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Reply With Quotewhy not have your plumber put a flexiable hose in with correct couplings rather than poly , or get him to fit a new length on copper tube, flare the ends of the new bit of pipe and silver solder it in
Connecting copper to Poly Hi, I need to cut off a short length of an existing copper pipe. Since I'm not a plumber, are there any problems with re-connecting it with a short length of poly? I've looked at other threads but no luck in finding anything so sorry if the question already answered before. Thanks in advance for your answers.
why not have your plumber put a flexiable hose in with correct couplings rather than poly , or get him to fit a new length on copper tube, flare the ends of the new bit of pipe and silver solder it in
Ashore
The trouble with life is there's no background music.
If it's a low pressure trivial application - such as the run off pipe from an air conditioner, go for it.
But if it's supposed to take mains pressure drinking water, do it properly - use proper connectors and solder the join once you have it at the new length. The most expensive part is the torch for soldering, currently $25 from Bunnies.
Cut the pipe square, deburr it, clean it so it is nice and shiny, flux it, slip all the parts together and heat.
You don't really want your drinking water running through any old piece of PVC...it can leech chemicals/plasticisers/heavy metals or other nasty stuff into the water, there are very few types of PVC pipe suitable for long term use, and any method of retaining the PVC to the pipe (such as jubilee clips) without a lip on the pipe is a leak waiting to happen. (even with a formed lip on the pipe they can leak...so no, not a good idea).
The following is a useful resource about working with copper pipe:
http://www.copper.com.au/cdc/article.asp?CID=49&AID=327
Beware of maintaining electrical continuity of the plumbing if installing bits of poly here and there. Depending on the circumstances it could be a very serious (electric shock) issue.
If it's mains pressure then I've always considered joining pipes to be in the "must get a plumber" category myself. That's especially so if it's going to cause any damage if it does go wrong - that's bascially anywhere other than outside. Needless to say I wouldn't DIY gas plumbing either for obvious reasons.
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