Plumbers tool??

[DeltaT2]

The Rothy tee extractor kit is not cheap chaps, but you could just buy the extractor heads(15,22mm) a cone drill bit, a ratchet spanner for the heads & a set of Oyster(you know, the Conex Oyster fittings) pliers would do the dimples. I'm sure some kind soul would give you the hole size required for each size pipe................

 

[sooey]

Too much messing dick...cut the pipe, throw a tee on, solder it up, done.

 

[Biggles..]

Grow some balls, solders fine.

You get about a 10mm(15/22) lap which I've yet to have issue with.bigger lap as the pipe size increases.

By lap I mean the length of extraction that is a good touch with the inserted pipe.

 

[Norcon]

10mm?

Pull the other one. (no pun intended)

 

[DeltaT2]

I pull more than 10mm, if it's not a cold day!!
Now, back to the tee extractor. With copper tube today being as hard as a wh.re's heart, you'll be lucky if you get 10mm.

 

[spareshunter]

All expanders, tee extractors etc. and there's more, are continental more German Scandinavian usage. If you go a-plumbing in these places even normal houses they use this stuff with copper but thicker wall than ours.

All that I have seen are brazed, F, zay zayz, ze lead zolder is for ze fittings and they hate using them on copper. Zey plumbers still make ze fittings.

In the Austrian Alps, they were using black iron for the heating extension, it was black iron without the black paint. It was blued after cutting to length on site. The existing stuff I saw which was installed after the first European conflict (as they put it) was in pristine condition no black stuffs at all. They did not paint the pipes externally as they said they get extra heat from that as its surface mounted (in the Bar) and it had a nice bluish hue to it.

I lost interest in the local plumbers conversation when Heidi's jugs were getting fuller by the minute, when my jug, I only had one, was getting emptier. I never got to see more plumbing tricks as I was invited to the next day and I never made the Alpine venue to sample the wheat beer n Schnapps at lunch time.

Expanders tee extractors are better used on thicker wall copper than ours that's for sure, so tip is use brazed, silver solders second.

PS: The lead work on some places is out of this world (a work of art), all one has to do is look up, especially when incorporated with slates.

 

[Biggles..]

You been on Heidi's jugs again....4 years old post pal, and solders still fine all this time later.

 

[spareshunter]

I have seen loads fail. As I am in the repair game I would not use solder and very reluctant to use any expander with the modern table x, to thin, it can split.

Old posts are a continuation of a specific subject and easier to find why open a new one on the same subject. if one can.

 

[Biggles..]

I'm in the install game. Solders fine with decent tooling, start pulling 28-35tees and you'll want to be hard soldering.not had one fail yet
Expanders are fine on modern tube, just aneal the tube before use and it never splits.again not had one fail and I squeeze upto 108mm often.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

just aneal the tube before use and it never splits.

Rookie question from someone whos done little pipe work and even less without the use of solderring fittings lol, but to anneal the tube do you just give it a quick blast with the propane? read about it before and it descriped using OxyAcet and I stopped reading lol

 

[Norcon]

You heat it round the hole you've drilled for a few seconds with oxy/acety.

Then pull it hot.

 

[spareshunter]

Then pull it hot.

No point with copper. Heat to cherry red and let cool it will be soft, annealed, copper hardens with age, working, planishing etc. When this has been done the joint must be scrupulously clean if soft soldered. Brazing, silver soldering etc are not so demanding hence less failure rate.

The other problem with making sockets is the operative will pull in one go stretching the bits in between the segments of the head making for a weak section. The way over this operative fault is to rotate the head in the forming socket thus revealing stress between the pulled sections. If you want to see this try making a socket in hard copper and see what I mean.

LeeC, don't get me wrong in the correct hands this tool can be a job £££££ saver especially new commercial, semi commercial, I have had a set since they were brought from the continent and supplied with the pucker riveted heads not the spring held in ones that diys seem to have bought on cost. I sometimes use it in retrofit situations however in domestic situations it not really cost effective (time v fitting) so not used often. Mine was mainly used in large hotels and supermarkets.

Tees: A lot of faf really, unless commercial as previously mentioned. When working in Belgium (prefab shop) the tees made were saddle tees and brazed, look inside boiler with copper, brass tubing and you will see what I mean.

Indeed there could be a case if pre-made couplers, tees and bends were not available at all , then the trades person would be back in demand as the skill level would be greater, but not the case.

Don't even think about placky pipe and push-fit fittings.

 

[Norcon]

Then pull it hot.

The other problem with making sockets is the operative will pull in one go stretching the bits in between the segments of the head making for a weak section. The way over this operative fault is to rotate the head in the forming socket thus revealing stress between the pulled sections. If you want to see this try making a socket in hard copper and see what I mean.



.

You've obviously never pulled a T judging by the above statement.
Also formed T's are pulled hot. Pipe fitters don't have time to sit around scratching themselves waiting for the pipe to cool down.

 

[spareshunter]

Norcom:

You've obviously never pulled a T judging by the above statement.
Also formed T's are pulled hot. Pipe fitters don't have time to sit around scratching themselves waiting for the pipe to cool down.

If you care to read, I was referring to sockets. However; If I did a tee hot it was a bowlliking that's for sure (Belgium HE) you just didn't do it . Point I was making; copper does not have to be hot to manipulate it like steel/iron once heated to cherry red it is soft whether cold or freezing, of course you will know that. At a well known refinery we waited for it to cool, let it cool that's the rule, when no one was looking we covered it with a damp cloth, just liked the hiss.