Here at Able Skills we are now providing basic tutorial videos for our students and generally for people interested in learning new skills.  In this tutorial our expert Plumbing instructor Jim goes over how to correctly join pipework together using compression joints. Compression fittings are used to join copper piping together for water and gas systems that provide a watertight seal between two pipes or a pipe.

Step One:

The first step in this is making sure each ends of your pipework are round. It is important to inspect your tools and materials.

Step Two:

The second step in preparation. You will want to slide on the nut first followed by an olive as shown in the picture below.

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Step Three:

Next, you will need to apply a sealing to the end of the pipe past the olive. You could use Plumbers blue, plumbers green and other products. Make sure that the product is WRAS approved as this is for Hot & Cold water surfaces. In this example, we are using PTFE. To do this wrap two turns around the pipe past where the olive is placed.

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Step Four:

Step four is fitting the compression joint itself onto the sealant. To do this push firmly and then tighten the nut. Once it's finger tight you will need to get two spanners. Once to hold it in place and one to turn the nut. One half turn should be enough.

Step Five:

It is important not to over tighten the nut as you may squash the olive into the pipe instead of onto it. Which could result in a leak. If you think this is the case, make sure to redo the process to save yourself the trouble of having to fix and inevitable leak.

For more:

Check out our YouTube page here!

If you are interested in learning some plumbing skills whether you are looking to become a professional or simply to gain some DIY skills we offer a complete range of plumbing courses. We are open 7-days-a-week between 8:30 - 16:30! Feel free to come in and talk to us, we are happy to discuss our courses in person and even to take you around our facilities so that you can see for yourself the great work that we do.