Start with a cup plunger and a flange plunger, an adjustable wrench, tongue-and-groove pliers, a basin wrench, a bucket and a flashlight. Add thread seal tape and a toilet auger. They cover simple accessible jobs; replacement parts, drain conditions and the fixture instructions decide what else you need.
What goes in the starter kit?
### Two plungers
A cup plunger, the flat-bottomed kind, seals over a sink, tub or shower drain. A flange plunger has a rubber sleeve that folds out of the cup, and it fits the curve of a toilet bowl. One won't do the other's job well. Use enough water to cover the cup, seal it, and pump with short, steady strokes. If the plunger doesn't work, our page on unclogging a toilet without a plunger has the next steps.
### An adjustable wrench, or two
It handles the flat-sided nuts on supply lines, stop valves and shower arms. Get two if you can, one to hold and one to turn. RIDGID says its adjustable wrenches have a hex jaw design that helps reduce slippage on the bolt, and that's the feature to look for: tight jaws, no wobble.
### Tongue-and-groove pliers
The long handles and angled jaws reach nuts and slip nuts that a wrench can't get around, like the big plastic nut on a sink trap. Hand-tighten those plastic nuts, then snug them a little with the pliers. Cranking cracks them.
### A basin wrench
This one earns its spot the first time you replace a faucet. RIDGID describes its basin wrenches as giving fast, one-handed ratcheting in tight spaces like under a sink. The nuts that hold a faucet to the sink sit high behind the bowl where nothing else fits. That's what it's for. If you're swapping a faucet, how to replace a kitchen faucet shows where it comes in.
### A bucket, old towels and a light
Every trap holds water, and it's going to end up on you or the floor. A headlamp beats a flashlight, since you'll be on your back under a cabinet with both hands busy.
What should you add next?
### Thread seal tape
Oatey's guide lists white tape for general use, yellow for gas lines, pink for water lines and gray for stainless steel. It costs very little and needs no cure time, so you can test a joint right away. Before you pick a roll, read which thread sealant fits which joint.
### A toilet auger
It reaches past the trap where a plunger can't, and it's built to avoid scratching porcelain. Our page on toilet auger versus drain snake explains when each one is the right choice.
### A pipe wrench
Keep one for threaded steel, galvanized and brass pipe, and only for that. See what a pipe wrench is used for so you don't chew up a chrome fixture with it.
### A tubing cutter and a few spare parts
A small tubing cutter makes a clean, square cut on copper, which is what push-fit fittings need. Keep a toilet flapper and fill valve on the shelf, since they fit most toilet repairs. EPA's WaterSense program says worn toilet flappers are a common household leak and recommends replacing a flapper at least every five years. Our guide to replacing a flapper and fill valve walks through it.
Which tools go with which job?
Matching the tool to the job is where a small kit pays off. Here's how the pieces line up with the repairs homeowners run into most:
- Slow sink or tub: cup plunger, bucket, and tongue-and-groove pliers to open the trap. Our page on how to fix a slow-draining sink walks through it.
- Toilet that won't stop running: flapper and fill valve, plus an adjustable wrench for the supply line. See how to fix a running toilet.
- Dripping faucet: adjustable wrench, a set of screwdrivers, and the replacement cartridge or washer for your faucet. How to fix a dripping faucet has the steps.
- New showerhead: thread seal tape, and an adjustable wrench wrapped in a rag so the finish doesn't scar.
- Faucet swap: basin wrench, adjustable wrench, thread tape for any threaded connections, and a bucket.
Notice what isn't on the list: torches, press tools and pipe threaders. Those belong to repiping and gas work, which is licensed and permitted work.
### How do you keep the kit ready?
Keep everything in one bucket, so the bucket is also the first tool you grab when something drips. Add safety glasses and a pair of work gloves, because pipe ends are sharp and debris drops when you loosen an old fitting overhead. Put a flashlight on top so you're not hunting for it in a dark cabinet.
Check the kit once a year. Thread tape is fine on the shelf, but flappers age, plunger cups stiffen, and adjustable wrenches rust in a damp garage. Heat is hard on rubber, so a plunger left in a hot garage for a few seasons can go stiff and crack. Replace the ones that have gone brittle before you need them.
Next, know your shutoffs. Take ten minutes to find the valve under each sink and behind each toilet, and the main where the water line enters the house. Write down where they are and tell everyone in the house.
Then keep the paperwork. Faucet and toilet manuals, model numbers and the receipt for the water heater make the next repair faster, because the right part depends on the exact model. Snap a photo of the label on each fixture and keep it in your phone.
Last, exercise your shutoffs. Shut off valves under sinks and behind toilets get stuck when they're never turned. Turn each one closed and open once a year so it works on the day you need it.
What should you skip?
Skip any specialty tool you'll use once. Renting or borrowing beats buying a press tool or a pipe threader for a single job.
Skip cheap wrenches with loose or damaged jaws, too. OSHA's hand-tool guide says a wrench with sprung jaws might slip, and a slipping wrench is how knuckles, chrome and tempers get scraped. Check yours now and then. If the jaws no longer close square, replace it.
Skip the chemical drain cleaner in the kit as well. Corrosive products can splash back on you, and a plunger and an auger clear most household clogs. Our page on what not to put down the drain is worth a read before the next slow sink.
Do tools solve the whole problem?
For a drip, a slow drain or a running toilet, yes. EPA points out that fixing easy household leaks takes only a few tools and inexpensive parts, and that the fixes can pay for themselves in water savings. Two more things belong in the kit even though they aren't tools. Know where your main water shutoff is, and know how to shut off water to a single fixture.
Some jobs need a license and a permit no matter how good your toolbox is, and gas piping is the biggest one. If the repair involves a gas line, a concealed pipe or moving a fixture, get an estimate first. Our page on which plumbing repairs are safe to DIY draws the line. HQ Plumbing & Air is licensed and insured, offers 24/7 emergency service, gives free estimates, and quotes the price upfront before work starts.