Copper pipes and piping is one of the most ubiquitous and commonly used pipes used in plumbing and heating systems and retrofits. Copper might be more costly and harder to work with than plastic PVC pipes yet at one time or some other you will encounter it as a home handyman plumber or heating trades person in your property upgrades, repairs and renovations so you had better had some skills and tools to talk with copper. It is only a matter of time, experience and projects.

You cant ever be too careful, and unless you are trained for this kind of thing, cutting copper pipes requires a lot of expertise; it may be best left to those who are trained.

Copper pipes are known to be of better quality compared to PVC or steel pipes. Aside from copper being corrosion-resistant and durable, Copper has a distinctive capacity to create an armor from the harmful results of water. By forming an oxide film, or a protective coating, it may literally last decades. Unlike other materials, it is going to never rust, rarely corrodes, and it is less prone to breakage. PVC cannot be used in all plumbing applications. PVC can also be toxic when heated. Copper is also said to be bacteria resistant, fire resistant, and it can tolerate earthquakes. As it is also relatively soft, it is simpler to install than pipes fabricated from harder metals.

In the event that in your work on your home plumbing renovation or upgrade project that you need to put the copper pipe in a vise to hold it as you saw, clamp the vice on the pipe as far as humanely possible so you don’t unintentionally dent the end of the tubing or pipe. In the end it may be said that for your attention and care to the project that if you do not have the most perfectly round pipe with a perfect and exact round end you can rest assured 100 % that the finished end will not connect well – if at all – to another section or sections of pipe, tube or piping.

Finally, before you begin to solder the copper pipe you will need to have the right kind of solder. If you’re soldering a joint for a vent or drain you’ll be able to use 50/50 which is 50 % tin and 50% lead. Do NOT USE this on water lines. Furthermore not recommended for heating systems as the melting temperature is lower than other kinds of solder. For water lines you may use 95/5 tin/antimony or lead free solder. Both are lead free simply have various names. You may have no interest in using copper piping as part your plumbing system, yet hopefully you can see how you can use the same logic to tick off some stunning goal achievement in your life.