A shutoff valve connects to copper plumbing pipes in one of two ways: Compression fitting; Sweat fitting. Identify the connection type used in your home by referring to the photos below.

Nelson Mechanical gets called in by a homeowner who wants a high-end radiant system without ANY plastic components—is that even possible? As I said in our last story, I love working with copper pipes ...

When a copper pipe corrodes ... the sleeve slides over the pipe ends without snagging. Clean the sleeve's inside edges for soldering with a 3/4-in. diameter wire fitting brush.