I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.

wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.

Any chance those olde heaters use 5/8" pipe and not the 1/2" pipe you're
described?

You know, there is a 5/8" copper pipe standard:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/as...bes-d_779.html

Have you used a vernier caliper or a micrometer to confirm the pipe's
outside diameter?

And, they do make fittings for 5/8" copper pipe:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u102106

Good luck, let us know how you make out,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

wrote in message
...
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to
refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper
they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little
so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can
just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to
sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.


I would expect them to be 3/4", but it's possible they're 5/8" as Jeff said

wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to
refinish living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old
style baseboard heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run
through them and each section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered
together...anyway about 36 ft altogether. I made a few cuts to get it
apart and now have run into a problem trying to put back
together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they used in 1951 (or at
least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch bigger than the
fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what to do? I
have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so the
fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can
just get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out
and buy all new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8
couplers to sweat together........what to do???? any help
appreciated.

IIRC, there may be fittings used for A/C systems or something that are slightly
different sizes than water pipe fittings. They might be what you need.

wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.
Hmmm,
Wonder you were looking at metric pipes?

On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:25:40 -0400, jeff_wisnia
wrote:

wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.

Any chance those olde heaters use 5/8" pipe and not the 1/2" pipe you're
described?

You know, there is a 5/8" copper pipe standard:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/as...bes-d_779.html

Have you used a vernier caliper or a micrometer to confirm the pipe's
outside diameter?

And, they do make fittings for 5/8" copper pipe:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u102106

Good luck, let us know how you make out,

Jeff


I was going to say the same. MOST Hydronic heating systems used a lot
of 5/8" copper.

On Oct 17, 8:20*pm, wrote:
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:25:40 -0400, jeff_wisnia





wrote:
wrote:
I have hot water heating, and removed *all the baseboard heaters to refinish
living room floor. *My house was built in 1951 and has old style baseboard
heaters they have two 1/2 inch copper pipes that run through them and each
section is 54 inch long and sweat soldered together...anyway about 36 ft
altogether. I made a few cuts to get it apart and now have run into a
problem trying to put back together...it seems that the 1/2 inch copper they
used in 1951 (or at least what was used in my system) is about 1/16 inch
bigger than the fittings - 1/2" elbows & couplers.....................what
to do? *I have tired using emery cloth to grind down old copper a little so
the fitting will go over it, but it is not working, after much work can just
get fitting on like 1/16 inch..... I can not afford to go out and buy all
new heaters right now......I only have 2 90's and about 8 couplers to sweat
together........what to do???? any help appreciated.

Any chance those olde heaters use 5/8" pipe and not the 1/2" pipe you're
described?

You know, there is a 5/8" copper pipe standard:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/as...bes-d_779.html

Have you used a vernier caliper or a micrometer to confirm the pipe's
outside diameter?

And, they do make fittings for 5/8" copper pipe:

http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u102106

Good luck, let us know how you make out,

Jeff

I was going to say the same. MOST Hydronic heating systems used a lot
of 5/8" copper.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You have copper tubing not pipe and you should be able to get the
fittings at a wholesale not Home Depot Refridge fittings will work do
not sand the pipe thinner as it is holding some pressure in the system

I did take a sample to ACE Hardware this afternoon, they measured and said
was about 1/16 inch larger than 1/2 inch copper......I do not believe it is
5/8....I just checked and compared with some new 1/2 inch I had in basement
and there is just slight difference in size.... pretty much, they look the
same to me.

wrote in message
...
I did take a sample to ACE Hardware this afternoon, they measured and said
was about 1/16 inch larger than 1/2 inch copper......I do not believe it
is
5/8....I just checked and compared with some new 1/2 inch I had in
basement
and there is just slight difference in size.... pretty much, they look the
same to me.

That would be 11/16 then. Or very close to 17mm.
Get a micrometer and get the actual size and you may do better finding what
you really need.

Try these guys
http://www.worldwidemetric.com/fittings_coper_sol.asp

I have no idea why metric tubing would be in a US house built that year
though. It would not be common at all.

HVAC tubing is typically smaller. For example, 3/4 water
copper is the same size as 7/8 HVAC tubing. But, it's
possible.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Bob F" wrote in message
...

IIRC, there may be fittings used for A/C systems or
something that are slightly
different sizes than water pipe fittings. They might be what
you need.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
HVAC tubing is typically smaller. For example, 3/4 water
copper is the same size as 7/8 HVAC tubing. But, it's
possible.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.


"Bob F" wrote in message
...

IIRC, there may be fittings used for A/C systems or
something that are slightly
different sizes than water pipe fittings. They might be what
you need.

You need to check your numbers

Stormin Mormon wrote:
HVAC tubing is typically smaller. For example, 3/4 water
copper is the same size as 7/8 HVAC tubing. But, it's
possible.


HVAC tubing is measured by OD, plumbing is measured by ID.
That's why I have calipers in my pocket.

http://www.generaltools.com/Products...er__132ME.aspx

TDD

On Oct 17, 7:42*pm, wrote:
I did take a sample to ACE Hardware this afternoon, they measured and said
was about 1/16 inch larger than 1/2 inch copper......I do not believe it is
5/8....I just checked and compared with some new 1/2 inch I had in basement
and there is just slight difference in size.... pretty much, they look the
same to me.

What is the od measurement?

What did the ace folks measure it with? a tape?

You really don't care that is measures "about 1/16 inch larger than
1/2 inch copper", that is a pretty much useless piece of information

.......you want the actual outside diameter, measured with a caliper
to the nearest .005"

standard copper tube has the following "od's" ......... in your size
range
..5, .625 & .750

any other od's are not standard copper "tube"

ACR tube has the same od's but the size designations are
"shifted".........go figure?

I've been working with copper tube since the 60's and the sizes
haven't changed


for the spec sizes visit

http://www.copper.org/applications/p...dex_table.html

cheers
Bob