Ben's plumbing odyssey: 3. My favourite plumbing tool

The most useful tool I have in my plumbing toolbox is a pipe cutter. This tool was a revelation when I first discovered it. If you really think about it, the ability the cut pipes into sections is what makes plumbing possible. Once you figure out how to cut a pipe in two all you then have
to discover is how to connect sections of pipe together - in a variety of ways. Think of those big chemical plants or oil refineries with their miles of pipework arranged haphazardly. It wouldn't be possible without a pipe cutter would it ?

I remember purchasing the tool from a local DIY store (I think it was this one) and thinking that £10 was expensive. In retrospect, it was one of the best investments I have ever made. I must have saved a fortune in plumbing bills as a result. I also bought 2 compression joint straight connectors.

I think the first time I used the cutter was when I wanted to move the water supply pipes to a washing machine. This required me to graft an extra section of pipe onto some existing pipework. Armed with the knowledge of compression joints (see Chapter 2) I thought I would give it a try.

I bought a 2 metre length of copper pipe and began cutting a section of it using the tool. The tool basically works by progressively tighting a screw which adjusts the pressure of the cutting wheel on the surface of the pipe. You basically draw the tool around the external surface of the
pipe and gradually turn the screw (which increases the pressure on the pipe). As the disk cuts into the pipe the pressure reduces so you have to progressively turn the screw as it cuts through the pipe. Eventually the disc completely penetrates the pipe. You then draw the tool around the remainder of the pipe and the section of pipe breaks away. Easy peasy eh!

Unfortunately, this was not the case first time around. I think I tightened the screw too quickly and bent the pipe. Still, two metres of pipe allows for alot of mistakes. After a couple of attempts I had mastered the technique.

Next ... how I connected them.