Plumbers should use a professional torch suitable for their needs. Welding is indeed part of the daily life of an artisan. He must carry out both quality and aesthetic work for the visible parts.
What does the plumber need?
The first question to ask yourself is about your needs. Indeed, you will not buy the same tool depending on the type of work you do and your possible specialization. In any case, you need a torch that you can easily transport and that allows you to work for a long time without getting exhausted.
Ask yourself 3 basic questions
- What are the materials you are working with? Steel, copper, PVC, etc.
- What welds do you have to do? Brazing, tin welding, welding, etc.
- What type of heating system is required for this work? Heating a steel pipe, softening a PVC pipe, annealing copper, etc.
Each welding or heating process requires a different temperature. You must also consider how often you use your torch.
What are the different types of plumbing blow torches?
The most suitable blow torches for the job of a plumber are:
- The single gas blow torch that uses propane or butane gas
- The oxyacetylene torch which uses two gases, oxygen and acetylene.
The single gas blow torch
The single gas blow torch is easy to use, light and compact. The flame is formed in contact with the ambient air when you open your gas arrival. It produces a flame whose temperature reaches between 1,400 and 1,800°C.
This blow torch has a small size and operates on disposable gas cartridges. It is easy to handle and lets you slide into difficult-to-reach places.
The single gas blow torch is ideal for working with copper or PVC tubes. It allows you to soften them and make them more malleable to perform the bending and the interlocking.
The other advantage of the single gas blowtorch is that it does not cost much to buy or use. However, its effectiveness is limited to small-scale work.
The oxyacetylene blow torch
The advantage of oxyacetylene torch is the much higher quality Its flame can reach a temperature of 3,200 degrees Celsius and it has a high degree of autonomy. On the other hand, it is much more cumbersome and heavy, as it carries two bottles of gas – oxygen and acetylene – on the cart that allows you to move it more easily. The oxygen constitutes the oxidant and the acetylene, the fuel.
The whole oxyacetylene torch is not very practical if you have to climb stairs, for example. It takes up a lot of space in your vehicle, unlike the small single gas torch. . However, thanks to its cart, you can take it almost everywhere. The advantage is that the torch that you hold in your hand is light. It is attached to the main device by a long cable, which allows you to slide into tight and inaccessible places.
The oxyacetylene torch has a longer autonomy and is suited for important and long-term work. It is suitable for all plumbing jobs whether or not you use a filler metal: It can be used for brazing, autogenous soldering, soldering with tin, etc. Its temperature is adjustable, so you can also heat the tubes to make them malleable.
This operation requires more adjustments, but they are not complicated. The oxygen cylinder pressure setting should always be higher than the acetylene setting. The first must be set between 0.8 and 1.5 bar, the second between 0.3 and 0.5 bar.