Help please! Pipe will not fit into tee!

[Wurzel83]

Hi there

I am doing some modifications to my central heating system. I beleive the original system was put in either late 60s or early 70s.

There is a 28mm gravity fed copper pipe running from the boiler to the cylinder which, until this evening, had a 15mm single pipe loop spured off of it. This took the form of a 28*28*22mm solder ring reducing Tee with a 22*15mm fitting Reducer within it. Using a blow torch I have removed the 15mm pipe and 22*15mm reducer from the reducing Tee. I then went to fit a small peice of 22mm copper pipe (brand new from Wickes) into the reducing Tee and found that it would not fit!

It is not that it is dirty or clogged with solder. I have put the blow torch on it for several minutes until the residual solder within the T became molten and the new pipe would still not push in. When you hold the peice of 22mm pipe and the 22*15mm reducer next to one another, the reducer appears to be around 0.5 - 1.0mm smaler in diameter than the pipe.

Is one metric and one imperial? Is there an adaptor? Do they shrink over the years?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Axel]

Not shrinkage...It is an imperial T most likely.

I don't think you can buy imperial pipe anywhere, or a male coupling; you might need to cut the pipes further back and use metric - imperial converter couplings and then fit a new metric tee.

 

[Beerlover]

An adaptor is only needed 3/4" - 22mm , 1/2" - 15mm & 1" - 28mm will fit with a tap. If at all concerned cut out 28mm tee section and use 2 28mm compression couplings to fit new tee section.

Cheers

 

[TicklyT]

As said, probably Imperial pipe.

15mm fittings will often (but not always) fit 1/2" pipe. Similar with 28mm and 1".

22mm does not correspond with 3/4" that closely, so it will always require an adaptor.

3/4" - 22mm adaptors are a commonly sold accessory in plumbers' merchants, but many DIY sheds seem never to have heard of them.

 

[Wurzel83]

Thanks for the responses.
I was hoping not to have to remove the Tee junction as it is under the airing cupboard floor boards hence awkward to get too. Also to move the pipe above and beneeth the junction up or down to accomodate a new joint, I would have to disconnect it from the boiler in the room below and the cylinder above and im only using the current boiler as a test boiler for some new pipe work and radiators before having a new one installed next year hence I dont want to spend too much time and money on it.

If I can source a bit of imperial pipe, presumably 21.3mm?, could I solder that into the Tee and then use a compression joint to join it to 22mm pipe?

Cheers

 

[Beerlover]

Not sure but I think aircon guys still use imperial. Good luck.

Do you need to come off in 22mm can you reuse the existing reducer and fit 15mm into that? Soldered 3/4"-22mm adaptors are easily available, a compression coupling would also need a 3/4" olive.

Cheers

 

[Axel]

Try scrap metal merchants - bring an imperial coupler with you to test pipe and see if they'll let you go through the used copper pipe for a small fee.....

 

[Wurzel83]

hi, thanks again.

3/4" equates to 19.5mm but the fitting reducer I took out must be around 21 to 21.5mm so I cant understand what is going on!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Pipe sizes IIRC for the imperial refer to the internal dia of the pipe, and the external for metric, i.e. half inch is 12.5mm internal/15mm external dia.

Be aware before you go much further, getting a leaktight joint on a fitting you have sweated an old pipe out from may prove extremely difficult. You could find you need to replace the entire section with the 'T' anyway.....