Re: [VAC] Plumber Hell

["Dr. Gerald N. Johnson" <geraldj@xxxxxxxx>]

Messier, but you should be able to find a 3/4 to 1/2 adapter that fits
IN a 3/4 fitting. Its inside might be close enough to your swollen pipe
to allow for soldering. If not there are small bushings made to fit in a
3/4 fitting and take a 1/2" copper pipe (which is 5/8" O.D.) inside. If
that's too thick, I'd reach for my metal lathe and bore it out until it
fits. You can do that with a small half round file or a drill bit but
beware of drilling copper. Drills tend to grab copper and make it spin
instead of cutting through it. You could look for copper tubing swaging
tools to either expand or compress the end of the existing tubing to fit
a standard fitting. If you have to replace, its unlikely the next or
elbow back from the faucet is swollen because that's heavier wall and
doubled where the pipe is soldered in so that's as far as you'd have to
replace the pipe. More crudely, you might be able to find a size of bare
copper wire that would just fill the space between your "swollen" pipe
and the next larger fitting and solder that all together. That won't be
as strong as a solid bushing though.

Gerald J.