3
Working with
Copper Tubing
Figure 3-1. ACR copper tubing and plumbers copper tubing
are measured differently. ACR tubing is sized by actual outside
diameter. Plumbers tubing is measured by nominal inside
diameter the OD usually will be 1/8 larger than its ID.
Objectives
Important Terms
ACR tubing
annealed
chamfer
compression fittings
coupling
elbows
flare bonnet
flare cap nut
flare elbow
flare fitting
flare nut
flare plug
flare tee
flare union
flaring
flaring block
hacksaw
hard-drawn copper
tubing
inside diameter
lever-type tubing
benders
offsets
outside diameter
oxidation
P-trap
pressure drop
psi
reamed
reducing coupling
soft copper tubing
spring benders
street elbow
swaging
sweat soldering
tee
telescoping
tubing cutter
union
work-hardening
wrought fittings
Capped ends
Chapter 3
41
42
Flat
spot
B
Figure 3-9. Reaming. AReamer blade built into a tubing
cutter. BHold the tubing with the open end down while
reaming to prevent contamination of the tubing with metal
chips from the burrs.
Chapter 3
43
44
B
Figure 3-11. Spring benders. AUsed mostly with smalldiameter, soft copper tubing, spring benders are available in
a number of sizes. BUsing a bending spring on soft
copper tubing is a two-handed operation.
Lever-type benders
Lever-type tubing benders, Figure 3-12, are easy
to operate and are calibrated to allow accurate shortradius bends up to 180. Some benders are designed to
fit only one size of tubing, while others can be used
with a range of sizes. Lever benders can be used on
soft copper, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and Types
K and L hard copper tubing.
For the technician, making accurate bends in
Degree
scale
Figure 3-13. Swaging joins tubing by enlarging the diameter
of one piece so that it forms a socket for another piece. The
joint is then soldered or brazed for strength and leakproofing.
Figure 3-12. Lever-type tubing benders can make shortradius bends of up to 180 without flattening the tubing. Note
the scale used to read degrees when making bends.
Swaging methods
Swaged connections can be made using either the
punch-type joint method or the screw-type joint
method. Both punch- and screw-type joints require the
use of special hand tools.
Flaring block
Tubing
Punch
Ball pein
hammer
Chapter 3
45
Yoke
Flaring block
G
E
F
D
46
90
Elbow
45
Street
Elbow
Chapter 3
47
Shoulders
Nut
48
Flare
Nut
Compression ring
Tubing
Completed connection
Figure 3-22. Compression connections are made by
compressing (squeezing) a sleeve or ring between a fitting
and a nut. Compression fittings are used more widely in residential heating and air conditioning.
C
Figure 3-23. When copper tubing is flared, the tubing end is
expanded to a funnel shape. The 45 angle matches the
angle used on flare fittings.
Chapter 3
49
Flare fittings
Flare fittings are mechanical fittings intended for
use on soft copper tubing. They are usually dropforged brass and are accurately machined to form a
45 flare face (area where tubing joins the fitting). See
Figure 3-28.
Flare fittings are sized according to the copper
tubing size and are commonly available from 3/16 to
3/4. The threads for all flare fittings are Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) National Fine. This
means they cannot be connected to other threads, such
as pipe threads, National Coarse, or ISO Metric.
Flare nuts. The flare nut is the most frequently
used fitting. Flare nuts are sized according to the hole
through which the tubing is inserted. Since the hole
just fits over the tubing, any flats or kinks in the tubing
will interfere with the fit. Threads are located on the
inside of the nut, and the bottom of the nut contains a
perfect 45 flare to exactly match the flare on the
tubing end. The tubing flare should almost fill the area
at the bottom of the nut.
When the nut is screwed onto a fitting, the flare on
the tubing is compressed between the nut and the
fitting. To be leakproof to 300 psi (2000 kPa), this
metal-to-metal contact requires a perfect match
without burrs or ridges to interfere with the seal.
Figure 3-29. Flare nuts are made in both short and long
styles. Connections subjected to vibration should be made
with long flare nuts for greater tubing support.
50
Summary
Sometimes, a reducing flare nut is used to attach
tubing to a fitting of another size. This eliminates the
use of additional fittings and reduces the number of
possible leaks.
Flare unions. A full flare union is a fitting used to
connect two flare nuts of the same size. It is called a full
union because each end of the fitting is the same size. A
3/8 full union would have a 3/8 male flare on each
end. A 3/8 full union is a quick way of saying, 3/8
MFT 3/8 MFT union, (MFT = Male Flare Thread).
A reducing union performs the same function as a
full union, except the sizes of the flare nuts are