Compression slip couplers

[Medallion Man]

Recently I needed a compression slip coupler to replace some CH pipework in a relly confined space with zero slack in the pipes themselves and too much heat-sensitive stuff nearby to allow my limited soldering skills to be used. A long (repair-type) slip coupler would not have worked because there wasn't enough of a straight pipe run to put it on. I ended up taking a normal straight compression coupler to an engineering shop and asked them to remove the pipe stop on a lathe.

Isn't there *anyone* who stocks simple straight compression slip couplers ? Seems to me there'd be a ready market for them for use in tight spots.

[Broadback]

I second that, in order to move a bathroom connection I had to take the floor up in a adjacent bedroom, cut the pipe, withdraw it, remake the joint, push it back under then join my cut. An hours job took most the day.

[Ed Sirett]

I was surprised not to find them in the BES catalogue. I'm fairly sure that slip couplings are available as Endfeed solder fittings.

I've not tried it but drilling out the stop in the fitting out to 15mm should be fairly straight forward.

When I'm forced with this situation I've found that with careful cutting of the lengths of the pipe you only need the insertion depth for one side, approx. You put the back nuts and olives on first and then get the fitting on. Then carefully arrange the slack to be split between each side. There should be enough pipe past each olive to get a good reliable join.

If there is absolutely no slack whatsoever then, as happened to me a year or two ago you have to go right around with 4 of elbows.

[Medallion Man]

Dunno - you'd need a bench drill to do it. Even so, I was struggling with 22mm pipes :-(

There wasn't any slack, the usable length of pipe was only about 140mm, and 80mm of that was taken up with a valve.

Just trying to visualize that - what do you mean ?

[Cicero]

============== An adjustable hand reamer should do this job quite easily. Many garages will have such a reamer left over from the days of reaming kingpin bushes and if not any good tool shop will sell one - at a price!

Cic.

[Lurch]

On 13 Dec 2004 04:59:01 -0800, "Medallion Man" strung together this:

Fixed font time!

This,

XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX X X X X XXXXXXXXXX

As opposed to this,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Set Square]

Or even a complete loop, like this?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Z XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Z X X X XXXXX

[John Rumm]

I think the "slack" to which Ed refered was created by cutting the gap for the fitting such that the pipe was actually a bit short of what you would normally expect (i.e. when in place the pipe ends will not protrude much past the olive into the fitting). The only time this would not work would be if you could not get any latteral movement in the pipes to allow you to get the fittting on the first pipe.

[Chris Hodges]

You have to be careful though: I recently had a compression elbow in the kitchen where the olive had been (30 years ago) crimped over the end of the pipe. Of course I couldn't reseal it, had to dremel off the olive and solder as I couldn't cut the pipe back, with only 30mm sticking out of the wall. TO make it more fun the next joint upstream is in the cavity of the original outside wall.

[Ed Sirett]

Thanks that's what I meant to say 8-).

[Cicero]

==================== If anybody is interested...............

Further to my earlier post (13/12/04 @ 14:07) about reaming out 22mm compression fittings to create compression slip couplers. I've just tried this using an old adjustable reamer - sized 25/32" to 27/32" - 19.75mm to

22mm) and it works perfectly for the 22mm size. I haven't got a 15mm reamer so can't test but I see no reason why it shouldn't work as well with the correct reamer.

Thanks to 'Medallion Man' for raising the subject. I was wondering how to avoid the 'Round the Wrekin' solution suggested by an earlier poster.

Cic.

[Medallion Man]

19.75mm to

That changes the nature of the problem from finding a machine shop to modify the couplings to finding a tool shop which stocks the right size of adjustable reamer. On a Friday afternoon in a one-horse town while the CH system is in bits. I think what I'll do instead is to buy five each of 15mm and 22mm couplings, go back to that machine shop and pay them a tenner to remove the pipe stops. Should make a lifetime supply ;-)

[Cicero]

============== Alternatively you could buy the correct sizes of reamers from:

sizes come at about £21-00 (for both) which seems like good value for tools with a lifetime use.

Cic.