Plumbing-Basic
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Most homes are plumbed
with 15mm, 22mm and sometimes 28mm diameter copper pipe. Joining pipework is
basic to all plumbing installations and many repairs.
Copper pipes can be joined
with brass compression fittings or soldered capillary joints. You can cut
copper pipe with a fine toothed hacksaw, but it is easier and more accurate if
you use a tube cutter.
Whatever type of fitting you use, the pipe must first be cut
perfectly square.
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To cut a pipe, lightly clamp
the cutter on the pipe, with the cutting wheel on the cut line. Rotate the
cutter around the pipe, tightening it a little after each revolution, until the
pipe is severed.
Remove burrs from inside the cut
end, using the pointed reamer on the cutting tool or use a small half-round
file.
To join copper pipes with a
compression fitting:
Step: 1 First
remove the cap nut and slide it over the end of the pipe.
Step: 2 Slip the
brass ring, known as an olive, onto the pipe.
Step: 3 Push the
pipe into the body of the fitting, slide the olive up to the fitting and hand
tighten the nut.
Step: 4 Tighten
the nut fully with a pair of spanners, one to hold the body of the fitting, and
the other the nut. Assemble the other half of the fitting in the same
way.
For soldered joints, use
pre-soldered fittings as these are easier to work with:
Step: 1 Clean
the cut ends of the pipes and the inside of the fitting to a bright finish,
using wire wool.
Step: 2 Apply a
paste flux to the fitting and pipes, then push the parts together.
Step: 3 Using a
heatproof mat as a shield behind the fitting, evenly heat the joint with the
flame of a gas blowtorch. As a rim of shiny solder appears around the ends of
the fitting.
Step: 4 Remove the heat and leave the metal to
cool.
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