I'm replacing the shower only 2-handle faucet fixture and since the plumbing is 43 years old I'd like to replace the very green hot and cold water 1/2" copper supply lines to it at the same time. Is the rolled Soft Type L copper pipe which Home Depot sells OK for hot water? The pipe I need to replace is in the shower wall, not in concrete. Total length is about 5 feet for each line.
Yes. Excellent choice.
Jim
Why do you have to use soft rolled? Solid type M with fittings is how you should do it in a wall
this is Turtle.
Type L Soft will last a good amount of time like 30+ years. Now Type K soft will out last you for sure 50+ years. Type L is made for air conditioning freon lines and K is made for plumbing and long lasting air conditioning freon lines from leaks , for K is thicker. .
Now type L will do anything type K will do and holding up to a beating or vibration.
TURTLE
This is Turtle.
You are fixing to work his gutts out with type M for If my memory is right M does not come in Soft.
TURTLE
heviest gauge Green stripe)
anyway that's how I would do it, but I'm just a plumber so what do I know?
The reason I want to use a soft copper pipe, like Type L, is that there is a big 2" steel vent pipe in the way. I need to either bend the new pipe behind the vent, or use a bunch of elbows if I have to use a rigid copper pipe.
Go ahead and use it. My mom's house is plumbed in all soft copper. It was plumbed that way 20+ years ago and has held up well. The reason it was plumbed with soft copper is that it is built on a "crawl" space which is so low nobody could crawl through it. So all the supply lines were pulled through with an electricians fish tape. Greg
this is Turtle.
You get paid to work your guts out but us candy asses don't like to.
TURTLE
this is Turtle.
Like Greg said , hey the L soft does a good job just like K but a hair thinner.
TURTLE
you mean K is a bit *thicker*, right? M is the thinnest, often used in 3/4" to ~1 1/4" sizes for hot water heating systems where the pressure's low below 20 psi or so, but yea, if you can't get hard drawn L there than K coil will do it. Slide unslit insulation over it too when you install it.
This is Turtle.
I can only speak of Copper tubing used by HVAC / R peoples. We use L copper for freon lines with pressure up to 500+ psi. it is rated above this but this is the working pressures we use or think of it as. If i'm installing HVAC equipment bigger than 5 tons or Refrigeration systems , i will use Type K Soft or hard for to get a thicker and more duriable tubing to hold up to the bad treatment of these systems. Now to Type M awwwww Never used it.
Now there is suppose to be a difference between refrigeration copper and plumbing copper. don't know for i've only used refrigeration copper from my warehouse and never investigate the difference.
TURTLE
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