Do-it-yourself soldering iron repair for polypropylene pipes

How to make a homemade soldering iron for polypropylene pipes? A good craftsman always has high-quality tools at hand. Even at home, there is always a tool, and if you don’t find a suitable one, you can assemble it yourself. If you decide to change sewer, water, or heating pipes, you will definitely need a soldering iron for polypropylene pipes.

To weld polypropylene pipes, a special soldering iron is used, which operates on the principle of an iron.

Nowadays it is very rare to find iron or cast iron pipes; plastic material has become very popular.

Electrical circuit and ASPT device

The electrical circuit of a pipe soldering iron is not much different from the circuit of a home iron. In the same way, a heating coil (TEN) is placed in the sole, the heating of which is controlled by a thermostat. The only difference is the presence of two heating elements, the use of a more accurate thermostat and the presence of heater switches. Switches allow you to control the heating power.

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From the electrical plug C6 via the mains cable, an AC supply voltage of 220 V is supplied through the thermostat Tt° and switches S1, S2 to the heating elements H1, H2. Neon lamps L1 and L2, connected through current-limiting resistors R1 and R2 in parallel with the heating elements, indicate when supply voltage is applied to them.

The thermostat St ensures that the set temperature is maintained. The temperature sensor in the thermostat is a gas-filled capillary tube TE with an extension at the end installed inside the sole in a round hole drilled for it. When heated, the gas expands, presses on the membrane, it bends and, through a pusher, opens the contacts through which the supply voltage is supplied to the heating elements.

The distance between the contacts and the membrane can be changed by rotating the screw on which the handle located outside the body is mounted, and in this way, regulate the heating temperature of the shoe. The graduation on the handle is relative, since the heating temperature of the nozzles depends on their size, the ambient temperature and the diameter of the pipes being welded. When welding polypropylene pipes, the degree of heating of the shoe is selected experimentally.

Soldering iron based on an old iron

In the case when a decision is made to make a soldering iron for pipes with your own hands, this can be done by using the old spare parts remaining on the farm.
One of the most common options for making it from improvised means involves using an old electric iron for these purposes. To implement this project you will need the following components and spare parts:

an old iron designed for a power of at least 800 watts;
duralumin plate of suitable size;
steel slats from an old children's construction set;
wires, a toggle switch, an unnecessary handle from a disassembled drill or grinder to make it convenient to hold the soldering iron.

A soldering iron for iron pipes works on the same principle as a factory-made specialized product. The spiral (heating element) heats up, transfers heat to the sole and the nozzle inserted into it. This allows you to melt polypropylene pipes and solder them. The temperature on a homemade soldering iron is set to the maximum (should be 260-265 ℃). Having prepared all these parts and materials, you can begin assembly.

First, the casing is removed from the iron, which allows access to its insides. Then the working part of the sole is cut off using a grinder, and in its place, a duralumin plate cut to the shape of the base is attached with an existing bolt. Next, you need to assemble a box from the spare parts of the designer and securely fasten it to the sole.

A toggle switch and a grinder handle are fixed to the elements of the box, after which one end of the power cable is connected to the switch. The second conductor, together with the outlet from the toggle switch, is connected to the heating coil through asbestos tubes.

Nozzles for fixing on polypropylene pipes will have to be purchased separately. If desired, you can connect a socket with a light bulb in parallel to the power circuit, the current through which must be limited by means of a quenching resistor. Making this simple design with your own hands will require a minimum of time.

How the structure is assembled

The further work process is carried out as follows:

Regardless of how welding is carried out - without a soldering iron or with it, markings must be made.
Following the instructions for the device, it is necessary to warm up the parts to be connected, and after starting the connection, do not allow the pipe to rest against the wall of the fitting. Proper marking can help with this.
Leave the mounted area until it cools completely and ensure that it does not move.
After this, you need to make sure that there are no defects (sagging, deviations from the common axis, leaks). If any of the described defects are identified, the failed section must be disassembled and reinstalled, using new components and taking into account the mistakes made.

How to use a machine for polypropylene pipes - all the secrets of technology

The procedure for soldering polypropylene pipes includes the following steps:

How to choose a tool

Having decided to purchase a machine for soldering polypropylene pipes, you immediately find yourself faced with two questions: “Which one is better to buy?” and “How to decide on the selection criteria?”

Below are the most important technical characteristics that you should rely on when purchasing a device.

Power. Based on this factor, soldering irons can be divided into two types. The first type is those devices whose power is up to 1000 W. They usually have one heating element and, accordingly, are inferior to the second type of device, whose power reaches 2000 W. Such instruments contain two heating elements. If a soldering iron is required for professional activities, then, of course, it is advisable not to save money and choose a model with high power. If the tool is purchased for home purposes, then a device with only one heating element will do just fine.
Solder diameter. This is a fairly important parameter, since based on it, it will be clear which pipe diameter is suitable for connection with a soldering iron, and which is not suitable. Generally, the soldering diameter depends on the pipe nozzles. It’s good when many matrices are included, thereby increasing the scope of application.
Heating temperature. The maximum temperature ranges from 260 to 300°C. When purchasing a soldering tool, you need to pay attention not only to this characteristic, but also to such an important point as the presence of temperature control. After all, sometimes it is necessary to adapt to the pipe material.
Control elements. Additional functionality in the form of various controls will not be superfluous. For example, a light indication is useful, with which you can control the heating. The built-in thermostat will also play a good role, thanks to which it is possible to maintain heating during operation without any problems, and, based on the temperature of the working part, turn the heating element on or off.

Wavin ekoplastik

The soldering iron was from the Czech company Wavin ekoplastik, model RSP 2a Pm. To be fair, it must be said that the soldering iron has been working intensively for more than one year. And according to the owner, it is very convenient for installation work. But sooner or later everything breaks down and requires repair.

So, what's there outside and inside? Soldering iron temperature adjustment is implemented on a microcontroller control. The combination works - temperature sensor, microcontroller, thyristor switch. At the same time, a timer function has been implemented that helps accurately count the heating time of polypropylene parts depending on their diameters. The control panel looks like this.

Wavin ekoplastik soldering iron control panel

And inside it looks like this: I won’t describe the disassembly process, I think it’s unnecessary in this case, let’s get straight to the point.

Soldering iron control board

If the soldering iron does not heat up, then first you need to find out what is wrong, in the control board or further, in the heating element? To do this, taking precautions, turn on the soldering iron and measure the voltage at the output of the control circuit.

We check the presence of voltage, remembering the safety precautions.

Of course, there is no need to wait for complete heating and shutdown with the soldering iron disassembled. This is only important in the case of a more complete check of the functionality of the electronics.

For now, let’s just find out the reason, board or heating element? Why doesn't it heat up? In my case there was tension. And the reason for insufficient heating was not an electronic error.

Let me remind you that in my case the soldering iron was heating up, but did not want to reach the desired temperature. The heating indicator was constantly lit, but it should be like this: Heating period - The red indicator is lit. The temperature has been reached – the red indicator flashes and then goes out completely until the next heating.

It is clear that the reason lies in the heating element’s circuits, and it quickly became clear what exactly it was. To do this, I had to disassemble it a little more, I needed to get under the protective grille of the heater. Now it looks like this. What's interesting there?

Thermal fuse unscrewed from the heating element

Features of the stripping pipe connection

Before connecting the stripping pipe, you need to remove the foil layer from it with a special shavings (shaver) to the size of the soldering depth. In the absence of a shaver, the reinforcing layer is carefully cut off with a stationery knife evenly over the entire area where the pipe is immersed in the fitting. This method looks unprofessional, but when carefully removed it does not reduce the outer diameter of the polypropylene.

What is needed for soldering

To join pipes and transition elements, you will need the following tools:

set for soldering pipes (soldering iron, 20 mm nozzle, stand);
scissors for plastic pipes;
a simple pencil;
pipe lever wrenches;
roulette.

With heating regulator

To control the heating temperature of a homemade soldering iron for polypropylene pipes, install a thermocouple. To assemble a device equipped with a heating regulator for the working sole, additional parts and spare parts will be required, namely:

thermostat, thermocouple and two tips;
dial indicator with a special scale (with “zero” and two sectors);
insulated conductors with a length of at least one meter each;
asbestos wool.

Types and features of polypropylene for water supply

In order to carry out high-quality soldering of plastic pipes during the repair or construction of a plumbing/heating system, you need to know their types. They differ in the scope of use and operating rules. In total, there are 4 types of plastic polypropylene pipes with the following markings:

PN-10: thin-walled polyvinyl chloride, used at temperatures up to 45 degrees. Small diameter pipes are used for cold water supply systems and creating heated floors;
PN-16: pipes can be operated at high operating pressure with cold water or at low pressure but with hot water;
PN-20: pipes of this category are used in mains with water up to 80 degrees;
PN-25: metal-plastic pipes reinforced with aluminum are used when installing a hot water supply system with temperatures up to 95 degrees.

To reduce the cost of repair work, mainly plastic PVC pipes are used.

Machine for welding plastic pipes STEM RWM 2000C.

Choosing the right tool

Which pipe soldering iron should you choose for your own needs? I also asked myself this question at one time and I want to introduce you to the criteria that guided my purchase:

Main criteria

You need to pay attention first of all to the main characteristics of the device:

Power
. This parameter is important in any electrical appliance. Here, in particular, it determines the maximum diameter of pipes that can be melted, and the very speed of this melting. But there is also some cunning hidden here, which I mentioned in the title. The fact is that in this case you may have a desire to purchase the most powerful and at the same time the most expensive unit, and the seller will push you towards this.

What then should you do so as not to overpay when buying an “iron”? I did the following: I multiplied the cross-sectional size of the pipeline being laid by ten and obtained the optimal power indicator. Since the renovation was planned in my own apartment, where the earthenware products had diameters from 1.6 cm to 6.3 cm, multiplying the maximum value using the described method, I opted for a 700 W soldering iron and was satisfied with the result;

Number of seats for installation of nozzles
. Everything is simple here, the more, the better, since this allows simultaneous melting of products with different diameters, which expands the range of operation of the tool;

The number of nozzles themselves
. The set can be equipped in different ways; make sure that it contains at least the most popular samples of mandrels and sleeves for pipes with diameters of 16 mm, 25 mm and 32 mm. If such a kit is not enough for you, as it was in my case, then either look for another welder, or buy the necessary attachments;

Buy mandrels and sleeves exclusively with Teflon coating to prevent melting polypropylene from sticking to them, as this can cause deformation of the pipe itself, as well as make the nozzles unsuitable for further use.

Manufacturer country
. For many, by the way, this is generally a primary indicator, but when it comes to household power tools, I would not be so critical. Today you can find products from manufacturers in the following countries:

Germany. Sometimes the price is incredibly high, but at the same time excellent quality. You can be sure of both the high reliability of the device and the fact that you will also pay extra for a well-promoted brand;
Czech Republic. Good functionality, decent workmanship and still high cost. Such specimens, like previous Europeans, are more in demand for professional use than for one-time installation of a pipeline at home;
Russia and Türkiye. I put them on the same page, since their products of this type for the most part have similar performance indicators and price categories. Excellent for everyday use, but may not last long in industrial conditions;
China. A cheap tool that, if used carefully, will cope with a one-time installation of a pipeline in an apartment or country cottage. So, if you don't have much work to do and you're quite frugal, you can save money by buying a Chinese model;

In fact, with a Chinese instrument, everything is not so simple. Sometimes you can find a European quality brand with a note in the passport “Made in PRC”, which means “Made in China”. Don't rush to the conclusion that this is a fake. Now many European factories are located in China, and the products they produce have the appropriate license and quality certificate.

The presence of a thermostat
. Although I introduced this element into the structure of the soldering iron, there are samples without it. They cost less, but they make it more difficult to control the temperature, which can have a detrimental effect on the joint being created:

Either the melting will be insufficient and the fragments simply will not stick to each other as desired;
Or the melting will be too strong, as a result of which plastic will flood the inside of the pipe, reducing its diameter and, therefore, throughput.

Therefore, in this case it is better not to save;

Additional equipment
. This is far from being a primary criterion; it is worth paying attention to only as a last resort. But if you suddenly begin to struggle with the choice between two or three models that are similar in the above parameters, then pay attention to what manufacturers offer with them in sets. And there can be a lot of interesting things and sometimes even decent quality:

Roulette with a pencil. There is already something to apply markings with;
Work gloves. Home craftsmen often completely forget about such equipment, but here it is already neatly laid out and ready for use;
Scissors for cutting pipes. This is generally a wonderful tool that allows you to put aside the relatively inconvenient hacksaw and cut with one easy movement of the hand;
Screwdriver with hex key. The nozzles need to be screwed on with something;
Suitcase. It can be made of iron or plastic, it perfectly contains everything that is needed for soldering plastic pipes;

Specialty store offers

Now I will introduce you to some examples from the assortment of pipe soldering irons that I came across during my shopping:

Model "WESTER DWM1000B":

Model "CANDAN CM-06":

Model "WESTER DWM1500":

Model "CANDAN SM-03":

Model "CANDAN CM-05":

Model "SPK ER-03":

Making it yourself

Before I came close to carrying out major repairs in an apartment with the replacement of the entire pipeline, I had a situation where I needed to solder only a small section of pipes. I didn’t want to run to the store for such a small amount of work and spend part of the family budget on something that I didn’t really need yet.

But in my workshop there was a lot of stuff that could be used to assemble a homemade pipe soldering iron, which I did not fail to do. Perhaps, in a similar situation or for the purpose of saving, you will find the instructions describing the creation of such a miracle useful:

First of all, I selected the necessary parts from my savings:

Old household iron;

Heater with heating element in an aluminum housing;
Thermocouple;
A pair of tips in the form of a mandrel and a sleeve for, respectively, a pipe;
Two meter wires;
Asbestos wool;
Plexiglas;
Dichloroethane;

He took the stove out of the iron, completely clearing it of foreign fragments;
I drilled holes in the platform and placed the ends on the bolts;
Installed thermocouple;
I connected and placed all the elements in the casing;
One meter wire was connected to the thermocouple, and the other to the heating element;
I secured the handle on the outside of the casing;
The space between the casing and the slab was filled with asbestos wool, which is a good thermal insulator;
The thermostat was placed separately in a box made of plexiglass and dichloroethane.

Choosing a machine for welding propylene and PVC - what criteria are important when purchasing a tool

To choose a good device for welding plastic pipes, you do not need to consider the most expensive models from European manufacturers. You can buy an inexpensive soldering iron from a domestic manufacturer, which will be no worse in functionality than foreign-made devices. In order for a tool to cope with the assigned tasks, it is necessary to decide on its purpose at the selection stage. When choosing the cheapest Chinese tool, it is important to understand that it is characterized by low reliability, and most importantly, it cannot be used for a long time. A particular danger for household tools is overheating over a long period of time, as a result of which the components begin to fail.

Materials

The main element is the boiler, but in addition to it you will need several additional parts:

Aluminum plate and small wire.
Indication lamp (can be taken from the iron).
Thermostat.
Strong thermal tape and thermal paste.
Textolite and electric plug.
Ceramic insulation.
Welding nozzle (25 millimeters).
A few bolts and nuts to secure it.
Insulating tape.

A small paradox. To work, you will need a soldering iron, but only to connect the wires, otherwise the design simply will not work. It’s better to ask once and make your own than to constantly be without a tool.

Important! Making a tool correctly requires some effort, and therefore inexperienced designers may make several mistakes. When collecting materials, set aside spare parts so you don't have to run to the store again.

Testing a homemade soldering iron

During the first test, one drawback was revealed, not counting the smoke and smell from the burning of the new “device” - the indicator’s operation was not entirely convenient. The light is on when the soldering iron is turned off and off when it is running. But this is not scary, it’s just a matter of habit. Perhaps I will upgrade it in the future.

Making a soldering iron for PVC pipes with your own hands

Pipes made from artificial polymers such as PVC have become extremely popular due to their low price and ease of installation. For this reason, over time they began to replace classic metal pipes, this is especially noticeable when designing or repairing plumbing systems in apartments and houses. Old rusty pipes are simply replaced with new plastic ones, and this is done in a couple of hours.

But the merit of the quick installation of such pipes does not lie in the skill of the welder. After all, a special soldering iron is used for welding PVC pipes. A soldering iron for PVC pipes can be purchased in a store, and there are quite budget models that won’t break your pocket. But what if you are not ready to purchase a new device and want to save money, or just like to make electrical appliances with your own hands? In this case, you can make a soldering iron yourself, and we will explain in detail how to do this in this article.

Thermal fuse

And one of the interesting things there is the Thermal Fuse! This could be the reason for the underheating. It is located under the protective grille, bolted to the heater.

Its function is Additional protection. Although all control - heating, monitoring, turning off and turning on - is taken over by the electronics, the manufacturers have installed additional protection. In case, for example, the thyristor breaks down and the heating element stops being controlled by the controller.

How it works and why it broke

In the event of a breakdown of the electronics, when a certain temperature is reached, the bimetallic contacts of the fuse will open and turn off the heating element, preventing it from overheating. The principle of operation is like an iron, if anyone is familiar with it, they understand what I mean.

A more detailed check showed that this was so, my instinct did not let me down. The reason for this malfunction is as follows. A fairly decent current flows through the closed contacts of this fuse. Under current load, over time, the contacts begin to heat up, then slowly burn - stronger and stronger, and eventually their ability to conduct current becomes worse.

As a result, the amount of energy sufficient for normal heating is not transferred to the heating element. Part of it is lost on these burnt contacts, which makes them heat up even more.

Do you remember what happens when the thermal fuse heats up? As it heats up, its contacts tend to open. All this only further worsens the contact in this circuit or breaks it altogether.

Thermal fuse

Types of soldering irons for polypropylene pipes

There are only two types of welding machines for polypropylene pipes. They are not fundamentally different except for the shape of the tip of the heating element. On this basis they are divided into:

— soldering irons with a cylindrical heating element;

Cylindrical heater with a set of nozzles
— soldering irons with heating elements in the form of an iron sole.

The shape of the heater is in the form of an iron with nozzles of various diameters

Each type of soldering iron has its own set of attachments, differing in the method of attachment. If the attachments are screwed onto the irons using a screw fastening, then on cylindrical heating elements they have the form of a cap clamp, which is tightened with a screw.

Functionally, there are no differences between these two types of soldering irons. When choosing, they are guided only by technical data and ease of use.

My acquaintance with polypropylene

The first time in my life I had to take a soldering iron for plastic pipes was in 2006. At that time I made money installing drywall in Krasnodar. A customer approached me and asked me to make a plasterboard ceiling in an apartment located in Anapa. While I was making drywall, the customer asked me to do the water supply in the apartment.

In response to my excuses that I had never done this, the customer waved it off and said that soldering polypropylene was as easy as shelling pears. He had his own plumbing store in Krasnodar, so he sent me a bunch of different fittings and polypropylene pipes, 20 and 25 diameters.

They also brought me an Ekoplastik welding machine, which then cost about 10,000 rubles, if my memory serves me correctly.

I understood that the customer had a season, all the craftsmen were busy in Krasnodar, so he entrusted me to do the water supply. After a little practice, I managed to make a water supply system that still works to this day and has not leaked anywhere. I know this for sure, because I still communicate with the customer.

What to do if you drilled a PPR pipe

Then, somewhere else, I came across some objects where it was necessary to solder the PPR, but these were just pranks, I mainly made money from renovating apartments. I started installing heating systems a couple of years after I met Alexander Kuznetsov, the author of the YouTube channel of the same name, in 2009. And he and I still work together.

By that time, my Ekoplastik welder’s circuit board had burned out, we didn’t have much money, and we were welding polypropylene pipes with Turkish soldering irons. They are also often called irons due to the similar shape of the heating element.

Alternative to welding

In some cases, for example, in hard-to-reach places in the bathroom or other rooms, it is not possible to carry out welding work. The soldering process can be replaced by gluing the pipe to the fitting using an organic solvent. It has a very strong softening effect, but is also highly volatile.

After lubricating the end of the pipe and the internal cavity of the coupling, the plastic softens for a short period of time, and the connection can be made. Reverse polymerization begins after a few seconds.

However, this method is more suitable for PVC pipes that are less prone to thermoplasticity.

If for some reason this option is not suitable, for pipes NOT UNDER PRESSURE it is permissible to use a supercharged lighter instead of a soldering iron. This connection method is shown in the video tutorial below. It is important to understand: uniform soldering cannot be achieved precisely because of the alternating heating of parts, therefore the technology cannot be used for critical connections.