The most famous method of connecting copper pipes is capillary soldering. To implement this method, a set of special tools is required. If in a home-made situation a pipe cutter can be replaced with a hacksaw, then instead of a torch for soldering copper pipes, professionals sometimes use an electric soldering iron.
Although this tool is less common compared to a device that uses a gas-air mixture as fuel to produce a narrowly directed flame. After all, it is with its help that copper parts are heated and solder melts when connecting individual elements of pipeline systems.
Design differences
New models of gas devices used for installing copper pipes are distinguished by a well-thought-out design. Manufacturers produce lightweight dismountable equipment. Therefore, the devices are convenient to use and transport.
Gas torch for soldering copper pipes
The devices are placed, for example, in a locksmith's box or a plumber's bag. Torches for soldering copper pipes consist of the following elements:
- Nozzles where gas is mixed with air.
- Burner heads.
- Devices for regulating the flow of gas mixture. Thanks to this unit, excessive fuel consumption is eliminated.
- A reducer that reduces the pressure of the gaseous mixture coming from the cylinder and adjusts the soldering mode.
- A unit that directly secures and holds a cylinder or hose adapter for connection to a fuel container.
Manufacturers produce models that are additionally equipped with an ignition element - piezo ignition. Which quickly ignites a flame with just the touch of a hand. Therefore, operation is easy.
Models with other additional elements are also produced. These include tips and adapters. Gas burners can also have a rotating or lance-shaped nozzle. This structural element can be changed in some models.
This allows you to work with a flame that will have the required parameters (incoming gas speed, flame length). The equipment depends on the specific manufacturer and brand of equipment.
Main types
Manufacturers produce a large number of gas devices for soldering copper. They differ in operating temperature:
- household devices capable of creating temperatures up to 1500°C;
- professional devices with a minimum heating value of 1500°C and a maximum value exceeding 2000°C.
Gas burners for soldering copper pipes are available with different types of units that allow you to connect disposable or refillable fuel containers. These parts of the device can be threaded or collet-type. Devices are also produced to which the cylinders are connected by piercing.
Selection rules
When choosing a torch for soldering copper and copper pipes with hard or soft solder, the following series of criteria must be taken into account:
- Power. It is influenced by temperature, flame intensity, and the ability to adjust the burning rate. The parameter is set by the wall thickness, pipe diameter and volume of work.
- The type of gas fuel used and its availability under specific conditions of use. The possibility of changing the type of gas used should also be taken into account - for example, switching from acetylene to propane and vice versa.
- Purpose. The torch can be used not only for soldering, but also for cutting and melting metal, which significantly expands its versatility.
- Type of material being processed. In practice, it is often necessary to connect not only copper, but also bronze, brass and steel pipes and fittings.
Important! The soldering procedure involves high-temperature treatment. The likelihood of getting a burn is maximum. Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to make sure that all necessary technical requirements and safety regulations will be followed impeccably.
When soldering, you must follow safety precautions Source ytimg.com
Devices for soldering copper with stationary and removable cylinders
Burners for connecting copper pipes are available not only with disposable cylinders connected directly to the devices. Manufacturers also produce devices with stationary fuel tanks.
Gas burner on a can
Removable disposable cylinders are the most convenient option. The valve on the gas burner handle allows you to regulate the amount of incoming fuel.
The advantages of devices with disposable sealed cylinders include the following advantages:
- Easy transportation.
- The process of use is simple, since the design of the device allows you to take any comfortable position during operation.
- Possibility to connect various nozzles to the handle.
- No need to connect to the electrical power grid.
- High degree of safety, because there are check valves that can shut off the gas in case of emergency situations.
- It is possible to adjust the flame intensity, which allows you to change the heating rate of copper parts and consumables in the form of solder.
- It is possible to obtain good quality seams if all conditions for using the device are met.
Devices with disposable cylinders also have disadvantages. The most significant disadvantage of such devices is the small volume of the cylinder with the gas mixture. Therefore, you often have to buy new containers when making a large number of joints.
Gas burners with stationary cylinders are distinguished by the ability to create a flame that has a high temperature. This allows you to use refractory solders in your work, resulting in better quality seams.
Welding equipment from the manufacturer
Welding is a technological process with the aim of creating a permanent connection with a variety of technical properties and characteristics. To obtain a reliable welding connection, you need, first of all, a set of welding equipment and a welding station to create safe working conditions. Welding stations are equipped with a welding machine and a ventilation system to remove harmful aerosols from the work area. Our company sells welding equipment from world brands:
- GUILBERT-EXPRESS (France),
- CPS (USA),
- KEMPER (Italy),
- OXYTURBO (Italy),
- STAG (Spain),
- HOTERY (Taiwan) and many others.
It has now become possible to buy unique equipment in Moscow in our branded welding equipment store. The entire list of welding equipment is presented in our online store. We offer our customers welding equipment that meets all current requirements. With our welding equipment, it is possible to perform high-quality connections of all types of metal using almost all known methods.
Varieties by fuel type
The gas mixture used affects the design features of the equipment. Propane, oxygen gas and MAPP gas are used for soldering copper parts. There is also multi-fuel, but it is not used in devices for soldering copper pipeline segments.
Propane burners
A device that uses propane allows you to effectively heat, melt, and solder copper. The tool is used when working with metal whose thickness ranges from 2 to 9 mm. The body of the product is made of brass. High-temperature metal is used to make the nozzle. Most often it is stainless steel.
Propane torch for soldering copper pipes
In propane burners, flame adjustment is in most cases done manually. A gearbox is used for this. It is located on the pipe next to the nozzle.
The flame of a propane tool has a temperature of at least 1300°C. Therefore, the soldering device is widely used in practice.
Oxygen gas burners
Such devices use a mixture of oxygen and a gaseous substance as fuel. And they are equipped with a special reducer that allows the supply of individual components of the gas-oxygen substance, which have the same pressure.
The design features of oxygen gas equipment allow operation with a stable and directly directed flame. Therefore, the seams between copper elements are of high quality.
Brazing torch for copper pipes
The devices operate with different types of gaseous fuels. Thanks to this feature, you can use flames with different temperatures in your work. Soldering with acetylene allows you to heat the part up to 3260°C.
If you use butane, the temperature will be 2760°C. When using hydrogen and propane, the operating parameter will be 2680°C and 2640°C, respectively.
Under MAPP gas for soldering copper pipes
This type of equipment is characterized by increased thermal power. Therefore, gas burners powered by MAPP gas are widely used for processing various metals, including copper. Using a flame formed from a mixture containing several components, the following operations can be performed:
- warming up;
- melting;
- annealing;
- soldering
Burner for MAPP gas
Gas fuel called "Methylacetylene-Propadiene-Propane" produces a high-temperature flame with good intensity and shape.
MAP gas torches for soldering copper pipes create a heat flow whose temperature is 2400°C. Therefore, the temperature efficiency is better than that of a propane unit.
Tools and equipment for soldering copper pipes
Soldering is the process of obtaining a permanent connection by introducing molten solder into the space between the connected elements.
Solder is melted by the flame of a gas burner and always has a melting point lower than that of the pipe material, which allows it to evenly fill all cavities and form an even seam. There are two types of soldering:
- Low temperature. Solder melts when heated to 400-450°C. The method is excellent for installing household piping systems.
- High temperature. Gives a stronger connection. Melting point – 600-900°C. More often used for the construction of systems operating under high load conditions.
There are two types of solder for gas torches: soft and hard. The first is a flexible thin wire (2-6 mm cross-section) made of lead, tin, and other metal alloys. The second one is often produced in the format of rigid short rods. Additives of silver and phosphorus enhance the performance of the resulting compounds.
Thus, tin-lead solder (POS) is considered the most fusible (fluidity occurs already at 180°C). The addition of silver has a positive effect on the plasticity of the seam, increasing fluidity and adhesion. Copper-phosphorus solder is used not only for joining copper parts, but also effectively solders copper with brass and bronze. It is recommended to solder copper to steel using refractory solder, which contains at least 35% silver.
It is important! It is good if the solder material and pipes are characterized by the same thermal expansion rates. Such a pipeline will not be subject to mechanical stress in the area of the seams during operation.
In addition to solder, the following tools are useful for high-quality soldering of copper products:
- A gas torch (possibly a soldering iron) designed to work with copper.
- Pipe cutter Allows you to obtain a strictly perpendicular, even cut.
- Bevel remover. It will help remove burrs and align the edges to be joined.
- Expander. For fitting products of different diameters. The important thing to remember here is that the pipe being expanded must be annealed.
- Roulette, hammer.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with: Flange adapter for connecting PE pipes
Which gas burner to choose
Copper soldering tools are sold in large quantities in the market. The latest models of devices are manufactured exclusively using the latest technologies. Therefore, it is quite difficult for a non-professional to choose a gas heater.
Before purchasing, it is recommended to determine the operating conditions of the device. If this cannot be done, the choice should be made on a universal model. It is also recommended to take into account the following criteria:
- Type of gaseous fuel used.
- The power of the device is selected depending on the wall thickness and pipe diameter.
- Scope of application because the device for soldering copper elements cannot always be used for cutting metal.
- Materials that can be processed with the selected device.
You also need to consider weight when purchasing. One of the optimal devices is a device weighing approximately 400 g. For non-professionals, we recommend a model that includes standard, cyclone and super cyclone tips. These parts will allow you to perform soldering of various configurations.
How to choose a gas torch for soldering copper pipes
In order not to make a mistake with your choice, you should clearly understand for what purpose you are purchasing a gas burner. For one-time work on installing a copper pipeline in a house or apartment, an inexpensive device with a minimum set of functions will be sufficient. For professional use, it is worth overpaying and giving preference to powerful burners with wide functionality from a popular manufacturer.
We recommend that you read: How to weld profile pipes efficiently and correctly - recommendations from experts
As a rule, the selection of a tool is carried out according to the following criteria:
- Burner power. Determines the possibility of soldering thick-walled copper pipes and large-diameter products.
- Fuel type. Propane, butane, acetylene, MAPP gas, etc.
- Area of use. A torch for soldering pipes is not always suitable for cutting, and vice versa.
- The material to be worked with. Copper can be easily soldered to other metals: bronze, steel, nickel.
Among the specific models of gas burners presented on the modern market, we can distinguish the products of several large manufacturers:
- Kemper. An Italian brand that produces burners powered by disposable gas cylinders. The kit includes replacement nozzles.
- Rems. A German manufacturer that produces burners with turbocharging and self-ignition. The devices work with several types of flammable mixtures and are used for soft or hard soldering of pipes with a cross-section of up to 64 mm. The flame heats up to 2500°C.
- Virax. The burners operate on propane and are equipped with a piezoelectric ignition mechanism. The average cost is 4500 rubles.
- Donmet. Produces hand torches in the mid-price category. The devices are equipped with a set of nozzles and operate on different gas mixtures.
- Kovica. A Chinese budget brand that produces models with disposable propane cylinders. The cost of the instrument starts from 1500 rubles.
- Castolin. Produces a universal tool capable of working with several types of fuel. The burner modification includes a flame retainer, a set of nozzles, and a combustion intensity regulator.
- Also, good quality devices are produced under the brands Rothenberger, Allgaz, Profi-Tools.
If a gas burner is not at hand, a hair dryer can take over its functions. The device is not so convenient to use, but it is capable of heating a stream of air to temperatures sufficient to melt soft solder.
