Pipe bending vs solder ring elbows

[mderoy]

Update: Sorry just realised this is in the wrong section. Can someone kindly delete or move it to plumbing? Thanks

I’m going to be doing a little bit of plumbing to move taps and mixers around and I’ve read a lot of places that the preferred method is to ideally bend pipes and not use solder elbows etc. but I’m more confident with my solder skills than my bending skills and I don’t really have a pipe bender.

I’ve got a good few 90 degree bends I need to do on 22mm and 15mm pipes. I don’t mind buying those internal springs but I’m not sure how good they are without kinking the pipe. The worst fair is if the spring doesn’t come out.

Is it ok to just stick to the solder elbows (ring type ones for extra piece of mind)

These are all going to be inside cavity walls that will be boarded up so not accessible afterwards. I’ll also be taking a 15mm up into the loft and back down for a ceiling mounted shower head. So the one in the loft will have two elbows on it (one as it comes up and bends then another as it bends down to the ceiling again. I will insulate the pipe in the loft with the pipe insulation too.

 

[ree]

OP,
Neither pipe bending nor soldering are skills to be quickly self taught - you need someone to show you and save you frustration and wasted material.

Concealed cu pipe is best worked using a pipe bender. See Monument tools - you can later sell on the bender on ebay.
As a DIY'er, for safeties sake do not use heat in floors, walls or lofts or be very aware.
You can sometimes prefab material before installation.

Expensive Yorkshire fittings have the solder ring & work very well.
You will need to practice soldering or bending whichever method you chose.
Ask the the mods to move your thread.

 

[Dereekoo]

If you are confident with your soldering skills then crack on a pipe bender is an expensive bit of kit just for a one off (or 2 or 3 occasions), as a DIYer I have soldered joints under floorboards, in the ceiling and behind replastered walls and have not had any issues in 40 years. I have some times used a pipe spring to bend pipes but you usually need a couple of soldered joints to connect the section in so its not much difference than using elbows except for a slight cost saving.

 

[Lower]

You can buy a proper pipe bender for £40-50. A bent bend is always going to be less likely to leak than any type of connection.

Pipe bending springs are complete rubbish in my opinion, and you can only use them if the bend is near a pipe end.

 

[stevie888]

Soldering pipes is very straightforward: plenty of stuff on utube but the essence is nice square ends, preferably using a pipe cutter which gives a wee bevel to the end, thoroughly clean with wire wool and decent flux. You want a decent blowlamp especially on the 22mm stuff. Solder ring fittings are dearer than end feed but they are easier to use.

A bend having a greater radius than an elbow is going to be fractionally better for flow but really not an issue.

Leave the pipes exposed for a while under pressure to be sure they're not weeping.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

but I’m more confident with my solder skills than my bending skills and I don’t really have a pipe bender.

You could make use of a 'bending block' - A length of stout timber, about the height of your hip. You drill a hole through, a little way down from one end, then turn it into a vertically rounded slot, with no sharp corners. You can drill for a different pipe size, at the other end.

Better than flow restricting, manufactured bends, but take a little practice. You can join bent sections, with soldered straight sections.