Bending copper tubing solar hot water heat exchanger Detailed Version

[@WhatDadIsUpTo]

48 years a plumber here. Very fine silica sand, like the stuff used in ashtrays at hotels, is far and away easier to use than water.

[@kroscuro]

Yup - no worry about leaks.

[@doesntmatter8307]

Finally I find a useful technique to bend a Copper Pipe into a Spiral, other Techniques on KZbin Included Filling the Pipe Either with Fine Salt, or Fine Black pepper...neither ways worked out for me, and I had to saw the pipe to unclog the bended Pipe, I think this way should do, now back to the Hardware shop to by more copper pipe to try & bend, Thanks.

[@kroscuro]

What a waste of pepper that would be- why on earth would they use it? Sand would have the same effect.

[@andytuesday500]

You’re a genius. I’m a pipe fitter and like any thing I have never seen. Very cool thinking out of the box tricks 🔥💪😁

[@keithr8212]

Nice tip. I will try that. The other day i was bending copper tubing and it ended up with all kinds of kinks. Thanks for sharing. Hope mom, and the rest of your family are doing well.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Hi Keith, We all are good and thank you for the nice comment. Hope all is well with you too.

[@spiderwort6291]

Thanks for the info! 👍🏻. It’s awesome when people like you try to transfer your knowledge to us. So much appreciated 🥰

[@AjLloyd-uy2tr]

all that Fresnel Lense power went straight to your biceps. Thanks for posting Dan - we really enjoy your work

[@GlobalTubeTruth]

Hey Dan, when bending the copper tube around the larger pipe, it might be worth a try to lay the pipe on the ground, and tape the copper to the pipe, then roll the pipe on the floor, or on a work table. Take care to not crush or flatten the copper. Another way might be to use a short piece of pipe inserted into a lathe, or some kind of slow rotating mechanical device that you can use to wind the copper around the pipe without as much effort. I also believe that using sand instead of water is easier, but water seems to work well too. Thanks for the demo.

[@jonburgmann]

U-groove bearings can be used to get tight bends with a bending jig remember you can bend a coil diameter of 4x the diameter of the tube you are using so 1/4” tubing can be wound into a 1” diameter coil minimum

[@johnspathonis1078]

What a great idea. Thank you. I have heard about a special metal that is used to fill thin tubes before bending. The metal melts out with hot water.

[@jeremyacton4569]

It is great to see you uploading again. I have been a fan for years. Your tech solutions are the future. Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa, where Fresnel lenses are difficult to find.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Thank you so much for the nice comment and sticking around Jeremy!!!

[@djyul]

I have one want to buy it?

[@jcims]

@@GREENPOWERSCIENCE Same here. Looked for an old video of yours and realized I had become unsubscribed. Hope all is well.

[@attitudeadjusted9027]

@@GREENPOWERSCIENCE shark bite caps work great and you can take them off and reuse them.

[@Chimel31]

Great tip about filling the tubing with water. The coil at the end of the video was perfect, but the twisted tubing in the first part of the video, not so much. Suggestions to improve is to use a slightly bigger rounded shape for the end of the twist, and fix it and the end of the twist securely, because it just looks like the tubing is almost folded in two and about to snap. You need a really rounded shape to keep the water flowing impeded. Also, instead of laying out the two copper arms in parallel on the table before twisting them, they probably need to form a V so you can take each arm and twist them equally. Using a small wooden structure that you run the two arms of tubing through and that you just turn like a key may ensure a perfectly equal twisting of both arms. Your device basically had one arm that's nearly straight and the other that's twisted around it, when what you want for a heat exchanger is the two arms twisted around each other equally. I am planning on putting a metal coil around a rocket stove-like chimney, behind the walls of the chimney of course, because these things get crazy hot, or maybe a double coil, one for water, one for air, if that does not affect performance too much. I need to check the temperatures and flowing volumes I need to find out which metals fit, or if I even need metal at all for the air flow, and what diameters I need for both water and air. Still a lot to do on the drawing table, all these ideas are interesting but could take me too far for too long!

[@maingun07]

Been subbed to you for years, long before that bell thing. You weren't showing up in my subs for the last couple of years so I figured you quit YT. Today I look and there you are. YT is not listing all of my subs new content on my subscription page, only what their algorithm thinks I might want to watch. Clicked the bell. Love you two but I'm really getting getting tired of youtube's dystopian policies. I'll be hitting the website to make sure I don't miss anything.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

KZbin has been favoring viral content so even with all the subs, we average less than 1% views to subs. Bigger channels have more of a chance so I took some time off to figure out what is up but not much I can do unless the videos get shared. The website is still active but they change things there too so a lot of my embedded videos no longer show up so, time to rebuild 200 pages :-/ Thank you so much for the nice comment!!!!

[@patto2006]

Longtime fan here. So glad to see you back. Well presented and informative video as always. Cheers from Australia

[@louispeters2105]

Hot glue was genius... earned the like!

[@MrPittbull30]

Very cool video I have seen a very similar method to this with the exception of freezing the water inside the copper tubing. That method ensures that you can wind and/or bend the tubing as tight as you want without the slightest kinks or crimping occuring.

[@AjLloyd-uy2tr]

You are the man Dan. I appreciate all I have learned from you. I hope you and Denise are doing well.

[@MegaBadwolf]

Delighted to hear an American realise it's called SOLDer not SODDER! Thanks you!

[@kroscuro]

Then why don't you pronounce the 'U' in COLOUR?

[@russellborrego1689]

Always love seeing a new video from you guys, been following you so many years and there's always something fun. 👍👍

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Thank you so much Russell for enjoying our videos!

[@h7opolo]

He's back!

[@scepticproductionltd2432]

h7o Πάλι

[@h7opolo]

@@scepticproductionltd2432 what do you mean?

[@marco_the_maker]

Haven’t watch y’all in a while, dude you got jacked!

[@RadicallyLowly]

Great Techniques for pipe bending👍🏼 ...ty for Sharing 😀

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Thank you Rich.

[@km234able]

Useful video Thank you I feel your pain on neighbour noise! Ive got one myself constantly, day in day out with workers, machinery etc Overpowers the bird song and, well, pretty much everything really!

[@mduvigneaud]

Awesome, Dan! I'll definitely have to try this technique. :D In the past I've used sand for bending copper tubing with, um... mixed results, and getting all of the sand back out is... "fun."

[@2007rgallo]

an old man, years ago, showed me how to bend tube by filling it with sand, just black tape the ends.

[@ICarus-eu3jv]

A scene out of Flight of the Phoenix (1964.)

[@David-bc4rh]

does this work well? It feels like it does.

[@peterbeyer5755]

2007rgallo fill it with water,freeze, bend

[@freemanfgteevty6438]

That's what I did (40 years ago). I used parakeet birdseed or something and an oxy-acetylene torch to do the bending. Worked great, even for a very tight circle. I was bending around a 1/4" pipe.

[@steveswhirld]

@@peterbeyer5755 lol

[@adventurious1234]

Excellent... might have ta tinker my way towards this concept...im just routing the water up to the solar heat collector right now

[@Richkandoo]

Great way to get the job done. Sand or steel shot is harder to get out and still flattens a bit. I like the way you are always looking for a better way to get things done.

[@TebTengri]

Been a while since I've seen a video from you guys. Not sure if KZbin hasn't showed me or y'all haven't posted any. Love your vids

[@nonyabusiness9747]

Dan what are you up to these days? Miss your inspiring videos! /I often think it would be cool if you visited people and helped them with their projects!

[@KL3NCH]

Nice! Neat approach to the "problem". I like your style.

[@CyberRecycle]

hi Dan. still going strong 👌 [pun intended]. cheers from Australia. (you inspired me to start my channel) 👍🍀

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

And a good channel it is….Nice work!!!

[@nocapitals9833]

Your videos are so helpful, thanks

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

You're very welcome!

[@zeusjuri4694]

Máš výborné a poučné videa. Jen tak dál.

[@riftalope]

My dad had a flaring jig and a testing jig. They were both like locking pliers for copper pipe (half inch). He'd use them together for bending because the tester's little air pump could be hooked to a hose and put in a bucket. ... Though I don't think he used them to bend more than 45 degrees. Also, he put teflon tape on the flaring clamp.

[@rogers906]

I have hooked up many diswashers and icemakers. Unless you are doing some crazy bends, I insert a nylon rope inside the tube and i can make 45 90 180 and a few spiran bends without deforming the pipe. The nylon rope comes out easy and if it is a long piece i wiput some dish washing liquid on the rope. No messing with glue gun etc.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

This is the first part for solar water heaters. Yard is a mess and neighborhood noisy like usual.

[@thebeststooge]

I have a use for this and not for solar. Copper is so expensive now that one kink or flatten out spot is time to go berserk.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

I know it can be frustrating. I bought one of those hand plier benders and it was okay for a bend but that was it , you still can kink with water if you try but it helps prevent it a lot.

[@thebeststooge]

@GREENPOWERSCIENCE I have a need as a big coil to sit in a Home Depot bucket that is filled with water. The tube goes to a chiller and sitting inside the coil is a water pump so I need something about the size of the stainless coil you had.

[@Glym123]

Thank. Rather, shoot the following videos. I’ve been watching your channel for a long time, all the information is very interesting! Regards from Russia!

[@MTnumber11]

Someones been hitting the weights hard, dam tho... GET TO THE CHOPPA

[@theryanwitski]

You must have been bending those all month. Your getting buff! Or it's been a crazy long time since I have seen a video. Loved the one on grid tie battery. I'm doing that at my house in a month or so

[@mnshp7548]

using sand for bending pipes works well, you can blow it out with an air compressor and it wont let the pipe kink

[@flyingbeaver57]

@MN SHP A fellow I know annealed the tubing, then filled it with using table salt, tamped with a piece of wooden dowel. He blew out the tubing and warmed it with hot air to make sure it was dry inside. Removing the salt was easy and rinsing with fresh water washed out any residue. One option if there's no fine sand on hand. I had some white sand for making mortar, stuff not used in an earlier project. It worked very well.

[@donotwantahandle1111]

...and you can use the fork of a tree to start the bend...

[@kroscuro]

That last coil would e perfect for a home-brew induction heater.

[@fritzlottmann7449]

Hi, Dan Amazing video; great trick... Much better than the 'normal' sand filling... I need those copper coils for a inductive heating device (with different diameters..).. and wind these over a 3D printed jig.. Thanks a lot for sharing Fritz (from Mainz, Germany

[@ryanstafford9717]

Dan ROJAS! Welcome back! Lots of fans have been waiting. Thanks for the video. Good to see you looking buff. I hope all is well. Keep the videos coming :)

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Hi Ryan, Thank you and I am working on videos right now! I have been working out 20 minutes a day and in the process of prepping a science 20 minute workout channel to see how that goes. Basic stuff people can do without weights and at home. Had a lot of people on Facebook suggest it so I plan on GPS videos every week or so and the new channel. Thank you again for the awesome comment.

[@limewoman1]

This is amazing, exactly what I needed for my project

[@rushentertainment]

Happy to see you back!!!

[@RnRollie]

nice variation on using fine sand or salt. however, a bit elaborate... just fill with water, stopper lightly, put in freezer for an hour or so; then work fast while the ice melts 😊

[@arkangel8709]

This is a good thing, to show others that are afraid to try Bending pipes. Now, Copper is probably the best of metal pipe, to bend, wheather you're making a coil pipe to transfer heat from the pipe of a wood stove, or doing something like what you are showing right now. But there are other types of pipe, some are special order, & are - not on - shelf, all the time. Hardware's are probably the best place to buy pipe for any purpose. Even pvc, pipe Can be bent. I use a propane torch, to heat the pvc, pipe to bend it, it's like anything else, practice makes perfect,. Now I funnel, sand into the pipe, before I try To bend it. I get the ( Play sand ) in bag's Put in a small baby swimming pool, from the Dollar store. That way I can work with it, Without it spilling out all over the place. The Play sand, I get is kinda sticky, & it's easyer to work with, and the pipe I usually get is 3/4 copper pipe. I have work with The 1/2 inch, but it's harder to get sand into, and sometimes" it will crimp" no matter what you do. I've made a pipe Bender, thats easyer for bending any pipe. It consist of Three Large Rollers, that can be changed out for smaller/or Larger, Rollers, they're adjustable" SO, That I can Work with the pipe I am bending" so, I can adjust the top roller, so - as to bring it down More & MORE as needed, also, The two bottom Two Rollers are also adjustable" so I can bring them, closer & closer to make a tighter" turn on the pipe.!! So, as to have a tighter spin on the coil of Copper pipe... Now" this seems to work best, on copper, pipe. However, it works on a lot of types of Pipes.!”⅝⁴! I've experimented on all kinds of other pipes. Okay, well, I like What you're doing, on you're channel, & I will keep watching, please make two videos A week, if possible. PS: I was thinking about a good idea, sagestions, one is For, some of you're videos, could be Re - done, with the newest, updated, Tech. Or with new stuff" to add, as, an update. Well, anyways" I really appreciate you,!! Plus I wanted to say, you're the greatest.!! And, I wanna be like you.!!

[@skeets6060]

Dude you have bulked up a bunch since the last video I saw,, years ago,, stay safe

[@Ketobbey]

Oh this was good. Can't wait for the next part. Thanks Dan

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Hi Ketobbey, Thank you for the nice comment. I should have it in a few days or so.

[@victoryfirst2878]

Nice job fella for sure.

[@1495978707]

It’s also possible to fill it with sand, or freeze the water inside it. This is how brass instruments are bent

[@Moose1207]

They sell this magic tool called a tubing bender, you should try it. much easier than messing around with trying to fill with water and sealing it.

[@johnbauby6612]

Instead of the crimp, hot glue electrocution method, consider putting your water filled copper in the freezer overnight and then bend your copper

[@matthewjenkins1161]

I think for all the aggro sealing the water in, I'd just use a push fit tap fitting at each end. Easy to get all the water out and pipe can still be crimped for belt and braces.

[@karolstruck9822]

If you use sand will be much easier for you. You can tap it in there put a piece of tape over the end and it's a lot easier. A lot less chance of it leaking out, as its larger. You will be a maze of the results. You could also use salt. But I like using sand. Make sure it's dry it will flow a lot easier. You can do extremely tight bends without kinking.

[@stevetadlock5223]

Neat concept...I just use my "Ridgid" tubing bender!

[@baronratfish3865]

This old Plumber just uses his hands. Never had a problem.

[@jeremyhall309]

You both make coils with those "tools" ?

[@chrispalmer1255]

Fantastic video

[@Fortitudoo]

if u heat the copper up with a torch when it changes color it becomes super soft and after u bend it hardens back up

[@dkahumbu1]

Try to bend it when hot😉it will crimp even quicker

[@adamgruber2342]

It’s already soft copper bra..already anealed

[@Chris_at_Home]

My dad worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and they had a low melting point metal that they filled tubing with to bend it. It would melt in hot water. He told me someone made a mold and cast a spoon and left it at the coffee pot and when someone came to us it it melted in their coffee. They all had a laugh.

[@thagrit]

do you use the bolt cutters to crimp stainless steel tube as well? i got 100 ft of stainless steel tube to make a heat exchanger to heat my spa and possibly my house in the winter. I watched this video to see how you bend tubing. I need to know about how to crimp the tube. It is 304 stainless.

[@TheOleHermit]

Thanks for the tip. I'm thinking that, if you insert ~ 1 foot of the copper tubing inside the 2" pipe, then wrap the tubing around the pipe, so the coil would wrap around its own inner tube with both ends at the same end. Perhaps then the stretched-out coil & its inner tube could both be spiral-fed into the water heater's tank?

[@FixItYerself]

thx! that coil looks perfect!

[@murph55]

as a Child at our summer camp we would just lay a 50 ft. garden hose out in the sun and in under a hour you would have enough hot water to take a shower, just make sure you have a sprayer end on the hose

[@kiddiescripterkiller]

1) Use compassion fittings and end caps to seal it... faster. 2) The more you bend copper the harder it is to bend. If you can't bend it where you want, let the water out and anneal the copper... Then you can start bending it more.

I have a Fresnel lens and this guide helpful for me! Thank you pro, your video is great. Where is the next video?

[@paulbade131]

even copper in rolls, already being annealed will work harden every time you bend it and stop. To "resoften" it, heat it to cherry red and let it cool slowly. This anneals (softens) it. you can buy a small bender for $10 that will give you a perfect bend, every time at it's minimum radius, given it's diameter in 10 seconds

[@jeremiahshine]

In Indiana this is a winter job. Fill with water... Leave outside to freeze.

[@pulesjet]

LOL That beats the hell out of spending a hour filling the tubing with tot lot sand.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Yea, and if you do a tighter turn, the sand is very difficult to remove. Same with salt. I did it the other ways and I got a glob of salt that would not come out and the sand took forever to remove.

[@pulesjet]

@@GREENPOWERSCIENCE Regretting cashing in all the tubing I had as copper scrap once I found real uses for the stuff. These make excellent Ethanol Consider Coils . Water Heater in the works now.

[@robertivins6117]

Sweet. Great job

[@luiselias1887]

Very informative Just one question about the hot glue gun does it have to be pink? Asking for a friend.

[@sissysummer4000]

but everything works better if its pink !

[@robertweekley5926]

Luis Elias - He Quietly said "Just Kidding" After he said it has to be a Pink one! 🤔🙄😁

[@LatinDanceVideos]

Nice trick. Thanks for sharing.

[@dylconnaway9976]

This is your neighbor. I was using the weedwacker to fight off a pack of vicious mongooses. I was in the fight of my life, but I’m sorry it disturbed you.

[@knutblaise9437]

Curious if you could run the stainless steel or copper tubing through the wall of a wood stove to heat a liquid for baseboard radiators. Not for sure if you could seal up tubing penetration points in the side of the wood stove or if the tubing could handle the internal wood stove temps. Also are you aware of any propane heaters which could be used with a heater exchanger like you've made here? I'm imagining you could have a propane heater which sits outside so venting is not a problem and the flame would heat the exchanger and the tubing could penetrate a cabin's walls and connect to a base board radiator. Maybe thermosyphoning could be used so a pump is not required.

[@etaknar]

Good technique, thanks for sharing.

[@jamest.5001]

Cool.. I never thought about creating a double seal with hot glue!! And using water pressure to keep from kinking. I want to build a hybrid boiler, with concentrated solar, and a wood stove to heat water, to heat water for home use and home heating, I'd like to use the heat from a generator to also contribute to the heating, being off grid, thermal consevation can save ALOT.. I'd like to make steam without any explosions!! To power a generator from the wood stove, while heating the house, in the process, using the house to condense the steam.

[@cigarcaptain]

I have always loved your vids

[@skeeterburke]

Cool, have you ever made a tok tok boat? The copper tubing for one of those is the same, I think, maybe a little smaller

[@chipmeister111]

"And no one wants a big asshole in their tank". Lol Thanks for the video, great info.

[@jonburgmann]

You can dry the sand in oven spread out thinly on a baking tray or lay a tarp out on the ground dump your wet sand on the tarp & spread it out thinly over the surface to let the sun dry it out

[@rkaag99]

you could unplug the glue gun and work quickly. they don't cool too fast. just re-heat (plug back in) for the other end.

[@activechaos128]

Welcome back Dan!!

[@raturn0]

use sand to bend copper pipes. fill with sand and bend around a form. that's how a buddy does it for condensers or something like that.

[@raturn0]

can't wait to see how you do it. always nice to learn new techniques

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Thank you Richard, this works really good.

[@thebeststooge]

Table salt as well and is cheaper than sand.

[@TheRainHarvester]

It seems like a longer tube would be better. But maybe the temperature on the exit is as low as it could go? Depends on the flow rate and temp I guess. What temps and flow rate...

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Hi, My chat was down on my mac. This is 1/4" and this was $10. Sometimes it is $19. Not sure why but when it is, I buy a few.

[@JA-xw9uf]

My friend, there are end number of videos on how to bend copper pipe... But there's not a single video on how to straighten the copper pipe which comes in coil.... Strange isn't it? I am waiting for a video which will show me how to straighten the copper pipe coil easily looking professional. T&R.

[@conorguilfoyle2911]

Stand on 1 end coil out a small bit, stand up straight with the coil in your hand rolling it out in front of you stand on it to flatten it out as you walk along

[@conorguilfoyle2911]

First lesson for a refrigeration apprentice :p

[@dr.feelgood2358]

if it's not too long of a tube salt or sand works well and should blow out with air or water pressure. basically any small granules that don't compact too much. you really need to support your bends around a round shape gradually reducing your radius. you went from straight to a tight bend without much stepping down and it looks half kinked.

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

It is a bit but flow is good. The opening requires a 180 where the tube touches and if the inner material is too tight, the bend is either impossible by hand or will stretch the copper open on the outer curve basically ripping it.

[@mishmash6991]

Is the last part full of water or ice ?

[@jonburgmann]

You can filter the dried sand with a tea strainer or even borrow the house fly screen from a window to filter the sand

[@LouiesLog]

Perfect thank you :) I'd like to heat mine using solar

[@senorjp21]

Great tip, Dan!

[@E85_STI]

Use a rubber cap like the ones for car vacuum lines to seal the ends then you can reinforce with tape on the ends

[@geoffreykail9129]

when you rap the tube around the pipe you should leave space between each wind to increase the surface area exposed to the water for better flow over the surface of the pipe.

[@Erick_The_Green]

does sand work for copper pipe?

[@randybobandy9828]

You could also braze or solder the ends to make sure its sealed.

[@jonburgmann]

Crimp one end of copper tube bend over itself fill tube with dry filtered sand tapping the tube every now & again so sand settles when 1/2” from top crimp end bend over itself then you can wind the coil once you have your ends bent into shape cut ends with tube cutter solder a brass hose fitting to one end connect garden hose and turn on full once the water soaks into the sand & loosens it will push the sand out it won’t happen straight away so be patient eventually the sand will loosen & water will push the sand out run hose for couple of minutes to flush it out

[@takismenexes6131]

Wd40 the ultimate tool

[@VenturiLife]

Nice trick.

[@lohengrinknight]

In the end, I never understood what that bent copper was for.

[@steveswhirld]

lol

[@decarli4280]

That works but if you freeze it even better no concern whatsoever. Good luck

[@philindeblanc]

I would think you could do all that coil bending much easier with a blowtorch ?

[@iRusiko]

Thanks! Have you experimented with water ice bending?

[@congamike1]

This is great! Thanks

[@jamesparker2337]

WTF, you did kink that tubing?

[@tonyfarr7397]

He's doing a good job trying to hide the kink !

[@benbrown8258]

Physics Professor friend of mine taught me how to Simply build trough shape parabolas. I wonder about using the coil horizontally along the trough.

[@jacklarson6281]

hi dan, this comment is out of context for this video, but it just popped into my head. have you ever experimented with wood gassifiers?

[@GREENPOWERSCIENCE]

Yes, I have made one but no video….. I might visit that soon. Thank you for the comment Jack!

[@Newriverartist]

Great video!