1. Solder
   Flux
2. Pipe sealant
   Plumber's putty

Solder is usually found in coils and looks like a rather thick wire, though it does come in varying thicknesses. Plumbers will most often use solder when joining something like copper pipe. You prepare the pipe, put on the fitting to be soldered then heat the pipe with a torch and melt the solder in place.

1. Flex joint
   Ball valve
2. P-trap
   Sump pump

A P-trap needs to be installed on any fixture, such as a sink, connected to the sewer line. The trap holds a small amount of water which prevents sewer gases from backing up into your home and stinking up the joint.

1. Flapper valve
   Toilet flange
2. Toilet float
   Ball valve

When you push the handle to flush a toilet, a small chain will raise the flapper valve. The water in the tank then drains down the pipe into the toilet using gravity to flush everything away. The valve falls back into place and the tank then refills. Easy peasy.

1. Pipe sealant
   Pipe insulation
2. Flux
   Oakum

Pipe insulation is a pretty straightforward item that obviously makes sense when you consider how much cold your pipes can be exposed to. The insulation will help keep pipes from freezing, and also prevents heat loss in warm water pipes.

1. Pipe threader
   Pipe cutter
2. Spanner
   Flex connector

A pipe threader is what you need when you want to thread a pipe, which is to say cut grooves into one end so that you can screw a fitting of some kind onto it. This is for steel pipe, as copper or PVC don't need to be threaded and couldn't stand up to the tool cutting the threads, either.

1. Solder
   Flux
2. Oakum
   Flushing

Oakum is a hemp product used when sealing cast iron pipes. When a pipe is put into a fitting, you pack the edges with oakum as tight as possible, then pour in molten lead to finish the seal. Water makes the oak swell to fill the gaps and tar on the oakum prevents rotting.

1. Slip-nut wrench
   Flex connector
2. Belt tool
   Strap wrench

Many strap wrenches have built-in handles. Others are made to receive the square drive of a ratchet wrench. A strap wrench is a useful tool when you need a wrench but also don't want the harsh teeth of something like a pipe wrench damaging a soft metal or plastic. The strap wrench will simply wrap around and tighten without actually digging in.

1. PVC
   ABS
2. Cast iron
   PXE

Cast Iron pipe was once the go-to pipe for all plumbing. Water, gas, and sewage could all be transmitted via cast iron. It has fallen out of favor in modern times thanks to the fact its heavy and relatively expensive compared to things like PVC or ABS, which also last longer.

1. Plunger
   Auger
2. Sump pump
   Back valve

A plunger is arguably the most easily recognizable plumbing tool in the world as most homeowners have one. They use suction force to clear clogs in drains. Ideally, you should have one for a toilet and one for other drains, as they have slightly different designs.

1. Hose clamp
   Bushing
2. Flex connector
   Slip nut

A hose clamp is a useful tool for attaching a hose to any fitting. Once the hose is fit over the end o the fitting, the bolt on the side of the clamp can be ratcheted until the clamp is tight enough to create a waterproof seal.

1. Downgrader
   Minimizing flange
2. Reducing connector
   Mechanical joint

A reducing connector is used to fit two different sizes of pipes together. You just need to get a connector that matches your two sizes and connect your differing pipes to their respective sides of the connector. These should not be used often on drain pipes unless you're sizing up, rather than down.

1. Galvanized steel pipe
   Cast iron pipe
2. PEX pipe
   ABS pipe

Galvanized steel pipes used to be found in nearly every home in America. They were widely used to replace toxic lead pipes to carry water into a home but now are also being phased out since they contained lead or could have trapped lead if they were connected to lead pipes.

1. Sawzall
   Reciprocating saw
2. Circular saw
   Hacksaw

A hacksaw is a simple but very important tool for any plumber. The need to cut through anything from plastic pipe to wood will come up frequently and a hacksaw is a quick and easy way to get the job done.

1. Weeping tile
   Float valve
2. Backwater valve
   Sump pump

A sump pump is usually installed in a sump basin, which is below the floor in a basement. If your home has a tendency to flood, this is an invaluable device that will start pumping the water outside, a safe distance from the home, in the event water starts backing up.

1. Backwater valve
   Weeping tile
2. PEX pipe
   Flex supply

Weeping tile is also called perimeter tile and drain tile. It's a plastic pipe with small slots cut into it that is installed below the ground around the outside of a house and buried under something like small rocks. The rocks allow water to filter into the pipe where it drains away from the foundation.

1. Needle nose pliers
   Cartridge puller
2. Silcock key
   Pipe threader

A Silcock key is an extremely handy device for any plumber. If you've ever seen an outdoor faucet on a building that has no handle, this is what you'd use to turn it on. The 4-sided key should fit onto any faucet and allow you to turn it on.

1. Flux
   Teflon tape
2. Putty
   Pipe sealant

Flux is a key component to soldering copper pipe. Once the pipe is clean, the flux is applied. As it's heated, it will draw in the solder to fill the joint and keep the pipe clean as solder fills in the gaps, then cools and bonds the whole thing together.

1. Tape measure
   Yard stick
2. Teflon tape
   Spanner

Everyone who does any kind of construction work likely has a tape measure in their toolbox since knowing the measurements of what you're doing is necessary at all times. In plumbing, you need to know pipe lengths, distances from walls and so much more.

1. Basin wrench
   Pipe bender
2. Pipe wrench
   Faucet seat wrench

The classic pipe wrench is a tool necessary for any plumber. It's heftier than your average wrench because large pipes with large fittings require a bit of extra torque when you're trying to either loosen or tighten them.

1. Brazing iron
   Torch
2. Flex connector
   Oakum

Some kind of torch, whether a full acetylene torch or a smaller unit, is necessary to heat up your pipes so they're able to be soldered properly. This is by far one of the most dangerous items a plumber will ever use at work.

1. Weeping tile
   Ball valve
2. Sump pump
   Backwater valve

A backwater valve can be installed on the drain line of your home and it works as a backflow prevention device. Water can drain from your house normally but if water starts coming back up the line, the valve shuts and that prevents flooding.

1. Silicock key
   Reducing connector
2. Pipe cutter
   Cartridge puller

A pipe cutter is a simple but very handy tool for cutting copper pipe down to size. You place the cutter over the pipe and tighten it in place, then simply spin it around the pipe as the cutting blade digs in. As you continue to tighten, the blade digs deeper until you get a clean cut all the way around.

1. Putty
   Teflon tape
2. Flux
   Solder

Teflon tape, also called thread seal tape, is a plastic tape that is wrapped around the threads of a pipe before you screw it into a fitting. The tape functions as a kind of lubricant to make it easier to tighten the pipe in place, and also helps seal it more tightly.

1. Copper
   PVC
2. Cast iron
   Galvanized

PVC or polyvinyl chloride pipe is arguably the most common kind of pipe in the world at this point as it replaces many older and more dangerous types of metal piping. PVC is white or cream colored and can be easily sealed with glue. It works for water supply or drainage.

1. Drill
   Cartridge puller
2. Tube cutter
   Hose clamp

Pipes can run all over a building and sometimes you need nothing more than a pipe-sized hole to get through a wall to run it from one room to another. You can cut that hole with a drill and a hole-cutting bit.

1. Toilet flapper
   Basin wrench
2. Snake
   Flush valve

A plumber's snake is a kind of auger that you need for especially difficult clogs. If a plunger can't fix it, the long, wire-like snake can be put down the drain and rotated to force the clog loose.

1. Slip-nut wrench
   Basin wrench
2. Faucet seat wrench
   Pop-up plug wrench

A slip-nut wrench is an extremely thin little wrench but it needs to be for the job it does. For instance, if you want to remove the flush valve from the tank of your toilet, there's a very thin space in there to separate the two, but this wrench can fit right in there.

1. Solder
   Flux
2. Putty
   Teflon tape

Plumber's putty isn't particularly complex substance, it's often clay-based with a bit of oil in it. When you're replacing fixtures, sealing the drains or joints with putty will help ensure they all stay watertight and leak-free.

1. Cast iron pipe
   PEX pipe
2. ABS pipe
   Copper pipe

Copper pipe and copper tubing are used for water supply in many modern homes. It's also used for cooling lines in fridges and air conditioners. Copper is much safer to use than a metal like lead, though the type of solder used can be a concern.

1. Faucet seat wrench
   Pipe wrench
2. Cartridge puller
   Strap wrench

Behind your tub or shower faucet in the wall is a cartridge that can freeze up on you sometimes and cause the faucet to not work or leak. The cartridge puller makes it come out safely without damaging the other pieces around it.

1. Toilet connector
   Reducing connector
2. Hose clamps
   Hanger strap

The toilet connector is a length of braided stainless steel tubing that connects the copper water supply to your toilet. It's very pliable which makes it good for connecting to the toilet at an odd and awkward angle that rigid pipes couldn't manage.

1. Pipe wrench
   Sledgehammer
2. Hacksaw
   Jackhammer

A sledgehammer isn't the kind of tool a plumber needs to use all the time, but it can be important in certain cases. For instance, if there's a leak behind a brick or concrete wall, a sledgehammer may be the only way to get in.

1. Cartridge puller
   Hose clamp
2. Pipe threader
   Pipe bender

A pipe bender or tube bender is used to bender copper pipe to an angle without having to cut the pipe and use fittings and joints to create the desired angle in the pipe's direction, the way you'd have to with more rigid materials like galvanized steel.

1. Bolts
   Gaskets
2. Flanges
   Toilet flappers

Gaskets, sometimes called washers, are used to help join a pipe to a fitting of some kind in order to keep it waterproof. Without a gasket in your showerhead, for instance, it would likely leak everywhere when the water was flowing due to tiny gaps in the imperfect seal.

1. Face mask
   Shield
2. Monocle
   Goggles

You may not see a plumber wearing goggles that often, but they do need them. From using tools to cut pipe or wood which could shoot up dangerous debris to having to fully enter a large septic tank, there's a definite need for eye safety on the job.

1. Waterproofing membrane
   Tar
2. Flexseal
   Flux

There are a couple of kinds of waterproofing membrane that can seal a wall and make it watertight. Elastomeric membranes are usually sprayed on from the outside, while a bituminous membrane can be rolled on inside and supported with a fiberglass webbing.