All About Copper Pipe | This Old House

[@tealpaintbrush1797]

I have to sooner or later replace the underground water line connecting from outside my house to the city's water meter line. Should I go with Type K or L?

[@narutosasuke8580]

Can I use type K Copper inside the house if I want to? Will it last longer since it’s thicker?

[@davetysdal5442]

Sure but it's really expensive and hard to find.

[@roostertheCat]

I was resistant to transitioning from copper to pex for many years. However, when I purchased a rental property that had been completely outfitted with Pex A tubing waterlines, I changed my sentiment. No soldering of joints; no oxidation of the pipes leading to leaks that need to be repaired; and much more flexibility in the tubing leading to less joints. Plus, after I transitioned two of my other properties to Pex A, I was able to offset the cost of materials and net a profit from taking the scrap copper to the metal yard!

[@shartlover420]

sounds like a PEX company advertisement

[@aut0turret]

Hope your tenants like microplastics in their drinking water...

[@Luckingsworth]

Poisining water for geberations to come to save a few bucks today! The boomer way!

[@azdeh1894]

Pex is the least concerning issues regarding water safety, city pipes tend to be corroded and full of bacteria... people need to be filtering their water regardless of pipes used. @@aut0turret

[@AStanton1966]

Rich should of showed a slip joint fitting. That could come in handy for repair work where you are swapping something out. I just discovered them by watching another plumber on YT. You can also take the convectional joint fitting and file down the inside stops --in a pinch.

[@ofiasdfnosdf]

I'm remodeling a 40-year old bathroom and discovered a set of what looks like foam tubing-insulated 1/4" pipes next to a set of 3/4" copper pipes. Why would they have installed both?

[@worldview730]

1:08, what's confusing is the type of temperatures for the type "M" pipe? Baseboard heating, or hot water feed line temperature, (which is less than the baseboard temps). Because why would they make half inch if it's just for a heating pipe?

[@oscaraaronmendoza7858]

There is a transition of Soft copper whit thick copper ? It works

[@joestallings6993]

Where does the name "street" elbow come from. I've always wondered...

[@skipedwards1751]

What about type K

[@pbgd3]

Story as I've always heard it was that they were commonly used to hook to gas pipe at the street and known as service elbows, which then lead to them being known as street elbows. This would be a fem to male pipe thread elbow.

[@whez08]

3/4 coupling is a little wider than a 3/4 pipe, right?

[@Vanilla_Icecream1231]

Yes

[@tomatexelon]

Are fittings L or M? Do home inspectors check if I have L pipe (Thicker) on M fittings (Thinner)? - Or are fittings all L ?

[@jamese9283]

Fittings all same type.

[@dannooo548]

Sooner or later...

[@davetysdal5442]

There is more. Type K is even thicker. DWV copper. Even medical gas copper. ACR for refrigeration...

[@skipwavedx5151]

And that coil of soft copper? you said nothing.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Only came to read comments by "experts" slamming Richard that he knows nothing about copper.

[@geojor]

good one, thanks...

[@Arieeeee]

I will always trust Copper more than Pex.

[@junjiawei6531]

Arie why you trust copper than PEX, pex carries water more fluent , not easily corroded

[@thomasblue6064]

Why?

[@Luckingsworth]

I agree. Plastics poison our water system. Every decade the newest greatest plastic comes out and every 30 years after "whoops it causes cancer". Personally I would go stainless steel over copper these days though.

[@TheNimshew]

@@thomasblue6064 Copper is anti-bacterial. As is Linoleum. It's also recyclable.

[@MemoGrafix]

@@junjiawei6531 - Copper been in My 1st house for 33 years never had corrosion. Pex is good for quick TEMPORARY plumbing fix. Otherwise I stay away from it.

[@TheNimshew]

1/2" x 1/2" x 3/4" tee is commonly called a bullhead tee.

[@jamesfeth7484]

Can you braze copper for use in an underground water line

[@cuylarHD]

Any reason why someone wouldn’t use a conduit bender rather than a 45° or 90° bend?

[@J_Allen3556]

I don't believe copper bends like conduit.

[@benjaminkluge7897]

Conduit has a different Outside Diameter and doesn't match, therefore a conduit bender will kink copper pipe... at least if you try to bend a 90° turn. You MIGHT be able to get away with it if you only go 30 or 45°, but I wouldn't go any further than that. Another trick is to go up a line size on your bender...) i.e. using a 3/4" bender on 1/2" pipe.) This will lead to a much larger bending radius but I still wouldn't push my luck bending a 90. Go with a fitting for anything over 30°.

[@alemgas]

@@benjaminkluge7897 we use bending machines all the time in UK can bend 180degrees this a manual machine maybe your copper is shite,also why don't you have pre solders fittings, 40 years behind mate

[@ryans413]

I was cleaning my baseboard heating and the cleaning spray I was using turned the copper pipe red I was worried I was doing damage so I stopped using the sprays. Cleaned the pipe and it didn’t feel like the chemicals ate through the pipe but it went from brown looking to red. I should have known better.

[@asharma5958]

Never send Kevin to the supply house LOL

[@Jimddddd1981]

He shouldn’t just assume the copper fitting’s gender like that.

[@Engineer9736]

Be careful or you will get a lesbian feminist copper fitting after you ;-)

[@thebeststooge]

CJW movement?

[@captiand387]

plumbing is a mans job. there are only two genders male, female. you assume them by their looks. Jim D, Richard your are gay stop criticising the plumbers

[@insanemustaine111]

joke went way over your head i see

[@dalkhal]

Jim D hahahahaha

[@rogerdale5451]

1/2 inch is actually 5/8ths inch o.d.(outside dimension), and 3/4 measures 7/8ths inch o.d.

[@raybonz7939]

Odd that you can't use M grade copper pipe for domestic water but the fittings appear to be M grade..

[@DDunc1020]

Fittings are all the same no difference

[@tomatexelon]

I wondered the same thing .

[@jamese9283]

You can use M, depends on the state.

[@worldview730]

Baseboard heaters all use 3/4" type "M" around my way on the east coast

[@raybonz7939]

@@worldview730 yes same here in Mass. Now they use PEX..

[@kylegriffin5583]

All about copper but they don't even talk about the copper press fittings.....?

[@azdeh1894]

the info would still apply to press fittings

[@greenspiraldragon]

People love copper pipes, and complain about plastic pipes leaching. Copper oxide is highly toxic. Iorn rust is non-toxic. Just food for thought.

[@flat-earther]

What's best then, galvanized steel pipe?

[@xandror]

@@flat-earther Pex A. Lasts forever, doesn't explode when it freezes, flexible.

[@flat-earther]

@@xandror Okay that's great. I heard rodents have chewed through Pex though. BTW xandror I suggest watch a 13 part series called _What on earth happened_ by Ewaranon to learn that the earth is not a globe. I got it in my about tab.

[@arshooter1]

Didn't see a slip coupling

[@vipleather]

The exterior water faucet should have been bushed with brass not to copper.

[@flat-earther]

What's the problem with copper

[@LTDANMAN44]

horray for copper!

[@970357ers]

No pipe benders shown? One for the amateur I guess.

[@kalijasin]

No press fittings or shark bite fittings either.

[@1omar1111]

I see copper pipes in a home I run. You are going deal with leaks all over your home.

[@jamese9283]

Why leaks?

[@กิตติพลขาวงาม]

Mr.kittipon khaongam

[@you_worm3340]

Learned nothing...

[@stokiechris462]

plumbing is wank