There is one thing to keep in mind when it comes to DIY plumbing, water has a mind of its own and can be quite difficult to work with.
If you are looking on taking on DIY plumbing repairs, there are a few things you should know. Leaks happen and there's no quick fixes. There are a lot of products on the market that claim to be instant leak remedies,but the vast majority of them are ineffective when it comes to stopping leaks. If you have a water leak, theirs is only one way to fix it and that's the proper way.
Soldering Equipment
You need to use the right fittings for the job when working with plastic pipe like speed fit or hep pipe only use the appropriate fittings and always use pipe inserts.
When working with copper pipe always clean the ends to be soldered with steel wool and use flux on all the joints, preferably lead free con-ex or compression fittings don't require flux and solder, just a spanner. There is a brass sleeve called an olive that will compress against the pipe that makes the water seal.
The olive is not reusable so make sure that its in the correct position before you full tighten the fitting. There are many different size pipe sizes used in the plumbing trade For example a bath waste is a different size from a basin waste And there are several sizes of copper pipe ranging from 8mm up to 32mm.
The best way to buy the right size pipe or fitting is to take the old one with you to the plumbers merchant Plumbers merchants are the best places to buy spares from, as the staff are well versed on plumbing products. Taking a picture is can also be helpful if you cant take the part in, some times the problem may be with a part that is not easily removed. If you are going to take on a DIY plumbing task, make sure you have all the right tools and equipment ready before you start the job.