How to solder an aluminum tube at home: expert advice

Judging by the reviews, many home craftsmen are faced with the need to connect aluminum tubes. In most cases, this task is performed by rolling - a simple, accessible and equipment-safe method. However, sometimes it is necessary to solder aluminum tubes. If you have basic technical knowledge, then you can cope with this task yourself. You will learn how to solder an aluminum tube at home from this article.

What is special about the work?

According to experts, air conditioners are not equipped with spare pipes. Therefore, you will have to go to a hardware store to get them.

You can also get a copper tube that contains silver impurities. The main thing is that the product is not subject to corrosion and can withstand significant pressure and temperature changes without deformation. How to solder an aluminum tube? You can use two methods, namely high and low temperature. In the first case, a temperature of at least 600 degrees is required to melt the solder. Also, this indicator can reach 900. The method is intended for working with tubes that can withstand heavy loads. Low temperature is used for pipes with less load in refrigeration units. If you have to work with soft solder, then the temperature reaches 450 degrees, and more with hard solder.

Main selection criteria

When choosing aluminum pipes for the construction of a particular facility, the following aspects should be taken into account:

• pipe manufacturing method;
• diameter, shape and other dimensions.

Pipe making methods

In modern production, the following methods for manufacturing aluminum pipes are used:

• cold deformation. A pipe with specified parameters is made from an aluminum circle by drawing and subsequent calibration. This method makes it possible to produce pipes with precise dimensions, including minimum diameters and high quality. The main disadvantage is the high cost;

Cold deformation pipe manufacturing technology

• pressing. Heated aluminum billets are passed through a special press with specified parameters. Pressed pipes are characterized by increased resistance to mechanical stress;

Production of pipes by pressing method

• welding An aluminum billet with specified dimensions is bent into the shape of a pipe. The ends of the workpiece are welded together. Pipes made by welding are most susceptible to cracking under high pressure or mechanical stress. Therefore, it is recommended to use them exclusively for domestic purposes and within reach for inspection and repair work.

Pipe production by welding

Selection of basic parameters

Aluminum pipes can be round, square, rectangular:

• round and oval pipes are mainly used in the construction of pipelines and ventilation systems;
• square and rectangular (profile) pipes are used for laying cables, constructing building frames, and constructing various structures.

About materials and equipment

Before soldering an aluminum tube, obtain the following tools:

• Pipe cutter. It is necessary to prepare the end of the tube, which will be connected using solder.
• Pipe bender. If you work without this tool, then, most likely, creases will form on the tube, which will negatively affect the passability. Using a pipe bender, you can bend pipes at the desired angle.
• Soldering iron and gas torch.
• Solder. It can be hard or soft. Hermetic and durable soldering directly depends on the cleanliness of the surface.

Of course, you will have to purchase the handset itself. Its diameter depends on the power of the equipment. The more powerful it is, therefore, the larger the diameter. The price of the product will depend on its technical characteristics, the properties of the metal and the brand of the manufacturer. According to experts, you should not save on aluminum tubes, as this will affect the quality of the device and its service life.

Welding aluminum is not an easy task

The high electrical and thermal conductivity of aluminum, very low weight, combined with the excellent mechanical properties of its alloys, have made this material simply irreplaceable in many areas of production. But for all its unique properties, this metal is very difficult to weld. The ability to weld aluminum with high quality is what distinguishes a highly qualified welder from an amateur welder.

There are two main methods of welding aluminum parts:

• MIG welding of aluminum semi-automatically
• Argon arc TIG welding of aluminum

Sometimes there is a need to connect aluminum parts to each other, but there is no suitable welding machine or professional welder at hand, and the strength of the connection does not play a special role. In this case, the method described in our video instructions will come to the rescue.

You will need:

• Propane torch
• Aluminum soldering rods
• Surface degreasing liquid
• Clamps for holding parts together

About solders

For those who do not know how to solder an aluminum air conditioner tube, we can recommend using copper-phosphorus and silver solders. For copper products, it is better to replace phosphorus with solder, which contains silver ions. The fact is that the phosphorus substance is quite brittle in alloys in which the amount of nickel exceeds 10%. If the solid solder contains cadmium, then you will have to worry about your health, since cadmium fumes can poison your body. Before soldering an aluminum tube in the refrigerator, you should determine the type of connection. For example, copper with copper, with steel and with aluminum.

In the first case, you will have to work with copper solder. The joint must be heated to 600 degrees using a burner (it will become dark cherry color). Next, the solder should be dipped in flux. For melting to occur, you need to press the rod against the heated joint. Steel-to-steel and copper-to-steel joints are treated with silver-containing solder, which is also called silver. Solder with a higher silver content will require a lower temperature to melt. In addition, it has better wettability and streamlining, unlike copper-phosphorus, which requires a higher temperature to melt.

Types of fittings

Couplings are the most commonly used type of fitting elements. High-quality couplings with fasteners allow you to quickly and reliably ensure reliable joining of two or more pipes. A variation of it called the Gebo coupling is also often used.

Flanges with rubber gaskets ensure reliable joining of pipes. It is preferable to select such elements with a large cross-section.

Also, the question of how to connect an aluminum pipe to each other can be answered by a device such as a repair and installation clip. This is a coupling or triple type of fitting, consisting of 2 parts attached to each other. This is a very good way for an express option for joining pipes - for example, in case of an accident or other emergency situation.

No less effective and simple is the method of joining pipes using a clamp, which ensures a reliable connection. It tightens on one side, which makes it different from a clip. The connection is therefore considered more durable.

Flux

Due to the specific chemical structure of aluminum, you may encounter difficulties during soldering. The reason is that aluminum is a fairly reactive metal.

This means that the reagents can be different chemicals. When this non-ferrous metal interacts with oxygen, the formation of a very thin and at the same time unusually strong oxide film is observed on the surface of the product. Due to the fact that the properties of aluminum and its oxide are completely opposite, the formation of this film should be completely eliminated. For this purpose you will need flux.

With the help of this auxiliary material, oxides are removed from the solder and the surface of the product being soldered. In addition, flux prevents their formation. Judging by the reviews, the best brand is F-64 with 40% active fluorine content. After work, the surface to be soldered must be washed. Flux A-214 is considered a universal no-clean agent with a melting point from 150 to 400 degrees. After work, its residues can be easily removed with a regular napkin, which is pre-moistened with alcohol.

Polyethylene

Polyethylene pipes are used:

• For laying pressure sewerage;
• As a material for cold water supply lines;
• When organizing country water supply systems;
• When installing a non-pressure sewer system.

When installing a polyethylene sewer system, the connection of HDPE pipes is no different from that for socketed PVC pipes with ring seals.

The black sewer pipe is polyethylene.

For pressure water pipes, two fundamentally different installation methods are used.

Butt welding

Diameter: from 40 to 2400 mm.

Wall thickness: from 4 to 70 mm.

Advantage: the strength of the seam reaches 80% of the strength of a monolithic pipe.

Disadvantage: when joining large diameter pipelines, expensive equipment and mechanical or hydraulic devices for centering and clamping are required.

The pipe clamping force during butt welding should reach 1.5 kgf/cm. In this case, the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe cut can amount to thousands of square centimeters.

Technology:

1. The pipe ends only at right angles to the longitudinal axis;
2. The ends to be welded are centered;
3. A heater mirror is inserted between them;
4. After melting, the mirror is removed, and the ends of the pipes are pressed against each other;
5. After the joint has completely cooled, the flash (extruded polymer melt) is mechanically cleaned off on the inside of the pipe.

Compression fittings

How to connect HDPE pipes with a small diameter and insignificant wall thickness?

In this case, the already familiar compression fittings are used.

Diameter: 16 - 32 mm.

Wall thickness: any.

Advantages: simple installation without tools, quick disassembly.

Disadvantage: relatively low tensile strength.

Technology:

1. A union nut, a locking ring and a rubber or polyethylene seal are sequentially put on the pipe;
2. Its end is inserted into the fitting;
3. The nut is tightened, compressing the pipe with a seal.

What is the essence of the procedure?

Before soldering an aluminum tube, you should understand what the soldering process is. The formation of connections by soldering occurs in two stages. First, physical contact is created between the surfaces. Next, the physical contact is transformed into a quantum mechanical interaction between the electron shells of atoms. To initiate physical contact between the surfaces and further chemical bonding, the soldered metal is wetted using liquid solder. The feasibility of its use depends on such an indicator as the type of interatomic forces on the contacting surfaces. If physical adsorption is observed, then as a result of wetting with liquid solder a low-strength connection will be obtained. If liquid and solid metals react chemically, a strong bond is formed by wetting.

How to connect two pipes of the same diameter: current methods for independent implementation

In this article we will look at the instructions for connecting one-size pipes made of different materials. The topic of the article is interesting, since the market offers a wide range of different pipes, which differ from each other not only in operational and technical characteristics, but also in different methods of joining into a single system.

But, before considering the specifics of installation work, let’s consider what types of plumbing accessories can be purchased.

The figure shows a threaded connection of heating pipes made using a coupling

Classification

Dismountable connection of profile pipes with bolts during greenhouse construction

All water pipes, in accordance with the production materials used in their manufacture, are divided into the following categories:

• metal modifications;
• polymer modifications;
• metal-plastic products.

Important: Each of these modifications is presented on the market with a wide range of products, which are characterized by one or another connection method. Therefore, when planning the installation of water supply in your apartment or country house, you need to take the choice of materials and connection methods with maximum responsibility, since the price, durability and appearance of the finished system largely depend on this.

So, let's look at how to independently connect the mixer to the pipe.

Joining of metal pipes

Threaded connection on a steel water pipe

In the process of installing metal (cast iron, steel and copper) plumbing and heating systems, threaded and welded joints are used.

Let's look at each of these methods in detail:

1. Threaded installation, which, by the way, also includes American pipe connection, is a technology that allows you to assemble water pipes from elements with the same cross-sectional diameters.

To do this, a thread is cut at the ends of both pipes, over which a special metal coupling is screwed - a fitting. Using special fittings, you can assemble both straight and curved plumbing and heating systems.

The fitting used on such structures has an internal thread, while the pipes have an external thread. If fittings for installation are purchased with already cut threads, then on the joined elements you will have to cut them yourself using dies.

Among the advantages of the technology, we note the strength and durability of the finished result. In addition, if necessary, the threaded fitting can be unscrewed and the entire structure can be disassembled in order to repair the damage or redo it.

Important: As a rule, standard threads are used on pipes and fittings. But if you purchase foreign-made accessories from little-known brands, you need to make sure that the product will correspond to the metric thread type.

1. Installation of plumbing systems using welding is rarely used. The main disadvantage of a welded joint is the impossibility of making it yourself, since a professional welder with special equipment and experience in using this equipment can handle such work.

To install two pipes of the same size, the following types of welded joints are used:

• transverse butt (without boring or with internal boring) with a backing ring;
• longitudinal butt (without edge bevel or with bevel) with one-sided seam;
• transverse butt with one-sided seam;
• one-sided corner;
• double-sided corner;
• socket overlap.

The butt joint is the most common, as the finished result is characterized by high strength, provided that the joined elements are correctly centered.

If a water pipe with an internal diameter of up to 500 mm is being assembled, a one-sided seam is welded, the strength of which is quite sufficient. If the diameter is larger, the root of the seam is welded from the inside, resulting in increased strength of the joint.

A weld is considered the optimal type of connection when installing industrial water pipelines, but it is used extremely rarely in everyday life due to the high cost of the finished version and cramped conditions for using a welding machine.

Brazing of copper components is a technique used in the assembly of premium plumbing systems.

The installation principle is as follows:

• the ends of the joined elements are cleaned and covered with solder;
• the inner surface of the fitting is cleaned and coated with solder;
• the pipe is inserted into the fitting and heated with a burner;
• After the solder cools, a strong and durable coupling joint is obtained.

Heating of surfaces

For those who do not know how to solder an aluminum tube and where to start, experts recommend pre-preparing the surfaces of the parts to be joined. They are heated with a sheaf of flame. It is advisable that it be at a distance of 1 cm from the surface. If you need to connect massive parts, it is better to use multi-nozzle burners with soft and uniform heating. Copper-zinc solders are melted using an oxidizing flame, in which the evaporation of zinc is reduced.

Stainless steels are heated with a normal flame. The main thing is that chromium carbides, which can initiate intergranular corrosion, are not formed. If you need to solder dissimilar parts that have different thicknesses, then the flame must be directed to a surface with greater thermal conductivity and mass.

Installation with threaded connection

How to connect iron pipes without welding will be discussed further, but in this article you can find out. To make docking, this method is very common.

The threaded connection can be located in places on the highway where conditions allow for constant monitoring of the joint. At the same time, it should be possible to carry out repair work if necessary.

Most often, threads are rolled using special equipment, but such work can be done independently.

It is performed in the following sequence:

About flame soldering

In this case, you will need a special burner that runs on household gas, propane or acetylene. It is used for heating parts whose thickness does not exceed 1 cm. In addition to aluminum, acetylene torches are used for heating and soldering carbon and low-alloy steels, gray cast iron, copper, nickel, copper-nickel alloys, silver and gold. It is necessary to determine the temperature at which soldering will be carried out. It is important that this indicator is 50 degrees higher than the melting point of the solder used. For flame soldering, tin-lead, tin-zinc, copper, silver, aluminum and gold solders are suitable. The procedure lasts for three minutes. Propane is supplied under pressure up to 400 kPa (not lower than 100), acetylene from 60 to 80, household gas - 30 kPa. When choosing a flux, you will have to proceed from the temperature indicators and properties of the solder. You can also use gaseous fluxes.

Polypropylene

The only widely used method of connecting propylene pipes is socket welding

. For this purpose, a monolithic polypropylene coupling is used.

Diameters: 20-110 mm.

Wall thickness: any.

Advantage: the connection is as strong as a solid pipe.

Disadvantages: requires a special tool (low-temperature soldering iron); The connection is permanent and can only be cut.

Technology:

1. The pipe is cut with a pipe cutter or a regular hacksaw;
2. The outer chamfer is removed;

For PN25 aluminum foil reinforced pipe, stripping of aluminum foil in the welding area is required. For this purpose, a hand shaver or a drill attachment with similar functionality is used.

1. The pipe is inserted into a soldering iron nozzle of the appropriate diameter heated to 240 degrees. At the same time, the second side of the nozzle is used to melt the coupling;

1. The fitting and pipe are combined with a smooth translational movement and fixed until the polymer melt sets. The fixation, heating and cooling times are predictably determined by the pipe cross-section. For the convenience of the reader, I will collect all the recommended parameters in one table.

Causes of breakdowns

It may be that the aluminum tubes in the car's air conditioner are simply clogged. This happens mainly in winter when the air conditioner is not working. As contaminants accumulate between the radiators in the air conditioner and engine, the entire line becomes clogged. As a result, the refrigerant will circulate and mix with moisture no longer fully. Due to the presence of reagents, disturbances in moisture levels and temperature changes, the aluminum from which the tubes are made is destroyed. Thus, their operational life depends on the climate, temperature conditions, characteristics of the road surface, participation in road accidents and general loads on the vehicle. Together, these factors will negatively affect the condition of the cooling system.

Where to begin?

First of all, you need to diagnose the device. According to experts, it will be difficult to do this by eye. The fact is that the tube may have microcracks through which freon leaks. Since the refrigerant is colorless, its leakage is detected using special equipment. They start with an external inspection, then measure the refrigerant pressure, and then use ultraviolet diagnostics and a leak detector to determine the location of the freon leak. If you do not want to waste your time troubleshooting, immediately use the services of specialists. For example, in the southeast of Moscow you can solder an aluminum tube in several car repair shops. For example, at Red Hot Service, in addition to soldering the pipes of the cooling device, they will also perform other work, namely, they will change the oil, refill the air conditioner, and repair electrical equipment.

Repairing small cracks

For those who do not know how to solder an aluminum tube, experienced craftsmen will recommend using special compounds. If the tubes in your air conditioner have very small cracks that are barely visible to the eye, then you can do without argon-arc welding. Special patches are applied to the holes in the tubes. It is important that their thickness is at least 3 mm. To do this, aluminum tubes should be coated with the mixture in several layers. If the cracks are large, then you cannot do without argon-arc welding. Its advantage is that it eliminates contact of the surface with oxygen, and, consequently, the formation of oxides. Thus, when working with argon-arc welding, you can do without flux.

Work progress

Judging by numerous consumer reviews, anyone can do this job, even with little soldering experience. To get started, purchase a pipe cutter, a special bending machine and welding equipment. Some home craftsmen use a hacksaw instead of a pipe cutter. According to experts, this should not be done, since the quality of work will not be the same. A pipe bender can be universal (it works with different diameters) and specific (designed for pipes of a certain diameter).

Next, you should buy aluminum tubes, cut them to the required length and bend them on a bending machine. After preparing the pipes, start cutting the fittings and connect everything into one system. Before connecting, clean the tubes thoroughly using sandpaper or a wire brush. If grease, paint or soil remains on the products, the adhesion of the metal to the solder will be worse. If you want to connect two tubes, insert them into each other so that there is a small gap (0.2 cm), which will later be filled with molten solder. After completing these steps, you can proceed directly to the soldering itself.

It's simple - How to connect plastic and metal pipes without welding || STROIM-GRAMOTNO.RU

1. Pipe fittings
2. Threaded connection
3. Cutting
4. Complex option

the entire water supply system and only from the pipes, as you wanted, everything will not work out. The heating radiators and heated towel rails are still made of metal. To prevent emergency situations of leaking joints, you need to know how to connect plastic metal pipes by welding.

Fittings for PVC and pipes

Times, in stores the necessary element is almost impossible, fortunately, for a long time. Therefore, combining and plastic, the need to invent Everything has already been invented, produced and displayed on You will only have to go to pay for the purchase (it’s too expensive for you) to bring home. The main thing is to buy what suits you and the metal pipe.

By the way, fittings designed specifically for the joints of metal plastic pipes are high-quality products that will serve you well, provided you can install them correctly.

threaded

Since there are plastic and pipes without, there are several to begin with, the most popular ones.

So, you have a metal pipe, on its own there is a thread for another one. And for the question of how it is with a plastic one that has threads, you again need to go to the store to buy it. The fitting you will purchase is a coupling, with a threaded bushing fused into one. Please note that American ones are for different pipes being connected.

In this connection the metal plastic pipes are as follows:

1. Using a special soldering iron for pipes, weld onto the pipe. cooling of the joint.
2. metal pipe, put it on another and screw it in. To seal, you can use
3. Turn on the water and make sure there are no leaks. turn off the leak again, unscrew the nut, and repeat the procedure again with the old FUM tape.

Cutting

Thread dies

If there are no plastic pipes on your pipe (this happens, you decide to replace existing plastic pipes in your apartment or apartment), you will have to thread them first. Do this using something called a thread cutter. They can also be electric. you will depend only on its availability to you.

An electric thread cutter is not made from Therefore, if you need it for one or two times a day, rent it from someone, don’t buy it. True, it is easier for them than with a ruler, so you don’t have to put any effort (to hold the pipe in place if it comes out of you. The thread cutter kit includes types of rulers for different pipes.

Please note: If the distance of the pipe to is too small, you can simply put it on the pipe. it’s also quick enough for you to take breaks from work, cutting into several

Regardless of which thread cutter you use, there are some that are necessary to get the result neatly to the required length:

1. Before starting work, you need to clean the existing paint.
2. If the surface of the pipe has metal stains, it is necessary to
3. When using a manual one, try not to first go forward, then turn back, repeat everything until the thread is the right length for you.

option

Clamp coupling

The connection with the help guarantees a tight seal. However, there are times when, when thinking about connecting plastic metal pipes by welding, you abandon the path. This usually happens because the metal is too long or located so that you can’t cut a thread on it.

In this case you will have to use a complex option, which some consider unreliable. In fact, this is true, and you are correct, the plastic pipes will last quite a long time.

To connect the two you will need a Quick coupling (made in Poland):

1. Clean metal pipe of old paint.
2. Take the coupling into your hands and disassemble its elements.
3. Consistently onto the metal parts of the coupling. from seal to end should be less than 10
4. Carefully insert the metal pipe into the connecting body, then push in all the rings and the nut.
5. So the coupling of the reverse side is threaded, then you can connect the metal one with the American one to the pipe

When choosing this connection, it is not that Quick couplings are available in different diameters. And if you have a coupling on a pipe, then you most likely bought the wrong thing for you

Well, to check how much you have tightened on the pipe, pull the second pipe, so as not to tear it out of the wall, it should not be along the pipe.

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