Copper fittings: we choose connections for copper pipes
Pipe products, made of copper, as well as fittings for connecting copper pipes, allow you to create reliable and durable communications, differing in a number of unique properties. Advantages and quality characteristics, which distinguish such pipelines, in many respects explain their rather high cost.
Copper fittings and pipes for water supply
Communications from copper pipes and fittings
High-quality copper pipes and fittings, technical and operational characteristics of which meet international ISO standards 9002, BS2 and DIN, today produced as foreign, and domestic companies. Such pipes, as well as connecting elements for them successfully withstand the high pressure of the transported media, high and low temperatures, mechanical actions, to which they may be exposed during operation, transportation and storage.
In contrast to the now popular polymer pipes, copper pipe products do not deteriorate from sunlight, they are not afraid of corrosion, which is a real scourge for products, made of ferrous metals. By service life, what is the difference between copper pipes and fittings, no similar product can match them, made of another material. Notable, that copper products are almost eternal, the service life of communications from them is not less 100 years.
Heating and water supply system from copper pipes in a private house
Pipe products, as well as fittings, made of copper, used for the arrangement of engineering networks for various purposes:
- heating systems;
- air conditioning;
- cold and hot water;
- gas communications.
Those of consumers, who decide to use copper pipe products and copper fittings, they are mainly used for the installation of reliable and durable water supply networks. Fittings, made of copper, have a more compact size and look much neater, than products, made of ferrous metals. This is due to the fact, that in the design and manufacture of copper fittings there is no need to make their walls thicker, due to their further corrosion, since they are simply not prone to it.
Installation with your own hands of copper pipes in the heating system
There are several reasons, explaining the high popularity of pipes and fittings for them, made of copper:
- copper, as you know, has antiseptic properties, back in the water supply, made of this metal, pathogenic microorganisms do not develop, and the quality of water transported by them even improves;
- installation of pipelines, for which pipes and fittings are used, made of copper, much easier, than communications from black pipes;
- due to the high ductility of copper pipes of this metal, when the water freezes in them, do not burst, but simply deformed; to destroy the copper pipe, it is necessary to apply internal pressure to it, equal to 200 Atm, and such pressures in household communications simply do not happen.
Copper pipe fittings
Copper fittings, which are used to connect copper pipes, presented on the modern market in a wide variety of sizes and their design. The most well-known types of such connecting elements are:
- threaded fittings for copper pipes;
- self-locking fasteners;
- compression or crimp type fittings;
- so-called, press fittings;
- capillary connection fittings.
Of all these types of connecting elements, press fittings for copper pipes are the least used nowadays., due to the following reasons: for their installation it is necessary to use complex and expensive equipment: special presses. The design of press fittings was originally developed for this purpose, to connect plastic and metal-plastic pipes with their help, therefore their use for installation of copper products is not always expedient.
Pliers for press fittings
To the pipeline, in the arrangement of which copper parts are used, served as long as possible and was highly reliable, it is desirable to use elements from homogeneous materials at its installation. Connect copper pipes with fittings, which are made from other raw materials, should only be in rare exceptions.
If you avoid the use of fittings of dissimilar materials in the installation of pipelines can not, then such a process must be performed, following the following simple rules:
- copper pipes in communications, for creation of which elements from various materials are used, always installed after ferrous metal products: in the course of fluid movement;
- copper parts of pipelines cannot be combined with fittings made of galvanized and non-alloy steel, failure to comply with this requirement will result, that electrochemical reactions will operate in such systems, which will significantly accelerate the process of corrosion of steel parts;
- copper elements of pipe constructions may be connected to acid-resistant steel parts, but if there is such a possibility, it is better to replace such parts with fittings, made of polyvinyl chloride.
Threaded fitting elements
Copper fittings, belonging to the category of connecting elements of the threaded group, recommended for use in that case, if the created engineering communication is planned to be dismantled periodically, to perform its maintenance. Carry out such technological operations, as disassembly and assembly of the pipeline, allows the presence of external and internal threads on its structural elements.
Fittings, which are connected to copper pipes by means of a thread, significantly inferior to capillary and compression products in terms of their reliability. For this reason, such fasteners should be inspected regularly and replaced if necessary. exept this, it is best to use such fittings in those places of the pipeline, to which easy access is provided.
Copper pipe threaded connectors
There are several common types of threaded fittings for connecting copper pipes, which include:
- couplings are fittings, with which you can connect the pipes, made of different materials, as well as to create rectilinear sections of pipelines, formed from segments of the same or different diameters;
- corners - these include fittings, by means of which it is possible to change the direction of movement of the pipeline on 45 or 90 degrees;
- fittings - fittings, allowing to take away the transported environment from the main pipeline;
crosses, tees, which are also called collectors are fittings, by means of which create branches from the main pipeline, while maintaining its main direction; - fittings, using which the end of the copper pipeline is overlapped; special plugs or caps can be used as them.
Performing installation of a new copper pipeline, Specialists most often use crimp-type fasteners, and when repairing or modernizing such communications, threaded fittings are used.
Compression and self-locking fasteners
Copper pipe fittings, which belong to the category of compression or self-locking, also called collet or crimp. Such fasteners are a good alternative to fittings, which are connected to copper parts by soldering. Collet type fitting is an element, the design of which consists of rings of seals and gaskets, as well as a crimp ring, when tightened, it helps to achieve tightness of the created connection. The material for the manufacture of compression or collet fittings can be not only copper, but also brass or metal.
Brass collet fitting with external thread
Crimp-type collet fittings are the best option for heating and plumbing systems, for installation of which copper pipes of various diameter or pipe products are used, made of different materials. Recently, self-fixing fittings are becoming increasingly popular, which distinguish more desirable performance characteristics.
Self-locking fittings can quickly replace soldering in terms of connection efficiency and reliability. The design of such fittings includes a set of rings, one of which is equipped with special teeth. The principle of operation of such connecting elements is based on that, that when exposed to the ring with teeth with a special mounting wrench, it is fixed in the adjacent element, thus creating a reliable and strong connection of copper pipe sections. Unlike soldering, dismantle the connection, obtained by such a fitting, just as simple, how to get it, the same mounting key is used for this purpose.
It should be borne in mind, that compression fittings are always made of copper, they can be used to connect elements, made of ferrous metal and polymeric materials.
Capillary method of connecting copper pipes
Soldering of copper pipes, which is rightly considered the most reliable and durable method of connecting copper parts, perform, based on the principles of capillary technology. According to this effect, which is based on the laws of physics, the fluid may rise through the capillaries, overcoming the force of gravity, if there is a certain distance between the lower and upper point of its rise.
Soldering fittings
This physical effect allows you to solder copper pipes in this way, so that the solder melted by the gas burner is evenly distributed over the entire area of the connection. In order to effectively perform such soldering, you can place the pipes in any spatial position, the main thing, that the molten solder is fed from the bottom of the molded joint.
In more detail, the process of capillary soldering is as follows:
- using a gas burner, the place of the future connection is carefully heated;
- in the gap between the ends of the pipes, melt solder is connected or between the pipe and the fitting used, which completely fills it due to the capillary effect;
- the resulting compound is allowed to cool completely;
- after complete cooling of the formed connection, its elements are thoroughly cleaned, using a special cleaning composition.
By soldering, based on the capillary effect, connect pipe elements not only of copper, but also of ferrous metals. In that case, if a steel fitting is used as the connecting element for copper pipes, then a layer of special flux is applied to the place of the future connection. As a solder when soldering by capillary technology is used very Tokay wire, which can be made ??of tin, copper, and in some cases even silver.
Connections of elements of copper pipelines by means of fittings of collet type carry out without preliminary preparation of joints. And here for that, to perform high-quality soldering of such pipes and fittings, not only do you need to thoroughly clean the future joint from dirt and dust, but also to degrease it.
The process of rolling copper pipes
When installing heating and plumbing systems, parts of which are made of copper, often performed such technological operations as flaring or disassembly of copper pipes. With this operation, to perform which you can use different tools, the geometric parameters of the ends of the connecting pipes change without changing the performance characteristics of the product.
Flared copper pipes
The simplest tool, with which you can perform such an operation, there is a rod with a conical tip, which is inserted into the end of the copper pipe and turn it in it until then, until it acquires the desired geometric shape. This device, though, is quite easy to use, does not allow to carry out flaring qualitatively, ??providing uniform pressure on the walls.
A more efficient device for performing flaring is a device, which consists of a clamp, which puts pressure on the working cone, as well as stands with several holes or one universal, in which copper pipes of various diameter are inserted. For installation of heating or plumbing systems, consisting of copper elements, such devices are most often used by home builders.
Specialists, who are professionally engaged in the installation of communication systems, consisting of copper elements, devices for flaring are used, in the design of which there is an eccentric and a safety rattle. The ends of the pipes, on which pre-put nuts, evenly rolled on such a device on their inner surface, for which the eccentric is used.
Set for flaring copper pipes
Clabber, limiting effort, which affect the end of the pipe, required in such a device for that, so that the walls are not pushed under excessive pressure on them. The great advantage of using such a professional device is that, that its application does not form small grooves and dents on the inner surface. These are the grooves and dents, arising from the use of more primitive devices, are the most likely sources of leakage, which in the end significantly reduce the service life of the pipeline.
Performing flaring with the use of a professional device allows you to quickly and efficiently create reliable and durable connections, applying a minimum of physical effort.
