Use only solid flares in your plumbing. A good flare has a smooth rim and fits snugly into the deep end of the flare nut.
Split flares cause leaks. Ridged or oversize flares occur from using the wrong slot in the flare block. A flare that doesn’t fit smoothly into the flare nut is not usable. Always cut off a bad flare.
You can damage the joint of copper tubing by improper tightening. Work the nuts with two wrenches where space allows. In close quarters, use a tubing wrench. To tighten or loosen a fitting, place one wrench on the coupling and hold it steady. Don’t let the coupling union turn at all. Loosen or tighten the flare nut with the other wrench.
One last point: Do not join galvanized iron pipe to copper tubing without a special fitting to separate them. These two dissimilar metals create electrolysis if they touch each other. This results in the rapid corrosion of both—and soon, repairs.
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