Jet Swet Plumbing Plug Tools - FAQ

What are the benefits to using a Jet Swet Plumbing Plug Tool?

No more waiting! That’s it in a nutshell. Jet Swets make you immediately in control of any water line. Jet Swets are the original, professional tool of choice for soldering with the water in the line. As we know, you cannot solder a pipe with water still in it, and it normally takes hours to adequately drain the system to do any repair.

The problem that most plumber’s face with draining the system is one of a lack of speed and/or professionalism. Many times, in the case of maintenance personnel, the building’s water cannot be shut down more than a couple of minutes. In the case of plumbers, repeat customers are more likely to be retained by doing a job more quickly and efficiently, instead of charging additional hours to just watch water drain.

Jet Swets are used by going straight into any water line system and immediately plugging off the water to gain immediate control of the situation. No more waiting! You do the repair, including soldering, right over the Jet Swet, then take it back out, through your newly repaired fitting. Jobs that used to take hours are now done in a matter of minutes.

Jet Swets have been and are the original, most professional, best made plug tool for over 20 years now. There have been and are various knock–offs that come and go, but Jet Swets stand up against them all, and are still the market leader for this kind of tool simply because, Jet Swets are made better. Jet Swets are made of better quality materials, and are designed, and constantly refined by master plumbers to be far superior to any other product. Almost everyone that buys a Jet Swet knock–off ends up purchasing a Jet Swet in the end. They become our True Believers.

How do I properly use a Jet Swet? How long will my repair take?

The Jet Swet is used by first turning off the active water pressure at the street, opening the faulty valve (if it won’t open, most plumbers just cut the valve off), inserting the Jet Swet through the draining water stream, through the valve or virgin pipe, compressing the Jet Swet gasket and instantly shutting off the water (up to 65 Lbs.!). Now the plumber can immediately repair the pipe or valve, right over the Jet Swet tool!

Once the Jet Swet is stopping the water, you can solder on a new FULL–PORT or gate valve, right over the Jet Swet . If your repair requires you to solder on a restrictive valve, from which the Jet Swet cannot be removed, instead of soldering on a regulatory valve, you solder a male nipple onto the pipe over the Jet Swet TM, remove the Jet Swet from the pipe and then just thread on any “threaded” regulatory valve you want. Close the valve and you are done!

Your repair should be completed in 10 to 15 minutes!

What repair parts do you make for the Jet Swet?

The only repair part we make is for the only part that could ever go bad: the gasket. We make a replacement gasket for every size tool. We also sell a repair kit called the 1751 which is a kit of all the nuts, washers and gaskets to repair one each of the 1/2", 3/4" and 1.00" Jet Swets for those of us who have a tendency to loose small parts.

Do you make custom or longer Jet Swets?

Yes. They are special order and take a bit of time to make, but Jet Swets can be made as long as 50.00". Please call well in advance of these types of jobs so we can make one for you. It takes roughly about 3 weeks.

Do the larger sizes come in kits?

No, the 2-1/2", 3.00" and 4.00" Jet Swets, whether “normal” style or Flo-Thru are just so big, that they could not go in any case that you would want to carry around. They are sold “Bulk” style, meaning it is just the too by itself.

What is a Flo-Thru?

Flo-Thru Jet Swets were designed to help in the situation where you are using a big Jet Swet in big pipe such as 2-1/2" 3.00" and 4.00". The pressure becomes so intense that we designed a tool that has a 1/2″ cavity down it’s center to allow you to drain water or add air to the system through the tool while actually doing the repair! You can connect a standard garden hose to the back end of the tool to drain the system to a sink or floor drain. These tools are so popular, people have almost altogether stopped buying the “normal” style 2-1/2", 3.00" and 4.00" Jet Swets. They are so popular in fact, that we are coming out with Flo-Thru versions of all our smaller sizes 1/2" through 2.00" to add to the Flo-Thru collection.

Do I need to shut off the water to the system in order to use a Jet Swet?

Yes.

What if I have more than 65 lbs of pressure in the system?

Yes, as with any repair job, Jet Swets are to be used while the water pressure is turned off. Jet Swets are designed only to hold back the draining and siphoning water that keeps you from doing your repair. Many times, the draining and siphoning water still build up more than 65 lbs of pressure. In these cases, plumbers have told us the easiest way to get the pressure below 65 lbs is to open a bunch of sink and tub fixtures in the system until it is safe to use the Jet Swet.

What kind of maintenance should I do on the tools?

The only maintenance on the tools is to replace the gaskets if they ever get torn, burned or misshapen. Secondly, you should re-grease the threads under the middle “tension” nut. This can be done by simply disassembling the tool from the gasket end. We recommend using a non-water soluble grease such as the “Boat & Marine Grease” sold at your favorite auto-supply shop such as Pep-Boys.

How do I change the gaskets?

Jet Swets washers look the same from the outside as any other washer you have ever seen, but on the inside, they are quite different. It is therefore important, when replacing parts or servicing the tool that you keep track of the washers and the order in which they were removed from the tool. The tool can be disassembled using a normal wrench. Make sure you replace the gasket with a correct sized gasket. Each tool is calibrated to use a specific gasket with specific properties. By using incorrect gaskets on your tool, you not only void the warranty, but you run the risk of damaging the tool, the pipe system or the tool not working.

How far into the pipe should the Jet Swet gasket be inserted?

The only part of the tool susceptible to heat damage is the gasket at the end of the tool. It is made of a special silicon/EPDM composite that withstands extreme heat, but you cannot solder right over it. We recommend placing the tool at least 5 inches into the pipe, away from the soldering site. If the job does not permit for this rule, you can place a wet rag around the pipe at the point where the gasket resides to keep it cool. If the gasket is unavoidably damaged, we make replacement gaskets very cheap and easy to replace.

How many pounds of pressure can Jet Swets handle?

Every Jet Swet is calibrated to hold a maximum of 65 PSI. We have heard of plumbers using them on much higher-pressure situations, but at that moment they forfeit our warranty, and we forfeit any liability.

An old technique to stopping draining water is to put bread up inside the pipe. Jet Swets™ are an advance on that solution, and superior to it in many significant ways:

• • Jet Swets™ immediately hold an amazing 60–70 lbs of pressure! This water–stopping ability of Jet Swets™ is unyielding and constant.
• • Bread cannot hold back any pressure. Jet Swets™ hold 60–70 lbs.
• • You have to wait a very long time before there is a trickle small enough to insert bread, which pretty much defeats the point. You don't wait at all with Jet Swets™.
• • Using bread requires an almost total evacuation of the pipes, which releases much more water and makes much more mess than is necessary for the job. You apply Jet Swets™ immediately after opening or cutting into a pipe or fixture. Less water, less mess = higher professionalism = job security and repeat customers.
• • Bread ends up dissolving into a sticky substance that gums up all your fixtures. Jet Swets™ leave no residue whatsoever.
• • Bread plugs are unstable and easily becomes dislodged if even the smallest change in system pressure, which is very common during a repair. The Jet Swet™ gasket is a unique rubber/silicon composite that adheres fantastically to the inside of any kind of pipe. Small to moderate, sudden changes in pressure are no match for a Jet Swet™.
• • Shoving bread up into a pipe does not portray the professionalism that most plumbers are trying to demonstrate to a customer. Jet Swets™ are quick, easy and powerful: sure to show that professionalism and competence that all maintenance and plumbing personnel strive for.

This is an example of how a Jet Swet™ is used in real life.

Plumber's example

Maintenance personnel's example

A major annoyance in the plumbing trade is that every pipe, fitting, and valve needing repair, has to be repaired in a completely water-free environment. If there is water in the pipe while you are trying to solder off an old, faulty valve, the pipe will never get hot enough to melt the solder, allowing the plumber to remove and replace the valve. Before the Jet Swet™ was invented, a valve repair would normally consist of the plumber shutting off the water at the street, opening the faulty valve or another valve down the system and waiting one or two hours, maybe even days for the water to completely drain from the system. This later allows the plumber to complete the repair in a water free environment. Some plumbers use bread to stop the annoying "trickling" water, but bread can only be used after the water has drained to a trickle (not even "Wonder Bread" can hold back 65 Lbs. of water). This could take hours, and in some cases with large or complicated buildings, we've received calls that it takes even days to reach the point where the plumber can use bread. This delay is both costly to the customer and is unprofessional on the part of the plumber. These unprofessional labor practices tarnish the value of the plumber, the plumbing company or the maintenance firm in the customer's eyes. With the Jet Swet™ this common plumbing problem is solved quickly, effectively and professionally.

The Jet Swet™ is used by the plumber upon arrival to instantly be in control of any water situation. The Jet Swet™ is used by first turning off the active water pressure at the street, opening the faulty valve (if it won't open, most plumbers just cut the valve off), inserting the Jet Swet™ through the draining water stream, through the valve or virgin pipe, compressing the Jet Swet™ gasket and instantly shutting off the water (up to 65 Lbs.!). Now the plumber can immediately repair the pipe or valve, right over the Jet Swet™ tool! Once the Jet Swet™ is stopping the water, you can solder on a new FULL–PORT or gate valve, right over the Jet Swet™ . If your repair requires you to solder on a restrictive valve, from which the Jet Swet™ cannot be removed, instead of soldering on a regulatory valve, you solder a male nipple onto the pipe over the Jet Swet™ TM, remove the Jet Swet™ from the pipe and then just thread on any "threaded" regulatory valve you want. Close the valve and you are done! Repairs take an average of 10 - 15 minutes instead of 2-3 hours or days!

The Plumber looks professional, because Mrs. Jones is not annoyed for paying $60 an hour, for the plumber to sit and watch water drain. The Plumber will be called back for future repairs because of his speed and professionalism. The Plumber can move on to his next job quickly while still being paid for the first job, thus making more per hour and paying for his Jet Swet™ tools in only a few jobs. Jet Swet™ tools are made of the highest quality materials possible: High tinsel strength steel, Aircraft aluminum, and Gaskets of pure silicon!

The Jet Swet™ is essential for Building Maintenance Crews, because the management cannot afford to have the water shut off for very long. In many cases, every minute the water is shut off, the management is loosing money or public appeal (like in hospitals, hotels, casinos, convention centers, etc.). The Jet Swet™ helps repair costly problems in minutes, which normally would take hours. Most times a maintenance crew must go through their management to get funding for new tools. When it is explained to the management that this tool allows the repair to be done by only shutting off the water for minutes instead of hours, funding is almost always approved.

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