When working on plumbing and heating utilities, as well as when installing underfloor heating, copper pipes are often used. Copper is generally a popular material in this field. Products from it are durable, while flexible, and not susceptible to corrosion. When laying a copper pipe, there is often a need to bend the pipe at a certain angle. And since many owners make repairs on their own, the question arises, how to bend a copper pipe correctly at home?
Copper pipes are bent by several methods, one of which involves the use of a pipe bender
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Pipe bending with a spring
Before you get to work, you should prepare. Make sure that work is carried out in a well-ventilated room or in an open space. A courtyard or garage is great if the gates are open. In addition, you will need a heating tool regardless of the bending method.
There are several ways to bend a pipe at home. They differ in degree of complexity, high cost of materials and the need for special equipment.
A popular method is spring bending. First you need to choose the right tool: the spring should be made of high-quality steel, have frequent turns and a thick core. Size matters: make sure that the spring fits freely inside the tube. It is better if both products are about the same in length. If, however, the spring is shorter, attach a piece of wire to it so that you can remove it later.
If you need to bend a very thin pipe, then the spring for bending copper pipes needs to be selected a little more so that the pipe itself fits inside it.
With the help of a spring, it is easy to give the copper shape the desired shape, you just need to choose a spiral of a suitable size
Now we heat the workpiece using the device: at home, you can use both a gas heating pad and a blowtorch. When the temperature is high enough, the color of the pipe will change, and it will become so flexible that you can easily give it any shape you want. After bending, allow the workpiece to cool.
Helpful advice! Remember to pull out the spring only after the pipe has cooled.
Bend the pipe with sand
There is another option, how to bend a copper pipe at home. For this, you do not need special equipment or even devices like metal springs. You can simply heat the pipe and bend it. However, in order not to deform the product with an incorrect action (this happens often because copper pipes are very flexible), resort to the following method.
You only need a supporting surface, a heating tool, two pieces of wood having a diameter by which you need to bend the product and the usual building material - sand.
Helpful advice! Sand is better to take river, without large inclusions, dry and sifted. It will reduce the risk of deformation when bending copper pipes.
First, plug one end of the pipe with a cork of wood, then fill the cavity with sand, periodically shaking and tapping the pipe for the most uniform and dense filling. Then plug the other end of the product with the same plug.Now you can heat and bend. Do this very carefully, resting the tube on a hard surface, because it heats up quite quickly and easily deforms.
It is necessary to bend the pipe filled with sand very carefully so as not to deform it
Try not to overdo it with heating: sand puts pressure on the walls, and they can just burst. Once your product is in the correct shape, place it in cold water for quick cooling. Then remove the plugs and pour out sand. Sand should be poured out only after the workpiece has completely cooled. In addition, it is recommended to blow the pipe so that there is no debris in the future water supply.
Bender: classification and application
How else to bend a copper pipe at home without extra effort? This can be done using a special prior - pipe bender. With it, you will save time, and bending the pipe will be easier.
The device is a mobile tool that performs bending according to the parameter you set by fixing one end of the pipe and moving the other. In this case, the bend of the pipe is fixed in one position.
Depending on the principle of operation, pipe benders are divided into three types:
- Lever (manual). The design consists of two levers with a special shoe and a bending template. To set the desired angle, refer to the marks placed on the surface of the levers. Fix your workpiece in the bracket, align the zero marks and you can do the work. With this device, it is easy to bend pipes at home, even at an angle of 180 degrees.
- Hydraulic - devices of a professional level. They are able to bend much faster, and the hydraulic principle of operation eliminates the need to make great efforts.
- Electrics are perfect for industrial and commercial purposes, as they are designed for large volumes of work. They operate with an electric drive and are similar to manual counterparts. The pipe is placed in a bracket and bent according to the parameters specified with the help of special segments.
It is best to use a special tool for pipe bending - a pipe bender
Helpful advice! Select equipment according to the parameters of the bent product. If you are bending a pipe that is small in diameter and length, then a manual pipe bender, spring or sand will suffice. Large workpieces can only be handled by hydraulic and electric tools.
How to bend a pipe in a spiral
Sometimes there are problems with bending pipes. Especially when bending options are non-standard. For example, when the workpiece has a square rather than cylindrical shape. In this case, you need a rubber mallet and two supports. In addition, be sure to fill the product cavity with sand or fill it with ice (this is allowed when working in the cold season). Place the pipe with its ends on the supports, heat the bend and give it the desired shape with a mallet.
Often, the master also faces such a difficult task as the need to bend a copper pipe into a spiral. To do this, burn it so that it becomes more flexible. After cooling, you can bend the product simply by hand, falling asleep sand or freezing water inside it. Some craftsmen also use a blowtorch to facilitate the bending process.
Helpful advice! To make the spiral even, use a cylindrical support when bending.
There are many ways to bend pipes. But any of them requires accuracy and unhurriedness, as sudden movements can lead to deformation and rupture of the pipe walls.
