Compression Fittings and Flanges

I added a compression fitting to the roughed in copper toilet supply line. The usual drama occurred when I began cutting through the copper pipe with my hack saw. Even though I turned off the main water line and opened the kitchen sink facet, water sprayed out onto the bathroom floor. I yelled for Melissa to turn on an outside hose and that seemed to do the trick.

Before the compression fitting goes on, you have to put on the flange (the little decorative skirt thing between the tile and the fitting valve). I think they're called escutcheons too. I bought a pretty chrome deep flange made by Keeney & Duracraft Plastics from Lowes. The sealed package said 5/8" OD 1/2" copper pipe but the flange hole was about 1/2". After banging a scrap of copper pipe through the flange with a hammer and using tin snips to force the hole open, I got it to fit. But it looked like crap as a result of the trauma. This was more or less to prove to myself that Keeney had given me the wrong product (or Lowes somehow messed it up).

So I used another white plastic 5/8" OD 1/2" copper pipe flange I had for the sink. It was correctly labeled and fit! The compression fitting went on fine, so I shut its valve off and turned on the main water. I yelled up to Melissa "is it leaking?". She yelled back "Yes!". I yelled back "You've got to be kidding!!!". She yelled back "Maybe it's not leaking, I think it was just a shadow".