Custom Search

Plumbing Courses

Plumbing is a skilled profession, and skilled professionals in the trade are becoming harder and harder to come by. Nowadays, companies and consumers alike prefer their plumbing assistance to come from someone who is highly skilled in everything it takes to me a plumber, and one of these unique skills as to be copper pipe bending and soldering. Soldering copper pipes is actually quite a basic plumbing skill that surprisingly few plumbers know how to properly do, however, once it has been mastered, it will enable you to take on a variety of different home repair and home improvement projects, as well as a much more varied help scale when it comes to call-outs in customers homes - for instance, with these skills you will be able to fully replace copper water lines or even install a new spigot. It can be as much an art as it is a science, so therefore, the more you practice and use it, the faster and easier you’ll find it will get.

Soldering copper pipes; or “sweating” as it is also known within the plumbing profession, relies upon capillary action to create a well-sealed joint. By using a propane torch, you can then heat up the two pieces you are joining; the solder is then "sucked" into the joint and spreads evenly between the pipe and fitting. Once it cools, you should have a solid, leak-free joint that will last for years.

Copper is a relatively soft material, making it perfect for soldering and bending, and can even be bent to give a minimum bend of about 100mm (4 inch radius), given you have the right equipment, and can employ the correct technique of course. This saves having to fit different connectors wherever the direction of the pipes changes, it also saves a few other things to.

First of all, you’ll experience reduced costs, because addiction connectors are no longer necessary so you have no need to purchase them, there will also be a lot less water flow resistance in a bent pipe as opposed to typical connector joins, when working with pipes it’s a well known rule that the smaller the pipe you use, the less connectors you need to use, so skills in copper pipe bending eliminates this concern. And finally, you don’t have to worry about leaks, because bent pipes don’t leak, whereas connectors may well do. Pipe bending is a technique that is easily learnt, and plumbers everywhere benefit from the skill.

By: Pippa Young

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Pippa Young. For more information please visit Plumbing Courses

© 2005-2011 Article Dashboard