The day I stopped using a crescent wrench for everything

I used to be that guy who thought one crescent wrench could fix any plumbing job under the sink. For about two years I just tightened and loosened every nut with that thing, even if it meant rounding off the edges a bit. Then last spring I had a pipe burst under my kitchen sink in Amarillo and I couldn't get the fitting off without slipping. My neighbor came over, took one look at my wrench set, and handed me a proper pipe wrench. He said, 'You're fighting the metal, not working with it.' That one change saved me an hour and a call to a plumber. Now I keep a set of basin wrenches and channel locks in my garage. Anybody else have a tool they stubbornly refused to swap out for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelgrant9d ago

Fighting the metal not working with it" - that's honestly the best plumbing advice I've ever heard lol.

michael_green449d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, I get where he's coming from but isn't half the battle just knowing when to quit on a stubborn fitting before you strip it? Sometimes you gotta fight a little, just not for too long.

the_terry9d ago

Yeah, I've seen that same thing with guys using a pipe wrench on hex nuts. Rounding off a nut you can't get a grip on anymore just makes your whole afternoon worse. Nothing wrong with a crescent wrench for quick stuff, but having the right tool for the job saves you a lot of cussing later.