these innovations but on the other, I don't have much faith in the quality of these innovations over the tried and true ways of doing plumbing. I guess when cast iron was on its way out for PVC, all the old-school guys were saying the same thing about PVC so we'll see. Only time will tell.
@@losferwords100 Good stuff. We are on the same page. The only time I'd use Sharkbite is for an emergency patch until I had the time to get the torch out and properly sweat in a patched copper line.
Pro Press is still the new girl on the block and I believe it has its place, particularly when you have to drain down a big building that could take an hour or more to drain. But for residential work? Its attraction is how fast you can throw pipe together and it offers some advantages, but in my opinion, Pro Press joints look bad and the fittings are absolutely outrageous in price. There will never be anything that looks as good as a professionally sweat set of fittings and it is still, in my opinion, the gold standard for connecting copper. It has stood the test of time and passed that test with flying colors. And there are places where a Pro Press simply will not fit. I think it's another tool in the box to have, but I wouldn't make it my main form of connecting.
Sharkbites try to make everyone a plumber, and everyone is not a plumber.
Cheers to you sir.
@@bullmoosepiper7732 I know they make extensions for ProPress so it can fit into tighter spots but yeah, it's just too expensive. It saves time which will save you money but I don't know about that much money. I'd imagine it'll get a little cheaper over time but I'm not rushing out to get one any time soon.
I just got the Milwaukee press tool for PEX just because I work with PEX more than copper these days. Most expensive tool on my truck by a good margin and ProPress is 3x the price. It's indeed outrageous. Guys at the supply house always try to sell me on it. "Most others guys use it!" is like their number one go-to selling point. "That's because most other guys don't know how to solder" is my usual response.
Just a few tips:
-if you have a seized screw fitting, use your blow-torch to heat it and it'll be a lot easier to remove
-when soldering copper for Heating use leaded solder and don't quench it with water
-you want to heat the thickest part and apply the solder from the opposite side from where you're heating
-cut copper pipe with a proper cutting tool. The angle grinder will leave edges that are hard to deburr.
Miss Molly is such a good companion, I love watching masters of their trade do their work great video
I think this is the first time Steve didn't have everything in the Van! Miss Molly slacken, not doing inventory!
@Patrick Hemken
; @steven lavimoniere; someday, Steve should mount a couple of 'hidden' cameras in the truck, just to see what Miss Molly is up to while he's inside the customer's home/business/building. Heck, for all he knows, she could be operating a 'mobile craps game', roulette wheel, casino - etc...
That cut-off wheel is a lot faster than a tubing cutter!
Add safety glasses!
I love the Megalock dope. I do alot of stainless piping and proves tough to make a good seal at times, have tried all brands including the blue block and this product reigns supreme.
For stainless I use locktite 567. Expensive though I will try this brand. Thanks
The Blue Monster white PTFE paste works equally as well and is rated higher psi for water and air. I do use both though.
4:20 Hard to see, but I first thought the leak could have been caused by galvanic reaction; copper touching the steel pipe.
I really like how the guy took the time to build shelves to place it's insulation batts, that is the way insulation batts should be treated!
Steve I’m a master plumber in Worcester and see these hack boiler installs constantly even with customers I’ve worked for fir years , I ask why I didn’t get the job they said your price was high and I say wel fir that cheap price this is what you get
Get so cold there you have to insulate the shelving 😂
Miss Molly such a good dog.. better than most people..haha ...Great work as always Steve
Wonder how amazing a driver Molly is hehe. She is so happy to see Steve come back from the job :)
This is funniest YT channel period.
LOL, wow... Thanks Steven for showing Miss Molly at the start!!.. she is your Business Partner!!! .. she even wants to drive the truck!!...
That's somebody that knows how to solder! First class job Steve!
Should have t-shirt merch with Molly on it and plumbing tools
Hey howdy! There was a lot of pipe mess going here and there. Getting the right pipes fitted in the right place should make the customer more comfortable. And you happy with a job done well.
This guys Mass accent makes this channel fun to watch
Steve saves the day! Nice job! Enjoying the longer videos!
Steve, thanks for taking us along. Luv your videos!
molly at the wheel gets a thumbs up for sure
Love your dog,she's buitiful,
No more leakers mama when Stevie Lav is on the job!
He has good drainage around that house no sump pump and the basement is still dry as a bone
Only need a pump when the basements bow cities drainage lines.
Steve got the homeowner to go get parts lol
Great morning coffee vid Steven, Thanks!
They liked silver paint years ago. Thx.
Probably all lead based.
To be technical its aluminum. I work in a school from the 50's and it's everywhere. We still have some paint left. U can leave it uncovered for months and it will never harden Makes u wonder what's in it 🤔
@@smfd190 thinking lead.
1900 to 1910 the radiators were painted either silver or gold color.
Very thin paint. thank you
when i was a kid we called the pipe extension a "cheater pipe"... i have one in my garage to this day...
Right? A cheater pipe! Got to have one of those! Nowadays a cheater pipe is a married man using Crystal meth...
we still call it that in my boiler room. in fact, we had to use a laughably big one on a bastard of a fitting just a week or 2 ago
In Steve-ese, that would be a cheetah pipe!
@@DanEBoyd cheetah pipe to relieve the pressah...
Got a couple in the garage
Hack installers keeping Steve in business! 🤣
I’m surprised with him being an hvac tech he didn’t do that him self. I’m a tech myself and I run across shit like this all the time I have to fix.
Great work, Steven... Greetings from Croatia
Copper right into galv!!! What’s goin on mama!!!
Ole Steve Makin those little bands of silver nice professional job!
I got a pro press Steve and I solder to I only use it when I need to get outta a jamb
Steve's working again!!
Steve, please give pointer using acid brush to finish solder joints for us unskilled guys. lol Thanks guy.
Why not get rid of all of those cast "T" and elbow connections and just replace with copper to reduce the amount of galvanic corrosion in the system? For example the 2" T at 14:00 behind the fitting your working on, with 1" copper on all three sides, with adapters and reducers etc. Just sweat on new 1" copper "T" and remove all those extra fittings? Keep up the good work Steve.
That's what I was thinking.
Copper sweating skills 💯 beautiful.
Don’t fret the pipework touching always fails eventually - through fretting. You sorted out that shitshow well Steve.👍
Those inch pipes took a bit of soldering 👍👍
great work Steve another satisfied customer
im a second year and just curious why you wipe the joints right after you apply the solder? is it just to make the joint look nice? because i was taught to wipe the joint after it hardens.
Steve, you need to get into a comedy club and tell some stories, you are hilarious. Love Miss Molly!
Wow, a day in the life (almost). Thank God my grandad taught me how to sweat pipe. Been a while. Miss Molly sure like working. I haven’t done copper in 20 years. The $$$ is nuts. I’m retired living in Florida. Grew up, up that way. I love the Spring up there. Miss it
I thought I was the only plumber who used an angle grinder with a cutting wheel, instead of a tubing cutter, lol
awesome video, Steve -- looks like the solder was fighting you a little on this job. making the best out of a shit show day by day. love it !
College kids take a drink every time you say sh*t show during a video! This one could be a record. Keep up the good work!
It's momma for the real hardcore people especially in this one
Mega lock,blue Teflon tape,staybrite or bridgit only brands I use bud
Yes soldering is a dying art. I wouldn't but a compression fitting anywhere in my house. Especially those pro press or push on fittings. Not behind my walls. I've been in homes 60 plus years strong and solder joints are still good.
Great soldering!! You called it its a dying art
Everythings pex pex pex nowadays and I get it pex makes more sense most of the time but at least know how to solder properly if your in the trade. Great video I always appreciate you posting them
May God bless you & Molly she is great!!
The You here in Asheboro North Carolina was built in 1976. I used to do Maintenance work there. They had a bunch of 1" Cooper Pipe. Everything was worn out there. All of the Faucets dripped. I Quit because I couldn't couldn't fix stuff that was worn out.
Mint job Steve you are the man 👍🔧🔧🔧👌 take care
Steve is teaching again mama. Future plumber
teaching you how to cut off your finger grinder without the guard
And what's max pressure dat heating syatem works at, 25 at highest temp ? As relief valve is at 30psi? An 18" pipe wrench ould do it ..mamaaa!
Great work.
you could have have installed a ball valve for the expansion tank, so in the future when it goes bad, you wouldn't have to drain the whole system to replace it. and yes they go bad
It has a shut off valve
Where I live this is against code because the homeowner can shut it off then the boiler builds to much pressure and the relief valve starts dripping
Another great job thanks steve
yea steve ur a artist w a torch,,,
Nice work Steve! Thanks for another great video...Momma!
Nice work Steve! Thanks for posting!
holy shit balls the angle grinder is so fast and smooth. why do some people insist on using saber saws that beat and flex the shit out of the tubes?
Love the dog!
Do you ever use a box end wrench instead of a pipe wrench on copper fittings that have a hex end?
Heat bottom of pipe put solder on top solder gets pulled to heat that's why your wasting so much solder and if you have water in lines put a piece of bread in fixes the problem
Cleaned up that “shit show”! Nice work as usual. Enjoy your videos.
That boiler instal actually looks ok , they should've checked their though. Instead of repiping the expansion tank could you have screwed a flange for a split hanger to the top of the boiler and added all thread and a half inch split hanger ? Just wondering. You do great work Steve I am a plumber out of cambridge maryland. I don't know much about boilers. Dad's a plumber to he does boilers , I've always TRIED to learn them but I just haven't got it yet.
Steve writes like a doctor because of all that money he's got in the bank. Next level Mama!
Steven lavimonier I like your utube videos
strrroke it moma, Steve is on the job
Sometimes even a tech has to call the master HVAC technician
Steve I love watching your videos. Could you take it easy on us Propress guys? I Can solder with the best of them but my time is valuable. if I’m repairing something it’s way easier to use the Propress. Boiler installs on the other hand are to expensive to Propress so, that’s when I Solder. How ya doing mama!
"Must have been a pro press guy" LOL
Black no sugar. The only way to drink coffee.
Just say black.
Looks and taste like tar lol
black and ice
Great job and video like always Steven
You talk about pro press oring letting go abs having a shit sand which. Um. What was leaking again on that boiler?? Oh yeah. The solder joint.
Looks good!
please purchase a t-45 torch tip. I think you will like it a lot, it's what I use for many years
What kind of truck do you drive?
Steve this is better than watching fake news.
Molly's driving today, Momma!
Nice work Steve 👍