North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Copper piping is still the preferred option in domestic plumbing systems, despite the fact that there have been many recent advances in plastic plumbing pipe development, with new materials and techniques coming along all the time.

The outside diameters of copper pipes are standardised to make it easier to work with them, and these are 15, 22 and 28 mm.  Imperial measurements are more likely in the case of pipes installed before 1970, although such pipes are no longer manufactured, and special fittings need to be used when connecting new pipes with these older ones.

When you need to cut through a copper pipe for whatever reason, such as to remove a radiator from the system or to extend or truncate an existing pipe, accurate marking is the key to success.  When making watertight joints, you must make sure that the ends are cut absolutely square.  You can use a hacksaw to do the cutting, but it is better to use a proper pipe cutter if you think there is going to be a lot of this type of work going on.

Make allowance for the length of pipe that will fit inside the join when marking it out.  A guide for the saw blade can be created well enough by wrapping stiff paper around the pipe so that its edges align.

Remember to remove all of the burr from the end of the cut pipe, inside and outside, using a half-round file.  A pipe cutter only produces burr on the inside of the pipe.