spinningmagnets
Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2017
- Messages
- 123
As many of you know, a local condemned house demolition can provide lots of free "Romex 12/3 cable", which is three strands of solid copper wire inside a sheath, 12-ga. Ten feet of Romex 12/3 will provide 30 feet of 12-ga wire. Being free is always nice.
I often see copper tubing being thrown away, and even if it is already stripped from a demo house, it can be bought at a recyclers for half the price of new copper tube.
Even if you are buying new copper tube at your local hardware store, it can be much cheaper than buying copper ring terminals (you can also slip a slightly smaller tube inside the larger tube to increase the ring-terminal copper mass).
Copper tube for water has a thin wall to save on costs, but copper tube of the same nominal OD for refrigeration systems has a thicker wall to withstand higher pressures, and also because a leak caused by a careless nick will be much more expensive for refrigerant, compared to a water drip. They both have the same outer diameter, so that they can both use the same end-connectors. I'm just posting this as a place to park dimensional info.
First, what is the width of a tube when flattened by a hammer or a vice? (of course, flat-bar thickness is double the tube-wall thickness, which varies)
__________________________________________Flat-Bar thickness
Tube stock OD___width if flattened_____________Type-L____Type-K
1/4"____.250"____9.0mm____.360"_____________0.060"_____0.070"
3/8"____.375"____13.6mm____.530"_____________0.070"____0.098"
1/2"____.500"____18.8mm____.740"_____________0.080"____0.098"
3/4"____.750_____
7/8"____.880"____33.5mm_____1.300"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Calculating the copper cross-section, then convert to AWG-guage
1/4"-L____9.0mm X 1.5mm (0.060") = 13.5mm squared____6ga
1/4"-K____9.0mm X 1.8mm (0.070") = 16.2mm squared____5.5ga
3/8"-L____13.6mm X 1.8mm (0.070") = 24.5mm squared____3.5ga
3/8"-K____13.6mm X 2.5mm (0.098") = 34.0mm squared____2ga
1/2"-L____18.8mm X 2.0mm (0.080") = 37.6mm squared____1.5ga
1/2"-K____18.8mm X 2.5mm {0.098) = 47.0mm squared____0ga
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html
"Type K has the thickest wall section of the three types of pressure rated tubing and is commonly used for deep underground burial, such as under sidewalks and streets, with a suitable corrosion protection coating or continuous polyethylene sleeve as required by the plumbing code. In the United States it usually has green colored printing.
Type L has a thinner pipe wall section, and is used in residential and commercial water supply and pressure applications. In the United States it usually has blue colored printing.
Type M has an even thinner pipe wall section and is used in residential and commercial low-pressure heating applications. In the United States, it usually has red colored printing" -Wikipedia
I often see copper tubing being thrown away, and even if it is already stripped from a demo house, it can be bought at a recyclers for half the price of new copper tube.
Even if you are buying new copper tube at your local hardware store, it can be much cheaper than buying copper ring terminals (you can also slip a slightly smaller tube inside the larger tube to increase the ring-terminal copper mass).
Copper tube for water has a thin wall to save on costs, but copper tube of the same nominal OD for refrigeration systems has a thicker wall to withstand higher pressures, and also because a leak caused by a careless nick will be much more expensive for refrigerant, compared to a water drip. They both have the same outer diameter, so that they can both use the same end-connectors. I'm just posting this as a place to park dimensional info.
First, what is the width of a tube when flattened by a hammer or a vice? (of course, flat-bar thickness is double the tube-wall thickness, which varies)
__________________________________________Flat-Bar thickness
Tube stock OD___width if flattened_____________Type-L____Type-K
1/4"____.250"____9.0mm____.360"_____________0.060"_____0.070"
3/8"____.375"____13.6mm____.530"_____________0.070"____0.098"
1/2"____.500"____18.8mm____.740"_____________0.080"____0.098"
3/4"____.750_____
7/8"____.880"____33.5mm_____1.300"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Calculating the copper cross-section, then convert to AWG-guage
1/4"-L____9.0mm X 1.5mm (0.060") = 13.5mm squared____6ga
1/4"-K____9.0mm X 1.8mm (0.070") = 16.2mm squared____5.5ga
3/8"-L____13.6mm X 1.8mm (0.070") = 24.5mm squared____3.5ga
3/8"-K____13.6mm X 2.5mm (0.098") = 34.0mm squared____2ga
1/2"-L____18.8mm X 2.0mm (0.080") = 37.6mm squared____1.5ga
1/2"-K____18.8mm X 2.5mm {0.098) = 47.0mm squared____0ga
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html
"Type K has the thickest wall section of the three types of pressure rated tubing and is commonly used for deep underground burial, such as under sidewalks and streets, with a suitable corrosion protection coating or continuous polyethylene sleeve as required by the plumbing code. In the United States it usually has green colored printing.
Type L has a thinner pipe wall section, and is used in residential and commercial water supply and pressure applications. In the United States it usually has blue colored printing.
Type M has an even thinner pipe wall section and is used in residential and commercial low-pressure heating applications. In the United States, it usually has red colored printing" -Wikipedia