Pipe fittings, water troughs and leaks!!

Cut the pipe with a proper pipe cutters they are not big money. Edges cut with a hacksaw are a nightmare to seal.

Call to a hardware and they will tell you what you need and there are philmac videos online to show you how to make the connections properly.

What you have sounds like 1/2” normal gauge hydro pipe and you want to connect to a 1/2” ballcock.

Even take a picture of what you are doing and show in the hardware. You need the red inserts for the compression fitting not the white. They’ll explain all.

Proper pipe cutters as said and if using philmac fittings use the red inserts for the normal gauge pipe.

Plumbing tape when connecting to the ball cock as well

When using that cutter, make sure the pipe is located straight on the cutter. That helps get a square cut. Make sure that the inserts in the fitting are on the right way around too. I've seen lads put them on back to front. There's also a flat rubber seal in the newer Philmac fitting.

In fact, I've seen 3 different versions of philmac over the years. The screw on side that goes direct on the ballcock thread, needs PTFE (teflon) tape wound on the threads for best seal.

A regular good quality garden secoturs will also work fine for getting a clean cut on half inch pipe.

Just being pricing the white philmac insert for half inch water pipe, want to change from light gauge that’s already in the shed for water drinkers to heavy gauge pipe, price from 1.20 to 1.96 per each insert some difference, need 20 of them. Shows the mark up some places have.

When you say standard and light gauge do you mean normal gauge? I would say vast majority of piping sold is normal gauge would it not? Aren't the white fittings that usually come with fittings not for heavy gauge?

I presume everyone knows one flaw of heavy gauge piping is if the pipe freezes, it'll crack and burst as there's no give over the lighter gauge.

Nearly all heavy gauge pipe here, 1”, 3/4” and 1/2”, have never had a pipe burst from frost yet, not even when we had minus 14 back in 2010.

It was the brand of pipe say same happened round here in spots the newer schemes all split at the time.

The reason looking at changing the water pipe is an upgrade, the two kids are into fixing things that give problems in the past and a couple of years back the pipes froze in a bad frost for three days and water had to be carried from the house to stock which was pure torture. There is two roles of heavy gauge that come from a sister’s house build in the yard. The two women are into making everything handy and I am slowing done as they tell me.

Baa baas is right. If frost is your issue forget about the heavy gauge and buy some pipe insulation instead.

Lagged a few pipes here a fortnight ago and has no issue with frost after 3 nights of -5 and no real thaw during the day.

It comes in 2m lengths and you can split it with your thumb and slide over pipework that’s already installed.

Anywhere in reach of livestock you need to protect it with a section of a larger pipe. A 2” down pipe would suffice if they are only licking it or a short section of 2” galvanised of cattle are rubbing off it.

You won’t regret it.

Plastic down pipe where cattle can reach. That’s a 3/4 water pipe