Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

My house is a mid terrace built around 1910.

Thanks for your advice.

Arthur

On 27 Apr 2006 05:18:24 -0700, "Davao"
wrote:

Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

My house is a mid terrace built around 1910.

Thanks for your advice.

Arthur

All you have to do is solder a piece of 15mm copper pipe into the end
of the lead pipe. It's very simple to do and permanent.

The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

If you look at your gas meter you should find an example there.

In article , EricP
writes
On 27 Apr 2006 05:18:24 -0700, "Davao"
wrote:

Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

My house is a mid terrace built around 1910.

Thanks for your advice.

Arthur

All you have to do is solder a piece of 15mm copper pipe into the end
of the lead pipe. It's very simple to do and permanent.

The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

If you look at your gas meter you should find an example there.


And remember that Lead is contained in solder and does err.. Melt.. so
go easy with the blow lamp.

Course this skill was what the old timer plumbers used, join lead to
lead, and a very nice job they used to make too!....
--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer wrote:

In article , EricP
writes
On 27 Apr 2006 05:18:24 -0700, "Davao"
wrote:

Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

My house is a mid terrace built around 1910.

Thanks for your advice.

Arthur

All you have to do is solder a piece of 15mm copper pipe into the end
of the lead pipe. It's very simple to do and permanent.

The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

If you look at your gas meter you should find an example there.


And remember that Lead is contained in solder and does err.. Melt.. so
go easy with the blow lamp.

Course this skill was what the old timer plumbers used, join lead to
lead, and a very nice job they used to make too!....

And use the correct solder - "plumbers metal" or something like that?
It's special because it remains in a plastic state for a tangible length of
time so you can wipe the joint with your moleskin for the ultimate finish.

No, never done it, but I watched my Dad do one.

Cheers

Tim

In article .com
, Davao writes
Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

In your place I cut out a section of the lead pipe and took it to the
plumbers' merchant to get a matching fitting. As you have a 'live' setup you
may not have that luxury.

The fitting dimension will be the internal pipe diameter so your 3/4" o/d
pipe will defo not be the 3/4" 9lb, more likely the 3/8" but what the hey,
when you can buy all 3 possible fittings for a tenner inc vat (& maybe
postage) then get the lot and you know you will have the right one for the
job when you start cutting the pipe.
--
fred
Plusnet - I hope you like vanilla

In article ,
EricP wrote:
The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

You have to be a wee bit careful with this as lead melts at 327.5C. Best
to use plumber's metal rather than most modern lead free solders.

--
*I used up all my sick days so I called in dead

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Tim S wrote:
And use the correct solder - "plumbers metal" or something like that?
It's special because it remains in a plastic state for a tangible length
of time so you can wipe the joint with your moleskin for the ultimate
finish.

Yup. Moleskin and tallow. ;-)

--
*Remember: First you pillage, then you burn.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 13:48:39 +0100, tony sayer
wrote:

All you have to do is solder a piece of 15mm copper pipe into the end
of the lead pipe. It's very simple to do and permanent.

The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

If you look at your gas meter you should find an example there.


And remember that Lead is contained in solder and does err.. Melt.. so
go easy with the blow lamp.

Course this skill was what the old timer plumbers used, join lead to
lead, and a very nice job they used to make too!....

I first encountered lead pipe in my 1930's first house in 1974 when my
stop tap under the sink gave up the ghost. One saturday evening I went
out in the road to turn off the mains with a borrowed key and then
indoors to blithely cut the lead pipe under the old stop tap. I had
prepared the copper pipe and had all the stuff laid out for a quick
and efficient job. Sadly I discovered the mains tap in the road had
given up it's job about 1955, and a constant trickle of water from the
cut lead pipe made soldering very interesting!

Ah, the good old days of DIY

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:10:54 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
EricP wrote:
The proper technique would be to flair the lead pipe with a thing like
a hardwood cone, but anything will do, even the handle of a tool.
You only need to flair it about 1.5 centimetres in and then clean the
inside of the pipe with wire wool. Clean the copper with wire wool as
usual and then insert the copper into the lead. Heat the copper and
solder it in to make a nice snug fit.

You have to be a wee bit careful with this as lead melts at 327.5C. Best
to use plumber's metal rather than most modern lead free solders.

Good point I missed, sorry.
I have a good supply of lead solder. )

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Tim S wrote:
And use the correct solder - "plumbers metal" or something like that?
It's special because it remains in a plastic state for a tangible length
of time so you can wipe the joint with your moleskin for the ultimate
finish.

Yup. Moleskin and tallow. ;-)

Never done it with regard to domestic plumbing but as a cable jointer on
Post Office Telephones I've wiped many a lead joint - and set fire to one or
two other cables in the manholes during my time ) Eee, them were't days
)

Mogweed

EricP wrote:
On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 13:48:39 +0100, tony sayer
wrote:


.. Sadly I discovered the mains tap in the road had
given up it's job about 1955, and a constant trickle of water from the
cut lead pipe made soldering very interesting!

Ah, the good old days of DIY

As an 'Old Plumber' we used to wipe joints with a pot of molten solder.
Never used sissy blow lamps!

Trickling water up lead pipe? Stuff the bread from your sandwiches up
the pipe and work bloody fast. It holds the water back just long enough
to wipe the joint. Nowadays bloody fairy plumbers would use freezing
kits. Eee when I were a lad!!!

The message
from tony sayer contains these words:

Course this skill was what the old timer plumbers used, join lead to
lead, and a very nice job they used to make too!....

I remember marevelling at the wiped lead joints under the downstairs
toilet's sink as a kid. That place was built late 50s - when did lead
pipe go out?

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

"Davao" wrote in message
oups.com...
....
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

Lead pipe sizes are the bore, not the OD. The weight is lbs per sq ft, form
which you can work out the wall thickness, if you really want to. A pipe
that is 'about 3/4"' is probably 1/2" x 6lb, which comes out at around 0.7"
OD. Pipe that is 1/2" x 7lb is nearer 7/8" OD.

Colin Bignell

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:18:24 UTC, "Davao"
wrote:

I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?

When I had to do it years ago, the plumbers' merchant sold me something
called a 'Johnson coupling'. No idea if they are available or legal now!

Metal casting with a screwed cap on each end, hollow centre with flared
ends inside the threaded part. Neoprene cone to fit over each pipe.
Slide ends into fitting, do up caps to compress cones.

That was in 1981. It was still OK a few weeks ago (I only moved a few
houses away, so still see the buyer).


--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
Avenue Supplies, http://avenuesupplies.co.uk

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:39:24 +0000, EricP wrote:

On 27 Apr 2006 05:18:24 -0700, "Davao"
wrote:

Hi all.
I have a lead (Pb) water supply to an outside toilet in the back yard.
I am going to remove the toilet and then to put a tap on the
old lead supply pipe.
My question is, can I use a compression adapter fitting to convert to
copper?
Also, I've seen B.E.S. have lead to copper connectors but they specify
'lead poundage'
e.g.
Lead to Copper
Part No. Description Unit Price Qty
10270 3/8" x 5 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.05

10271 1/2" x 6 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.76

10272 1/2" x 7 lb lead to 15 mm compression £2.60

10273 3/4" x 9 lb lead to 22 mm compression £4.73
The outer diameter of my lead pipe is about 3/4" but
how can I tell which poundage my lead pipework is?

My house is a mid terrace built around 1910.

Thanks for your advice.

Arthur

All you have to do is solder a piece of 15mm copper pipe into the end
of the lead pipe. It's very simple to do and permanent.

And irregular/illegal. It is no longer permitted to do this on mains water
pipe.

However complying with the law is more like an option to be
taken into account when weighing up all aspects to a decision than an
absolute matter. The chance of being caught being one of the inputs.

If you look at your gas meter you should find an example there.

Which if it needs modifying will need to be replaced.

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html

Ed Sirett wrote:


And irregular/illegal. It is no longer permitted to do this on mains water
pipe.

Although lead solder is banned on potable water plumbing, hardly makes a lot
of difference if it's being used to fix lead pipe ;-o

Cheers

Tim

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:07:37 +0100, Tim S wrote:

Ed Sirett wrote:


And irregular/illegal. It is no longer permitted to do this on mains water
pipe.

Although lead solder is banned on potable water plumbing, hardly makes a lot
of difference if it's being used to fix lead pipe ;-o

I agree that the whole lead thing is OTT. However the rationale is that
soldering the lead pipe destroys the patina which protects the water from
contamination by the lead.


--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html