Threading Old 3/4" Steel Pipe Tight To A Wall.

[jtsplumbing]

Oh, yes, I agree it's variable and not a uniform material, especially the old stuff. What I meant was that that the teacher seemed to think it was almost a trade in itself beyond us general plumbers requiring specialist equipment to cut and drill and I'd say pulling a passover accurately was a harder skill to learn. She more-or-less talked one of us out of taking on any job involving C.I. (and he had general skills far better than mine). I cut iron with a fine metal cutting disc on a grinder and drill it with a HSS drill bit on a cordless drill (with the torque set down to avoid cracking it if it catches).

I'd already installed 35 metres of the stuff (about half of that was second-hand and made of 5' bits cut off from the split 6' lengths) before I took my plumbing course and not had any real problems (apart from putting a 1:40 fall on some of it due to a typo in the 1969 Readers Digest DIY Manual and one split I hadn't noticed in one of the old bits). When my PVC next breaks, I have some more C.I. in my loft (off a mate's house) to replace it with.

The main problem I had was using bitumen mastic as a jointing compound (in spite of the manufacturer claiming suitability and the fact that the mastic was proper stuff, containing asbestos). I had success with 'dry glaze' rubber strips (designed for windows, but I wasn't paying out (for my own house) for the proprietary C.I. rubber gutter seals, not at the rip-off price I was quoted), but last lot I fitted was a year ago and I just used putty, and I think it's the best way.

If your interested in old skills look on eBay I got 2 sets of Plumbing books dating back to the 1930s show's all the old methods of doing things interesting how a lot of things haven't changed , even sections on gas ,I find the old photos of how cookers & fires & boilers were back then are good to look at

 

[Michael1960]

Philmac make a transitional coupling LCS to copper (or anything else)

 

[Ric2013]

cant pull a bend with cast iron

I didn't mean in cast iron. I meant pulling a passover in copper

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I didn't mean in cast iron. I meant pulling a passover in copper

sorry

and agree most of what they teach these days is plastic / pushfit

 

[Ric2013]

We weren't really taught plastic, we were just talked through it and told to do the assessments. Perhaps that's why I hate the stuff so much? (And fitting a towel rail today, trying to hide the poxy stuff under a fake pipe shroud that probably cost more than just using a bit of chromed copper in the first place grr.)

 

[ShaunCorbs]

We weren't really taught plastic, we were just talked through it and told to do the assessments. Perhaps that's why I hate the stuff so much? (And fitting a towel rail today, trying to hide the poxy stuff under a fake pipe shroud that probably cost more than just using a bit of chromed copper in the first place grr.)

Same and never use the stuff unless dier emergency eg threading through joists (holes) but then I tend to use mlcp if I can

The trades loosing skill every 10 years and nothing new is being picked up / learnt that is good

 

[Ric2013]

You'll appreciate these basin runs then (microbore a bit naff, but it was the first time I ever used the stuff)

 

[ShaunCorbs]

You'll appreciate these basin runs then (microbore a bit naff, but it was the first time I ever used the stuff)

View attachment 30823

Better than plastic and looks great

 

[Ric2013]

Well, there was no plastic in that house and I didn't want to be the one to add it. Used a bit in the loft, but all accessible and visible.

 

[Catherine1]

Thanks all for your input, sorry for late response. The Philmac transition couplings mentioned are plastic. Would that be OK to use? I tried twice contacting the company who makes the primofit ones for more info but they never got back to me.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yes would be fine

 

[Catherine1]

Thanks Shaun. Seemed plastic was getting a bit of a bad press that was all...

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Thanks Shaun. Seemed plastic was getting a bit of a bad press that was all...

It's ok depends what you can get hold of

but I would take the piece out the coupling and put a male iron in but that's me

 

[Michael1960]

Thanks all for your input, sorry for late response. The Philmac transition couplings mentioned are plastic. Would that be OK to use? I tried twice contacting the company who makes the primofit ones for more info but they never got back to me.

The Philmac couplings are excellent, they look bulky and are obviously used out of sight. You can come off of them in any material you just need the correct adaptor. Any decent plumbers merchants will advise you. I have cut out a lot of LCS in old council houses where its on the hot and cold water supply! Simply fit a Philmac and then your away in nice new copper.

 

[Catherine1]

Thanks both!

 

[Michael1960]

Thanks both!

Philmac MDPE Universal Transition Coupling | Philmac MDPE Universal Transition Coupler 15-21mm X 20mm | City Irrigation Ltd

 

[moonlight]

Cut a section of iron pipe off, drop in small hose through open pipe. Siphon water out. Hold bottom elbow, heat pipework and unscrew. Fit new male iron to copper fitting sorted. Just make sure you protect the copper in the ground with insulation.

 

[Ric2013]

Philmac should be okay for cold water, not suitable for hot.