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The following questions and answers apply only to JUST-FOR-COPPER™ by
Kalimex™ Solderless Copper Cold Weld.
(In the questions and answers, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ or
JFC is used as a shortened version of JUST-FOR-COPPER™ by
Kalimex Solderless Copper Cold Weld.)
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Can JFC be used to cold weld materials or metals
other than copper?
-
Can JFC be used to cold weld rigid copper pipes
in private homes?
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The JFC that remains on the exterior of the pipes continues to be wet. Is the bond still wet?
-
How do you apply JFC in tight places where you cannot get the applicator?
-
If a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold weld does leak, what are the most common reasons?
-
How much water, or gas pressure, will JFC cold
welds withstand?
-
Will JFC cold welds hold when temperatures change over a wide temperature range?
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Can you use JFC on a joint that was previously heat soldered?
Question:
How many welds
will a bottle of JUST-FOR-COPPER make?
Answer:
Using a 1/2-inch copper pipe as an
example, the 10g bottle of JUST-FOR-COPPER will make approximately
40 welds. The 50g bottle will make in excess of 200 welds.
Question:
Does JUST-FOR-COPPER™ meet
plumbing codes?
Answer:
YES! Plumbing
codes call for a pressure test ranging from 80 psi to 100 psi – the
actual pressure varies from state-to-state and city-to-city,
but the pressure is always below 200 psi. JUST-FOR-COPPER™ has
been tested in excess of 1000 psi, and is rated at 500 psi to
give it a safety measure. JUST-FOR COPPER™ will meet any
plumbing pressure test.
Question:
Is JUST-FOR-COPPER™ NSF approved?
Answer:
Not Yet! JUST-FOR-COPPER is currently
being tested by NSF for certification. However, JUST-FOR-COPPER
is non-toxic and does not represent any health risks.
Lead solder is poisonous, and alternative types of solder are
heavy metals and represent a serious health danger if ingested
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used to cold weld materials
or metals other than copper?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is formulated
for use on rigid copper pipe and copper fittings or connectors
only.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used to cold weld rigid
copper pipes in private homes?
Answer:
YES! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is formulated
to be used in all applications of welding rigid copper
pipe to connectors and fittings, and has been used in private
residences, hotels, shopping malls, industrial buildings, and
apartment complexes.
Question:
Will JUST-FOR-COPPER™ catch fire if used around
a heat source?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ Copper Bonding is non-flammable.
Question:
Will JUST-FOR-COPPER™ leave a taste in the water?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is
odorless and tasteless.
Question:
Is JUST-FOR-COPPER™ dangerous if it is accidentally
ingested?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is
non-toxic and will not harm anyone who ingests it. JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is
safe to use around pets and children.
Question:
What is the working time of JUST-FOR-COPPER™?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ will not
start to weld until the treated copper pipe is inserted into
a treated copper connector or fitting. JUST-FOR-COPPER™ sets
up in 3 to 4 seconds after inserting the copper pipe into the
copper fitting or connector. After 10-seconds, you cannot pull
apart the bond with your hands. After 40 seconds you cannot pull
apart the bond with tools. JUST-FOR-COPPER™ will withstand
200 psi of pressure after 7 minutes.
Question:
Do the pipes have to be perfectly dry for JFC to
work?
Answer:
No. The pipes can have moisture in them and there can even be a slight dripping
of water. JFC will work just as well on wet pipes as on dry.
Question:
The JFC that remains on the exterior of the pipes
continues to be wet. Is the bond still wet?
Answer:
No. The bond was made within 5 seconds. The JFC that is on the exterior
of the pipes should be wiped off as it will remain liquid.
Question:
How do you apply JFC in tight places where you
cannot get the applicator?
Answer:
The best way is to dispense several drops on your finger and wipe
it around the pipe and around the inside of the connector. Be
sure to use plenty of JFC. After you wipe the JFC on the pipe,
insert the pipe into the connector.
Question:
Why isn't the bottle completely full?
Answer:
JFC is a modified acrylic polymer anaerobic and needs air to remain
liquid. The bottles are usually 1/3 full. The bottles are filled
by weight, not volume.
Question:
What is the life expectancy of JFC?
Answer:
Like all plumbing components and pipe, JFC has been tested to ASTM
standards to simulate 50 years life.
Question:
Can JFC be used on crafts like trellises and water
falls?
Answer:
Yes. JFC is actually superior to hot soldering because it leaves
no discoloration like solder.
Question:
How does JUST-FOR-COPPER™ work?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold welding
is accomplished by modifying polymer resins to generate a chemical
reaction with copper that provides a hermetic weld that is water-tight
and air-tight, without heat and solder.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used on copper threads?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cannot
be used on any threaded connectors.
Question:
Is JUST-FOR-COPPER™ safe to use with potable
(drinking) water?
Answer:
YES! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is non-toxic and has
no odor or taste when cured. JUST-FOR-COPPER™ was formulated
for potable water, as well as natural and LPG gas.
Question:
What is the failure rate of JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
welds?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ has been
in commercial use since 1998. In millions of bonds, there has
never been a single reported failure.
Question:
If a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld does leak, what are the most common reasons?
Answer:
The only way a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ weld
can leak is if the user misuses the product. The most common
misuses are:
-
Because the user does not use a 60-grit sandpaper provided,
to clean the pipe and fitting before applying
JUST-FOR-COPPER™.
-
Because the user moves the weld after the 3 to 4 seconds bonding time and before the 40-seconds have lapsed.
-
Because the user tries to take the weld apart to correct a mistake.
-
Because the weld (joint) is exposed to high heat of 120ºC (240ºF) or above.
- Because the copper pipe or fitting is not perfectly round (damaged or deformed) leaving a gap larger than 0.25mm.
Question:
How much water, or gas pressure, will JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
welds withstand?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold welds
have been tested in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch (psi).
However, to permit a proper safety rating, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is
officially rated at 500 psi.
Question:
What is the mechanical strength of a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ has a safety rating of 380 pounds per square
inch (psi). This is the mechanical pressure required to
break the bond in accordance to ASTM D4541.
Question:
What is the temperature rating of a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld?
Answer:
When cured, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ will retain its bond
from temperatures ranging from a low of -400C (-400F) to
a high of 1200C (2400F).
Question:
Will JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold welds hold when temperatures
change over a wide temperature range?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold welds have been cycled from
maximum cold
(-600C) to maximum hot (1200C) thousands of times in
the laboratory, and millions of times in actual applications, without a single
failure.
Question:
Can you use JUST-FOR-COPPER™ on coiled copper
pipe?
Answer:
No! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold weld is not a “gap filling” bonding
agent. Coiled copper pipe is not perfectly round when uncoiled
and cut. COPPER- BOND™ cold-weld will fill a maximum space
of 0.25mm between pipe and connector. The area between a properly
prepared and undamaged (sanded) connector and pipe is much less
than 0.25mm.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used to cold weld white
and red brass fittings and copper composition (pipe containing
only a percentage of copper) rigid pipe?
Answer:
Yes, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ Solderless Copper Bonding
will weld brass fittings to copper pipe and copper composition
pipe and maintain the same strength and technical standards of
copper-to-copper welds.
Question:
Can you use JUST-FOR-COPPER™ on a joint that
was previously heat soldered?
Answer:
YES, but you must completely clean the solder from the pipe and the
fitting or connector.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used to repair a hole
or crack in copper pipe or connectors, or fill a leak in a heat
soldered joint?
Answer:
NO! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cannot be used to make any repairs to damaged or
leaking copper pipes, fittings, or connectors. If there is a
leak in a fitting, the fitting must be disconnected and properly
prepared, then sealed with JUST-FOR-COPPER™. If there is
a leak in a copper pipe, the damaged pipe must be cut away and
replaced with new copper pipe using connectors and JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld.
Question:
Can copper pipes and connectors that are cold welded
with JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be encased in building walls such
as concrete?
Answer:
YES! You can encase copper pipes and connectors cold
welded with JUST-FOR-COPPER™ in
concrete, polyurethane, and other types of building walls.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used to bond copper
pipe that is used to carry pure oxygen, like in hospitals and
nursing homes?
Answer:
No! JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is an anaerobic product that cures in the
absence of air (oxygen). The presence of pure oxygen could cause
JUST-FOR- COPPER™ to react negatively.
Question:
Can JUST-FOR-COPPER™ be used in the manufacturing
of air conditioners?
Answer:
Yes, except for industrial air conditioners that use
oils formulated with Methacrylate. Some industrial air conditioners
use oils formulated with Methacrylate to support temperatures
down to – 54
degrees centigrade. At - 54 degrees centigrade, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ becomes
solid and can crack and leak.
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ can be used in the installation, and in the construction of home and office air conditioners that do not use oils formulated with Methacrylate
Question:
What is the hardness of a JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld after cure?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ changes from liquid to a polyacrylic solid
when cured. The maximum strength is achieved when JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is
between the joint formed by the connector and the pipe.
Question:
What is the elasticity of JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold
weld after cure?
Answer:
JUST-FOR-COPPER™ behaves like a monoelement in the joint. When
cured, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ cold weld’s elasticity is
the same as the copper pipe and connector as the environment
changes.
Question:
What is the chemical and solvent resistance of JUST-FOR-COPPER™?
Answer:
When cured, JUST-FOR-COPPER™ is a durable polymer
with outstanding chemical and environmental resistance.