1. Lesson Working with Copper Tubing

2. Interest Approach n Why is copper tubing only used for water and fuel lines?

3. Student Objectives n Discuss how to select copper tubing and fittings. n Discuss how to measure, mark, cut, and ream copper tubing. n Discuss how to join copper tubing with solder, flare fittings, and compression fittings.

4. Vocabulary Terms n Compression fittings n Compression screw n Die block n Flared fitting n Flaring tool n Flexible (soft) tubing n Rigid (hard) tubing n Sweat fitting

5. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Copper tubing is only used for water and fuel lines. n It is sturdy, durable, light-weight, and easy to work with. n Copper tubing is sold as rigid (hard) or flexible (soft).

6. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Four grades or weight of tubing from the heaviest to the lightest are: K, L, M, and DWV. n Type M is the weight of tubing recommended for most supply line situations.

7. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Tubing is sized by inside diameter (I.D.) or outside diameter (O.D.). n Rigid (hard) tubing, sold in 10 foot lengths, is a stiff, strong tubing joined with soldered joints. n Flexible (soft) tubing, available in 3/8, ½, 5/8, and ¾ inch diameter rolls 60 foot long, is thinner, softer, cheaper, and easier to bend.

8. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Both types of tubing can be joined by soldering. n Sweat fitting copper tubing refers to soldering fittings onto the tubing. n Flared fittings are a technique used to joint soft tubing where the end of the tubing is spread out or flared and a flare nut is tightened against a threaded flared fitting.

9. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Compression fittings, used on small flexible lines for appliances, have a compression ring and threaded nut to seal joints. n Soldered fittings include couplings, elbows (45 and 90 degree), tees, caps, reducers, and unions. n Flare fittings include flare nuts, caps, elbows, tees, plugs, and unions.

10. What copper tubing and fittings do I need? n Compression fittings involving the nut and compression ring are most often tightened onto a union, a fixture, or a shutoff valve.

12. How is copper tubing measured, marked, cut, and reamed? n When measuring tubing, be sure to allow for the segment of the pipe that goes into the fittings. n Flexible tubing should be unrolled and straightened out for accurate measuring. n Mark the tubing with a three- cornered file or scratch awl.

13. How is copper tubing measured, marked, cut, and reamed? n Copper tubing is cut with a hacksaw or a tubing cutter. n The hacksaw has a tendency to bend the tubing and leave a rough cut.

14. How is copper tubing measured, marked, cut, and reamed? n To use a copper tubing cutter, place the tubing between the cutting wheel and the two guide rollers and tighten the cutter a little each time you circle the tubing. n It is easier to use and results in a squarer, smoother cut than a hacksaw.

15. How is copper tubing measured, marked, cut, and reamed? n The disadvantage of using the tubing cutter is that a burr is left on the inside of a tubing cut. n Use the reamer attached to the tubing cutter or a round file to ream the burr out of the tubing.

17. How is copper tubing joined? n Both rigid and flexible copper tubing may be joined to fittings by soldering. n Begin by using fine steel wool, emery cloth, or a tubing cleaner to clean and brighten the outside of the tubing and the inside of the fitting. n Coat the end of the tubing and the inside of the fitting with a layer of flux.

18. How is copper tubing joined? n Apply heat, with a propane or air- acetylene torch, evenly around the joint until the flux begins to sizzle. n Every few seconds test the heat of the joint by touching the solder to it. n When the right temperature is reached the solder will melt and be drawn into the joint by capillary action.

19. How is copper tubing joined? n Care should be taken not to melt the solder with the torch and merely drop it on the copper tubing. n Finish the joint by wiping off excess solder with steel wool while the joint is still warm.

23. How is copper tubing joined? n To join soft tubing with a flared fitting, slip the flare nut onto the tubing and then flare the tubing. n A flaring tool includes a split die block and compression screw with a T-handle to tighten it. n The die block is a split metal clamp with holes to match the common sizes of tubing.

25. How is copper tubing joined? n Insert the tubing into the die block with the end extending slightly above the surface of the beveled side and tighten the thumb screws.

26. How is copper tubing joined? n The compression screw hooked onto the die block uses a cone- shaped end on a threaded shaft, tightened with a T-handle to flare out at a 45 degree angle at the end of the tubing.

27. How is copper tubing joined? n The flared end is placed next to a threaded flare fitting and the flare nut is slid up and hand tightened to the fitting. n After hand tightening, use one open-end wrench for holding the fitting and another for turning the flare nut.

28. How is copper tubing joined? n The compressing of the flared tubing against the fitting provides a tight seal. n This technique is recommended for use with gas lines.

29. How is copper tubing joined? n To join tubing with a compression fitting, slide the compression nut and then the compression ring onto the tubing.

30. How is copper tubing joined? n Using an open-end wrench, tighten the compression nut to the threaded compression fitting. n This technique is often used to fasten supply lines to shut-off valves.

31. Review / Summary n Discuss how to select copper tubing and fittings. n Discuss how to measure, mark, cut, and ream copper tubing. n Discuss how to join copper tubing with solder, flare fittings, and compression fit-tings.