Sometime ago, when I got interested in burying my own loop, I found used butt fusion equipment, though at the time I was not prepared to buy. The videos I had seen of the butt fusion process had cold rings on either side of the pipe. Now that equipment is no longer available to me, I see that socket fusion equipment is less expensive. The socket fusion kits include cold rings, but of the few videos I have seen, none use the cold rings. In any case, with sockets (couplers / tees / et cetera), at best you could only use a cold ring on the pipe side, 'cause is not the socket side a much larger diameter? And the exterior dimension of the socket side not controlled like the pipe side?
Hi and welcome! The function of the cold ring is to prevent the operator from forcing the pipe into the socket of the fusion iron and creating a cold joint due to pipe collapse or roll over of the pipe lip surface. The cold ring has nothing to do with the socket side of the joint. The cold ring only acts as a spacing tool or jig. You tube has lots of videos that should show you " the what's what " for small diameter socket fusion. Hope this helps Eric
thank you I see on some retail sites "fusion temperature sticks" of varying degrees. I get the need to make sure the iron is at a particular temperature before heating the pipe, but why the different temperature sticks? ... is for different pipe diameters (thicknesses)? Instead of a temperature stick, could a quality infrared thermometer serve the same function?
You could prolly get away with a infrared thermo, but for your first outing I would recommend the correct temp stick for the work you are going to do. Your deduction on wall thickness is also correct. There should be some McElroy fusion guides you could read or view available online. Eric
