How to Flare Pipe

Tighten the nut to the flare fitting with an adjustable wrench.

Where hard copper pipes are generally joined together with melted solder, soft copper pipes are joined using a flare fitting (known also as a flare coupling). Prior to installing the fitting, the copper pipes end is flared using a flaring clamp and a yoke. The clamp has a series of different size holes to secure various size copper pipes, while the yoke's cone pushes into the copper pipe end, flaring it outwards. Both the clamp and yoke are generally sold together as a set.

Things You'll Need

• Flare fitting
• Soft copper pipe
• Flaring clamp and yoke
• Adjustable wrench

Instructions

1. Loosen and remove the end nut from the flare fitting's body. Slide the nut over the end of the copper pipe, moving it 12 inches or more along the pipe.

2. Open the wing nuts on the ends of the flaring clamp. Push the copper pipe through the correct size hole in the center of the clamp. Position the copper pipe end so that it is flush with the side of the clamp. Tighten the wing nuts by hand to hold the pipe in position.

3. Slide the yoke over one end of the flare fitting, so that the ends of the yoke are on one side of the fitting and the tip of the yoke's cone is positioned over the center of the copper pipe. Turn the yoke's handle to insert the cone into the copper pipe end. Keep turning the handle to push the cone against the pipe end and flare it outwards.

4. Turn the yoke's handle counterclockwise, and remove the yoke from the clamp. Loosen the clamp's wing nuts and remove it from the copper pipe end.

5. Hold the flare fitting's body against the flared end of the copper pipe. Move the nut surrounding the copper pipe towards the fitting's body, and screw the nut to the body by hand. Tighten the nut to the fitting's body with an adjustable wrench.

References

• Ask The Builder: Copper Tubing Flaring Tool Video
• Copper.org: Flared Joints
• DIYonline.com: Flaring Flexible Copper Pipe