Copper pipes for water supply: how to install and operation features.

Features and assortment of copper pipes for the

water pipe When it comes to installing water pipes from expensive and not very familiar material, one can safely conclude that the final consumers of the autonomous pipeline system are future happy tenants of private estates. To make personal intra-apartment wiring water pipes from copper pipes in an apartment building, in our opinion, is irrational. Let's try to explain why.

1. Let's start with the fact that pipe rolling is produced from copper of seven different compositions, technical and operational properties of which directly depend on the content of chemical additives( nickel, zinc, tin, etc.) in the final pipe product. From 99.5 to 99.9( grade M1), such rolled metal is Cu + Ag, but the remaining alloying metals significantly expand the scope of copper pipes, sometimes very far from the needs of domestic water supply. How not to make a mistake in choosing and what to look for.
2. Copper pipes according to the manufacturing method in accordance with GOST 617 -2006 are divided into cold-deformed in three versions( solid, semi-solid, soft) and pressed, and all are suitable for water supply systems. What is the difference? High plasticity of copper makes it possible to produce round pipes with an outer diameter of up to 60 mm with a wall thickness of only 1.0.In this case, the weight of the 1/2 and 3/4( 12 and 18 mm) meter length will be only 0.307 and 0.475 kg, which is quite small.
3. Large internal section with guaranteed hydrodynamic properties allows to operate copper pipes in heating and water supply systems from 50 to 80 years. The choice between annealed( soft) and tubular rolled products without roasting depends on the technical conditions for routing the future pipeline, but the final price for installation is negligible.

Solid cold-deformed copper pipes for the

water supply. They not only have increased mechanical strength, but they also have a number of advantages over steel and plastic cousins:

• high corrosion resistance and the formation of corrosive deposits in the circuit and on the water supply network equipment, even with low water quality;
• low coefficient of thermal expansion, which allows to use the pipeline in hot water supply networks and not to worry about the depressurization of copper fittings at pressure drops;
• weak susceptibility to kinematic loads and resistance to external deformations;simply put: copper water pipes can be bent if desired, but it is very difficult to break;
• effect of design novelty: even external wiring from copper looks stylish and unusual in any interior.

Information: Hard rolled copper is available in graduated lengths, if you need to make a long and complex laying with a minimum number of joints, it is better to choose practical coils of copper copper pipes of annealed same diameter and close at a price. The working quality of the system will not suffer if properly assembled.

Copper pipe installation from copper pipes

Copper is a material that is comfortable enough to work and is terribly whimsical. First of all, what should not be done when laying the water supply system in your home:

• direct drainage of copper pipes of the water pipe from the main pipelines networks of steel and aluminum: these metals are not friends, but their direct contact in the water electrolyte with a high temperature( hot water supply)can lead to rapid destruction in the connectors;
• temporary grounding of household appliances for pipeline elements: the best natural conductor of electric current than copper, has not yet been invented, but can pierce anywhere.

Installation of copper water pipes is carried out in two usual ways:

• simple soldering( not welding) with gas burners or blow lamps at low temperatures;the connecting parts( fittings) and pipe ends are cleaned, the flux is applied and heated until the element is fully welded;
• assembly using union nuts with flaring of the pipe: this assembly joint is squeezed by a pair of ordinary adjustable keys similar to plastic fittings.

You can see the details of this fascinating process on the video.