Pipe bender or elbows. Which is best?

[InTheBeginning2007]

I am doing some plumbing pipe work in my house (it is mostly inside a cupboard) and have been bending pipes and using solder elbows only where necessary.
Is this the right approach? When looking at other pipe installations done by plumbers, I have seen only straight pipe and lots of elbows. Is this better, or simply a faster way to do it?

 

[corgiman]

simply faster thats all

 

[Bahco]

Bit cheaper and less chance of leaks if you use bends.

 

[corgiman]

Bit cheaper and less chance of leaks if you use bends.

How can it be cheaper Bacho

??

 

[Bahco]

No elbows, solder, flux, gas will be consumed by bending pipe.

 

[corgiman]

No elbows, solder, flux, gas will be consumed by bending pipe.

I am sorry I thought you meant sweating in elbows etc was cheaper

 

[ChrisR]

Inside cupboards, I'd use elbows. They look neater, and bends take up more room.

 

[InTheBeginning2007]

Inside cupboards, I'd use elbows. They look neater, and bends take up more room.

I think bends look fine and as I have the space and find it easier and also cheaper to bend pipe where possible, I'll continue doing it. Also I read that bends have much less resistance to water flow than elbows.

Thanks for all your opinions though. I am happy that I have not done something expensively wrong.

 

[feeltheheat]

thats correct regarding resistance, always use bends if possible to stop the reduction of flow.

 

[wilhelm]

I thought lock shield valves reduced flow?


anyway those sweeping bends..........look ....
shyte.

 

[feeltheheat]

anything that is not smooth will reduce flow you dipstick. Obviously not a pro WILHELM!

 

[wilhelm]

by how much do you think it will reduce flow?

If youve got some figures that would be useful.

 

[feeltheheat]

IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO LOCK SHIELDS THEN IT DEPENDS ON HOW CLOSED OR OPEN THEY ARE AND THE PUMP SETTINGS

 

[wilhelm]

Refering to elbows. Are you feeling the heat or what?

thats correct regarding resistance, always use bends if possible to stop the reduction of flow.

you know ,what you said ,about bends.

 

[simond]

We always ask our installers to 'pull' bends wherever it is possible rather than use fittings. Of course, with the exception of where pulled bends would look bad.

Reason being, it's cheaper, more reliable, less noise from the system.

I don't employ installers who don't use a bender......