4.3 Pipework

• Types of pipes and fittings used in plumbing
• Preparing pipe joints (measuring, cutting, threading, welding, coupling)
• Pipe bending
• Safety when performing pipework

• identify types of pipes and fittings used in plumbing
• prepare pipe joints in plumbing
• perform pipe bending in plumbing
• observe safety when performing pipework
• appreciate the importance of proper pipework in plumbing

“Why is proper pipework important in plumbing?”

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1. Why proper pipework matters
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   What a dripping joint costs in a year, what a hidden leak does, and the inquiry question for the sub-strand.
2. Galvanised steel pipe
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The traditional water pipe: how it is made, how it is joined, and how it fails from the inside.
3. Copper pipe
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   A light, corrosion-free pipe that bends easily and costs more, joined by compression or by soldering.
4. Plastic pipes
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   PVC, PPR and HDPE: three plastics, three joining methods, three different jobs.
5. Choosing a pipe material
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Comparing the five materials, and the three questions that settle most choices.
6. Pipe sizes and how they are stated
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Bore, outside diameter and wall thickness, and why steel and plastic are called by different measurements.
7. Pipe fittings and what each does
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Elbows, tees, sockets, unions, reducers and caps, and why the union deserves special attention.
8. Valves and taps
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Gate, ball and stop valves, how each works, and where valves are placed so one repair does not stop the building.
9. Reading a pipework drawing
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The symbols used on pipework layouts, and tracing every run before starting work.
10. Measuring pipe and allowing for fittings
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Why cut length is not the same as the visible gap, and how to measure the engagement into a fitting.
11. Cutting pipe
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The pipe cutter and the hacksaw, the burr every cut leaves, and why reaming is not optional.
12. Threading steel pipe
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Cutting a tapered thread with stocks and dies, why cutting oil matters, and knowing when to stop.
13. Making a threaded joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Sealing tape wound the right way, two wrenches, and tight enough without over-tightening.
14. Compression joints
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    How an olive seals a pipe, what a good compression joint needs, and how they are spoilt.
15. Soldered capillary joints
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    How capillary action draws solder into the joint, the four preparation steps, and why the pipe must be dry.
16. Solvent welding PVC
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    How solvent cement fuses two pieces of plastic, the four steps, and why ventilation and cure time matter.
17. Fusion welding PPR
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Heating both parts on a welding tool and pushing them together, and the two ways of getting the heat wrong.
18. Why bend rather than use fittings
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    What each fitting costs in leaks, flow and money, and why plumbers bend wherever they can.
19. Bending pipe: springs, formers and machines
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Three ways of supporting a pipe wall while it bends, and what all of them are actually doing.
20. Setting out a bend
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Marking a bend accurately, and the gain - why a bent pipe is shorter than the corner it replaces.
21. Common bending faults
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Flattened, kinked, rippled and wrong-angle bends, their causes, and why a spoilt bend must be cut out.
22. Supporting and fixing pipework
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Clip spacings, why unsupported pipe strains its joints, and allowing for expansion.
23. Testing for leaks
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Pressure testing before anything is covered up, and finding a leak when the gauge falls.
24. Safety in pipework
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Burns, fumes, cuts, stored pressure and access: the five hazards and the control for each.
25. The whole pipework process
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The nine stages with their checks, and the answer to the inquiry question for the sub-strand.