How to bend a copper tube at home. Ways and necessary tools
When carrying out works on water and heating communications, and copper pipes are often used for underfloor heating. Copper is generally a popular material in this field. Products from it are strong, while flexible, and not prone to corrosion. When laying a copper pipeline, it is often necessary to bend the pipe at a certain angle. And because many homeowners do the repairs themselves, here the question arises, how to bend a copper tube properly at home?
Copper pipes are bent in several ways, one of which involves the use of a pipe bender
Bending of pipes by means of a spring
First, than to get to work, should be prepared. Take care of that, that work was carried out in a well-ventilated room or outdoors. Great yard or garage, if the gate is open. in addition, you will need a heating tool regardless of the bending method.
There are several ways to bend the pipe at home. They differ in the degree of complexity, the high cost of materials and the need for special equipment.
A popular method is spring bending. First you need to choose the right tool: the spring must be made of quality steel, have frequent turns and thick core. Size also matters: watch out, so that the spring fits freely inside the tube. Better, if both products are approximately the same length. If the spring is shorter, attach a piece of wire to it, so that it can then be removed.
If you need to bend a very thin pipe, then the spring for bending copper pipes needs to be picked up a little more, so that the pipe itself is contained inside it.
With the help of a spring it is easy to give the copper pipe the desired shape, you only need to choose a spiral of the appropriate size
Now heat the workpiece with the device: at home can be used as a gas heater, and a blowtorch. When the temperature is high enough, the color of the pipe will change, and it will become so flexible, that it will not be difficult for you to give it any form. After bending, leave the workpiece to cool.
Wrinkle! Remember, that the spring should be removed only after that, as the pipe cools.
Bend the pipe with sand
There is another option, how to bend a copper pipe at home. You do not need special equipment or even devices such as metal springs. You can just heat the pipe and bend it. However, so as not to deform the product by improper action (this happens often, because copper pipes are very flexible), resort to the following method.
All you need is a support surface, heating tool, two pieces of wood, have a diameter, on which you need to bend the product and the usual building material - sand.
Wrinkle! It is better to take river sand, without large inclusions, dry and sifted. It will reduce the risk of deformation when bending copper pipes.
First, plug one end of the pipe with a wooden stopper, then fill the cavity with sand, periodically shaking and tapping the pipe for the most uniform and dense filling. Then plug the other end of the product with the same plug. Now you can heat and bend. Do it very carefully, leaning the tube on a hard surface, after all, it heats up quickly and deforms easily.
Zginati the pipe, filled with sand, should be very careful, so as not to deform it
Try not to overdo it with heating: sand puts pressure on the walls, and they can just burst. Giving the product the desired shape, place it in cold water for quick cooling. Then remove the plugs and pour the sand. Sand should be poured only after complete cooling of the workpiece. in addition, recommend blowing the pipe, so that there is no garbage in the future water supply system.
Pipe bender: classification and application
How else to bend a copper tube at home without much effort? This can be done with the help of a special prior - a pipe bender. It will save you time, and bending the pipe will be easier.
The device is a mobile tool, performing bending according to the parameter set by you by fixing one end of the pipe, and moving another. The place of bending of the pipe is fixed in one position.
Depending on the principle of operation, pipe benders are divided into three types:
- Lever (manual). The design consists of two levers with a special shoe and a bending pattern. To set the desired angle, focus on the marks, placed on the surface of the levers. Secure your workpiece in the bracket, align the zeros and you can do the job. With the help of this device it is easy to bend the pipe at home, even at an angle 180 degrees.
- Hydraulic - professional level devices. They are able to bend much faster, and the hydraulic principle of work saves you from the need to make great efforts.
- Electric are perfect for industrial and commercial purposes, as designed for large volumes of work. They operate with an electric drive and are similar to manual counterparts. The pipe is placed in a bracket and bent according to the parameters, set using special segments.
It is best to use a special tool for bending pipes - a pipe bender
Wrinkle! Select the equipment according to the parameters of the bending product. If you are bending a small diameter and length of pipe, that will be enough of a manual pipe bender, springs or sand. Only hydraulic and electric tools can handle large workpieces.
How to bend a pipe into a spiral
Sometimes there are problems with bending pipes. Especially, when the bending parameters are non-standard. Example, when the workpiece is square, rather than a cylindrical shape. In this case, you will need a rubber mallet and two supports. in addition, be sure to fill the cavity of the product with sand or fill with ice (this is allowed when working in the cold season). Place the pipe ends on the supports, heat the bend and give it the desired shape with a mallet.
Often the master is faced with such a difficult task, as the need to bend the copper tube into a spiral. To do this, you need to burn it, to make it more flexible. After cooling, you can bend the product just by hand, by filling up with sand or freezing water inside it. Some craftsmen also use a blowtorch to facilitate the bending process.
Wrinkle! That the spiral turned out equal, use a cylindrical support when bending.
Ways, how to bend pipes, there are many. But each of them requires accuracy and slowness, as sudden movements can lead to deformation and rupture of the pipe walls.
