A plumber called me out on using a crescent wrench on plastic pipes

Last month a plumber named Dave was fixing my neighbor's sink and saw me trying to tighten a PVC drain pipe with my crescent wrench. He stopped me and said 'you'll crack that fitting and flood your basement' and handed me a plastic strap wrench he got at Ace Hardware for $8. Now I keep one in my toolbox and it saves me from ruining any plastic connections. Has anyone else had a pro call them out on using the wrong tool?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_michael13d ago

Dave was looking out for you big time. I did the same thing on a toilet supply line once and cracked the nut, water spraying everywhere before I could even turn off the valve. A strap wrench costs like nothing and it's just one of those things you don't think about until you've already messed up. Good on him for stopping you.

hill.hugo10d ago

Why do you care what some random plumber thinks @the_michael, a crescent wrench works fine on plastic if you don't overtighten it?