Plumbing tips

I am soldering up some pipes as part of a bathroom revamp. When you don't do that kind of thing too often there are a few detail things that are worth knowing about before you start.

In principle, the job is easy. Use solder ring connectors. Clean the pipe ends. Apply flux. Join the bits together. Heat with blow torch. Job done.

Except, there are always points to watch that, if you don't, will trip you up.

First of all, you must get your pipe cut to the correct lengths. Obvious really, but practicalities get in the way of the simple vision you might have of measure, mark and cut.

Get an indelible marker.  A sharpie is your friend. Inevitably you are going to be running the pipes around walls and floors that are real rather than being geometrically perfect, so always measure in situ where possible. i.e. place the pipe you are going to use in position and mark it there. Warning, don't go overboard with the marker, as it can contaminate the joint and it will leak.

Of course we all want the pipes, even if they are hidden, to run in parallel with other pipes and room features, and the only sure way is to in effect create a jig in situ. Therefore fit pipe clips to the walls first to hold the pipe in position while measuring. If you are fitting pipes in multiples e.g. a pair (flow/return or hot/cold) use dual pipe clips to hold the pipes together with exact spacing while measuring up.

When assembling the various pipes and joints for a trial fitting, use pvc tape to hold the pipe fully home in the fitting. This will prevent erroneous measurements being made.

Don't put up with a worn cutters. A lot of cutters have replaceable cutting wheels. This is a good feature to look for when buying. When cutting a pipe you want to be concentrating on the accuracy of the cut rather than fighting a cutter that is worn or even broken. The cutter binds because it is blunt, or the pipe is not perfectly round, or the partial cut is not uniformly deep, you find you are applying extra force to turn it. In turn this can increase the risk that some of the force is directed sideways and the tool slipping off or a part oft he cutting edge breaking off.

If you have a lot of cuts to make, the effort to make each one should be minimised by using an efficient tool and mastering a good technique. You can find this out yourself, as long as you are observant, focus on continual improvement and not settling for second best.

At all costs keep things tidy as you work. For short lengths of pipe I dip the end in the flux tub and rotate it, making sure I only coat the outside of the pipe. For longer lengths I get some flux on piece of toilet paper and wipe that on the pipe, using the paper just once. Keep the discarded paper in a bag and away from naked flame.

The main focus of attention should be complete and even coverage of the pipe end to the depth of the solder ring fitting, and the avoidance of dust or grit. Clearly the flux paste can easily pick up dirt, and the main consequence is that the pipe becomes a tight fit in the fitting, to the extent that it wont go all the way home.

As a precaution it is worth making a mark on the pipe where the fitting comes up to when the pipe is fully home, as this will provide a quick visual check right up to the point when the solder is cooling after making the joint.

Ideally use a blowtorch with a deadman trigger, so if you are working in a very tight situation where you might bump into something and knock it from you hand, or somewhere where you might drop the torch in an inaccessible location it will extinguish as soon as it leaves you hand.