Alan Harris, Centre Manager at The Power, Assessment & Training Centre, has been a plumber/gas installer and consultant for 40 years. He has been a college lecturer and senior lecturer in plumbing and gas for 16 years. We are delighted he has agreed to share his wealth of experience with visitors to the Monument website. |
|
Alan's Corner for: Bending Copper Pipe
Always aim to slightly over bend you pipe because you can always tweak it back, but if you underbend and then try to tweak it more it is very easy to kink the pipe.
Pipe bending using springs is the traditional way to form pipe allowing for gentle bends which result in a better flow of fluids through the pipes, they are also better for enabling easy bleeding of air from a system and easier to fill and drain down. The soldered joint is quicker than bending and requires perhaps a little less skill (once you understand how to solder) to completing the job but is more expensive and makes removal of air, filling and draining more difficult. The flow of fluid around a system will be quiter and better in formed/bent pipes leading to a more efficient heating system as well as putting less strain on the pump.
Use a knee pad / guide if possible (PPE), this will make the bend radius more consistent and less likely to kink. Also this will protect your knee from damage, many plumbers suffer from knee problems in older age.
When you make the bend do not be tempted to bend it all in one go, make lots of smaller bends, adjusting the position of the bending point around the bend, this way you will not kink the pipe. When you come to remove the spring and it is stuck there are two things you can do, twist the spring againsts its natural coil direction and pull, this will reduce the diameter of the spring and make it easier to remove, alternatively "tweak" the bend slightly to open the bend, this will help release the spring from the bend pipe. DO not be tempted to force the spring out of the bend with too much force as you may damage the spring and loose its shape for further bending.
Buy from here:
2830H Monument 15mm DIY Bending Spring
2832N Monument 22mm DIY Bending Spring
830V Monument 15mm Professional Bending Spring
832B Monument 22mm Professional Bending Spring
Place the former guide all the way up to the hook stop this supports the pipe more. Leave plenty of Pipe past the hook - some manaufacturers will tell you, you will save pipe because you only need to leave a little pipe past the hook but this will more likely to damage the pipe. You can always trim a little off after you have made the bend. There are many tricks of the trade for using a pipe bender to help you get the correct bend angle by using odd piece of pipe to help you find the centre of the bend.
Go to http://www.ukcopperboard.co.uk/literature/pdfs/Installation-Tips/Bending-spring-loading.pdf for help on this topic.
When trying to create a double bend of dog leg bend it can sometimes be difficult to align the two bends so that they are flat/parallel to each other. Use your eyes when placing the pipe in the bender for the second bend and align the first bend with the bender handle. The industry standard for the flatness is 3mm, but once your eye has become trained in setting the pipe you will easily achieve 1mm flatness.
The Monument bender also has an extension handle to double its length and halve the effort required to bend.
Buy from here :
2600K 15mm & 22mm Professional Pipe Bender
2601N 15mm Spare guide for Pipe Bender
2603T 22mm Spare Guide for Pipe Bender
2626M Bender Extension Handle
2609L Spare 15mm Former for 2600K Pipe Bender
2624G Bending Angle Vinyl for 15mm Former for 2600K Pipe Bender
2625J Bending Angle Vinyl for 22mm Former for 2600K Pipe Bender
2610P Spare 22mm Former for 2600K Pipe Bender
2606C Spare Roller
2605Z Spare Hook Stop
2607F Spare Rubber Foot
Getting It Square
The Level Best 2 is ideal for marking out 90 degree bends on walls and for checking 90 bends.
387V 6"x6" Multi-Tool
388Y 30cm x 30cm Multi Tool Square | Level | Plumb | Ruler
Buy from here :
387V 6in.x6in. Level Best 2 MultiTool
388Y 30cm.x30cm. Level Best 2 MultiTool
|
