Painted copper pipes advice please

[rocketmanbkk]

Hello Friends

I need to move a radiator, the pipes are painted, I don't really want to renew all pipe as it will mean pulling up floorboards!

How do you get around this? Scrape pipe with paint stripper? just scrape, any suggestions please?

Best wishes as always,
Rocket

 

[SimonJohns]

Scrape as much as you can. Then clean with sand paper or wirewool

 

[rocketmanbkk]

OK, thanks, good idea, never thought of that!

Get nice and clean right for whole of where fitting will go

 

[Phil]

Why not take floorboards up? It will be a neater job.

Or is it the hated laminate??

 

[Simon F]

if the paint is thick I find it useful to hold a set of grips around the part to be cleaned, just give gentle pressure not to much or you might squash the pipe. tun the grips around the pipe and the paint usually snaps off, then finish of as suggested with wire wool etc

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Th epipes wont be seen after as I will box them in so no issues about some of the pipe being painted, just need to make sure the fixings take.

 

[SimonG]

Always better to get under the floor, one of my pet hates is a straight connector on a rad tail. But if it is impossible you can scrape and sand paper as said or the grips as said or a quick blast with the blowtorch (don't forget the heat mat) then the grips with a qick scrape and finish off with the sandpaper. Works for me when i have to do it. If you can, clean it before you cut it, sometimes you can't, but if you can it gives you better leverage.

 

[rocketmanbkk]

Thanks all.

I can get at the pipes easy enough as not boxed in yet, i'll clean 1st etc.

Should be OK, what with the cost of copper pipe, may as well save a little where I can!

 

[WaterTight]

Sometimes paint comes off easy enough other times it is infuriatingly caked on. I usually attack it with everything randomly. Grips, abrasive pad, bit more grips, wire wool, FLAME, grips, swearing, abrasvie pad, banana, grips. Done.

 

[Guest123]

Use a rasp (not a file) lightly on the paint and it will flake off very quickly.

 

[WaterTight]

Sounds like a good tip. Any type in particular?

 

[gravytrain]

just blast the pipe with your torch til the paint flakes then wire wool
make sure you get all the paint off even round the back of the pipe.

 

[Guest123]

Sounds like a good tip. Any type in particular?

Just a standard wood rasp. I got mine out of the local Poundshop as for what I use it for it doesn't have to be carpenter quality. A rasp is also the best tool for filing the chamfered edge on 110mm push fit soil pipe, far quicker and easier than a file. Other good woodwork tool is a woodsaw for cutting soil pipe, as it cuts it square while a hack saw cuts it like a drunk on steroids.

 

[Pipedream]

Watertight, a couple of questions about your suggested methodology. Can the swearing take place at any part of the process ? Does it have to be a banana or will any fruit do ? I was thinking clementine


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[WaterTight]

The swearing can take place at any juncture but to be particularly effective it's best deployed when furiously wielding a banana.

And a clementine is a preposterous idea, the very thought. This is plumbing not fruitmongery.

 

[Pipedream]

Watertight, thanks for the advice. I generally deploy swearing at the the start of each task as a precaution. I also find it helps to direct the most extreme abuse at a particular inanimate object, usually something like ' you ####### stupid (insert name of tool or fitting here)' I find this is a certain way of making sure that everything goes smoothly from then on.

Please forgive my fruit based ignorance, luckily I was unable to get any clementines this morning from my local plumbers merchants, so I have avoided any embarrassment. Tomorrow I will see if screwfix stock bananas. A final piece of advice regarding said plumbing banana, can you suggest a size, 15mm, 22mm or imperial, compression, push fit, end feed or Yorkshire (not sure they grow them in Yorkshire ?)

I am sure that your expertise in the use of fruit - excluding clementines and I assume all other members of the citrus family, will be called upon many more times.

Once again many thanks



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[Guest123]

I've heard that many of the diy chains are full of nuts.