One of the advantages of domestic copper pipe is that it’s easy to cut and bend. Few tools are required and even if you’ve only a few bends to make in a pipe run, it makes sense to know how it’s done. Making accurate bends may need some practice, but it’s cheaper than buying specially-shaped fittings.

In all plumbing water has to be carried from a source to a fixture and often then to some type of exit where it can disperse as waste. Basic to all of this is that water must run smoothly with nothing causing resistance to the flow ¡ª an important factor when the pressure is low.

Generally the best plumbing practice is to make pipe runs as straight and direct as possible. But sometimes bends are unavoidable (like, for example, when pipe has to go around a room or to turn down into an area below) and if available fittings are neither right for the angle nor attractive to look at, then you’ll have to bend the pipe to suit.

Copper piping, because it is both light and resistant to corrosion, is a popular choice for home plumbing work. It can be joined with either capillary or compression fittings and when bends are needed you can create the angles in several ways.

The first essential is to accurately work out the pipe lengths you require. Once you’ve made the measurement double check it ¡ª it’s quite easy to forget to allow for the pipe that will fit into the socket ends of the joints. You can make the actual marks on the pipe with pencil as this is clearly visible on copper and is a good guide when you come to cutting.

Flexible pipe

This is a kind of corrugated copper pipe which can be bent easily by hand without any tools. You can buy it with two plain ends for connection to compression joints or with one end plain and one with a swivel tap connector for connection to a tap or ball-valve.

As it’s the most expensive way of making a bend, it’s not cost effective to use it when you have to make a number of changes of direction in a pipe run. It’s not particularly attractive to look at so it is best used in places where it won’t be seen. As such it’s most commonly used for connecting the water supply pipes to the bath taps in the very confined space at the head of the bath. And it can make the job of fitting kitchen sink taps easier, particularly when the base unit has a back which restricts access to the supply pipes.

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