A crack in the copper pipe of an air conditioner can occur for various reasons: due to careless work of the installer, damage by builders and finishers, or incorrect actions of the end user.
The length of the copper tube crease depends on the magnitude of its angular deformation. The greatest narrowing of the cross-section occurs in the center of the crease and spreads in both directions along the tube with a gradual increase in the cross-section up to 100 percent.
How to technically correct a crease in a copper air conditioner pipe
We mark 2 sections on the tube, where the hall and its center begin and end. We will correct this defect using a die using a hole corresponding to the outer diameter of the copper tube on which a defect has formed in the form of a narrowing of the cross section.
We begin the restoration by smoothing out the crease as much as possible with our hands without using tools. But in this case, you cannot bend the tube, since in this case a crease may form on the opposite side of the tube, which is completely unacceptable.
We unscrew the wings of the dies and insert the defective tube with a crease into the hole of the corresponding diameter.We begin the alignment with the sections preceding the crease, which we have already marked with risks.
We tighten the wings evenly and the halves of the die begin to come closer and clamp the pipe. At the same time, bend the tube towards straightening. Gradually, no more than 5 mm, we move towards the center of the crease and repeat the previous operations.
Particular care and attention is required when reaching the central part of the crease. At this stage, as in the previous ones, we constantly bend the ends of the tube with our hands. Next, we move from the center of the crease in the other direction, repeating the previous steps.
We continue to work until the third mark is reached. By this time the tube should be as straight as possible. We align the residual deviations of the tube with our hands. The internal cross-section of the pipe has been practically restored along the entire length of the fracture, and its longitudinal axis has become almost straight.
We insert a copper tube with a corrected crease into a heat-insulating tube made of foamed polyethylene or rubber and make sure that the insulation has not undergone deformation.
If a crease is discovered, it must be fixed urgently, since the longer the crease is exposed to the open air, the more difficult it is to fix it.
