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Here is a tip that I learned the hard way on running a kerosene line with soft copper. To heat the new addition to my house I installed a Toyo Laser 30 that requires a feed from an external tank. I already had the line run from the "gravity" tank to the Laser 73 so it should have been quite easy to install a "tee" and run a leg to the Laser 30. Or so I thought.
I purchased the "tee", ball valve shutoffs and couplers from Lowes. The 3/8" ball valves had adapters added for compression fittings. All the compression fittings were the new style "captured" ferrule type compression fittings. When I plumbed the Laser 73, I used the old style nuts with loose ferrules with no troubles.
I installed 4 shut off valves, 1 "tee", 1 coupler, and 2 - 90deg adapters. All used the Watts captured ferrule nuts for a total of 17. All 3/8" copper pipe was cut with a mini pipe cutter. Of the 17 captured ferrule nuts used 12 leaked, no matter how tight I cranked the nut.
One of the plumbers at work told me never to use the captured ferrule nuts because they do leak with petrochemicals. They were designed for water which as larger molecules.
So, the next Saturday, I shut down both Laser heaters, fire up the Perfections and re-plumbed with old style nuts and loose ferrules. And add couplers and extra pipe because all the ends had to be cut off to remove the crushed captured ferrules and nuts.
When the retrofit was finished, there were no leaks and I only had to snug the compression nut up, not crank on them until they squeaked like before!I wish I had talked to that plumber first! It was an extra $14 just in nuts and loose ferrules!
Loose on the left and captured on the right.
Feed line from the "gravity" tank is lower right. Upper right is the L30 feed. Left is the L73 & BS36U-FF.
Greg
I purchased the "tee", ball valve shutoffs and couplers from Lowes. The 3/8" ball valves had adapters added for compression fittings. All the compression fittings were the new style "captured" ferrule type compression fittings. When I plumbed the Laser 73, I used the old style nuts with loose ferrules with no troubles.
I installed 4 shut off valves, 1 "tee", 1 coupler, and 2 - 90deg adapters. All used the Watts captured ferrule nuts for a total of 17. All 3/8" copper pipe was cut with a mini pipe cutter. Of the 17 captured ferrule nuts used 12 leaked, no matter how tight I cranked the nut.
One of the plumbers at work told me never to use the captured ferrule nuts because they do leak with petrochemicals. They were designed for water which as larger molecules.
So, the next Saturday, I shut down both Laser heaters, fire up the Perfections and re-plumbed with old style nuts and loose ferrules. And add couplers and extra pipe because all the ends had to be cut off to remove the crushed captured ferrules and nuts.
When the retrofit was finished, there were no leaks and I only had to snug the compression nut up, not crank on them until they squeaked like before!I wish I had talked to that plumber first! It was an extra $14 just in nuts and loose ferrules!
Loose on the left and captured on the right.
Feed line from the "gravity" tank is lower right. Upper right is the L30 feed. Left is the L73 & BS36U-FF.
Greg
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