We turn now to the copper piping that will give us our plumbing for the garden fountain. We'll now be working with straight, solid copper pipes, not the flexible tubing.
The plumbing consists of 1 long and 2 shorter pipes, all joined by copper elbows and soldered together. Since we're working with 1/2" pipes, make sure you buy elbows designed to accomodate that diameter. The main pipe is 4' long. But I had to buy an extra 4' pipe to cut up for the shorter pieces to be soldered to the main pipe. The 2 shorter pieces are 1' long (cut with the pipe-cutter) and will serve as a "spout" and "intake" pipe.
Here I briefly discuss safety and soldering supplies needed for this project. On the next page you'll find an illustration that provides an up-close view of the composition of the garden fountain's plumbing.
Soldering Supplies
To solder the piping framework together, you'll need the following soldering supplies:
- Flux
- Solder
- Propane torch and tank
Soldering seems a bit daunting -- until you try it for the first time. One thing that will put your mind at ease is taking proper safety precautions:
- Wear goggles.
- Wear heavy work gloves.
- Follow directions on propane tank.
- Use common sense in handling the propane tank and its torch flame.
- Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
To further put your mind at ease, experiment on a piece of scrap pipe before you undertake the required soldering operation.
On Page 7 we'll look briefly at the soldering process....
