The Copper Development Association’s (CDA’s) newest “Do It Proper with Copper” educational videos demonstrate how to properly create strong, leak-free connections in some common but more difficult to join piping components, an issue raised by plumbers, technicians and installers working on medical gas, HVAC and refrigeration systems.

The first video, “How to Braze Threaded Copper Adapters,” provides tips for preventing leaks when making a high-quality brazed joint with a threaded copper adapter, and the second video, “Soldering and Brazing Copper Alloy Flanges,” highlights the necessary steps to properly join copper tubes and copper alloy flanges.

“As with all our videos in the Do It Proper with Copper series, CDA is always looking to take the guess work out and offer the right way to solder, braze or otherwise join copper tube, fittings and piping components,” CDA Vice President Andrew G. Kireta said. “It is our goal to mitigate the number of issues we see in the field and provide plumbers with the necessary educational resources to do their job properly and effectively.”

CDA chose to highlight the proper method for brazing female copper adapters because, too often, technicians were experiencing leaks at the threads. Often, these fittings are damaged by overheating the threads, which allows annealing to occur. In the video, CDA project manager Harold Moret demonstrates how using a heat sink can prevent the threads from becoming soft, which can cause the joint to fail. 

In the flanges video, Moret shows the recommended soldering and brazing techniques, including the proper amount of flux, filler metals and the amount of heat used to ensure a leak-free joint.

“Although soldering and brazing are the most common methods of joining copper tube and fittings, they are often the least understood,” Kireta said. “It is this lack of understanding that can cause poor installation procedures and lead to faulty joints.”

For more information, visit www.copper.org/applications/doityourself.