Mornin' (here, anyway),
How practical is it to re-use copper pipe fittings?
I've done a bit of plumbing before, but have only ever bought & soldered new bits - when I shift my water heater to a better location though I'll free up a few tees and elbows; how practical is it for me to re-use these on the 'new' work (i.e. do the parts desolder and clean up easily enough for re-use)?
ta
Jules
There are a couple of ways to do it.
I'm not convinced its worth it though, you'll get a higher incidence of leaky joins, and end feed stuff is cheap.
NT
For sure. It's definitely no big deal to buy new bits, I just like re-using things whenever I can. :-)
(and heck, that was a fast reply. I love this group...)
J.
If you're buying from somewhere like BES, fittings aren't expensive enough to bother reusing.
Assuming you've got it off ok, simply flux the new pipe, heat and push it in place, adding some solder in the usual way. Bit of a fiddle if things are tight but quite doable where access is easy.
Too true, I can't believe people would even try to re-use soldered fittings. I dont even re-use compression fittings (or pipe, it all goes on the scrap pile), it just isnt worth the time to clean them for re-use, as well as the possibility that they may not seal so well as new ones as they could have slightly deformed in use.(not talking olives here, just the bodies and nuts). Alan.
A useful backup method though for the diy-er to have up his sleeve if he finds he's run out of the relevant new fittings at 4pm on a Sunday...
In article , Lobster writes
Absolutely, try finding a 28mm reduced branch Tee on a weekend, plus it's 2mins to heat them up and bang them out. I'm not saying I would bother for standard 15mm but I have done it when stuck.
Well, I wouldn't chance compression fittings either - but pipe's pipe and solder's solder, hence the reason I asked about those. Seems a shame just to toss 'em. Was curious as to how much "old solder" renders them unusable...
(DIY stores open until at least 7 - some until 9 - on a Sunday this side of the Atlantic, thankfully - although it's a 16-mile round-trip to the nearest, so it's still a pain in the bum whenever I find I'm missing some trivial widget!)
cheers
J.
Usually avoided by the application of the 7 Ps.
It is perfectly possible. I see it as part of the challenge to achieve as much as possible by re-arranging the existing components.
There is probably a higher risk of a leak than if you use all new joints and pipe.
With solder it's a bit of fiddle to clear enough of the old solder out but it is possible. I resuse compression all the time, with a new olive and old pipe.
Can't see why with a previously used solder fitting it will be fully tinned so I'd say less chance of leak...
Once its been soldered and unsoldered you've got muck and burnt flux, which can result in a water leakage path. Solution is to melt the thing and wipe the inside with wet denim while still molten.
Reusing compression fittings and old pipe is easy, just add a tiny smear of linseed putty on the olive, and this takes care of any minor damage to the pipe surface.
NT
A waste of time and energy.They're cheap, if you don't get them in the DIY sheds. The copper is soft when hot and any handling whilst trying to desolder them will usually deform them.
Verboten with potable water. Use PTFE paste.
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