Anybody know how to solder copper pipes? The solder will not stick!! There is no water around the joints.?

Question

I am replacing my shower head. The solder won't stick to the fittings. I have tried cleaning them with a wire brush, and I have used flux. Any tricks or do i have to call a plumber?

Answer 1

What does replacing the shower head have to do with soldering? The shower head attaches by screwing the end with female threads, onto a chrome plated pipe, that also screws into a female thread, inside the wall. What does the pipe that you are trying to solder, attach to? I know you have copper pipes, and there should be a pipe rising vertically from the middle of the shower valve. This pipe carries water to the shower head, when the diverter is turned from the lower spout, to the shower head. Is this the pipe that you are referring to? Did you cut into the water supply lines? If so, even a small amount of water can be a problem. If this is the case, and there is a slight drip of water, you are in a whole new ballgame! The water has to be stopped. If the main is leaking by, you will have to use something to stop the water, in order to solder the joint. First, open all the faucets in the house. Now take some bread, and remove the crust. Roll some of it into a ball, and pack it into the pipe that is leaking, and take a pecil, and with the eraser end, shove the bread in as far as possible. You have just created a dam, that should hold the water back long enough to solder the joint. I suggest, you install a valve at this point, that way, after you solder the joint, you can turn the valve off, open the main water valve, filling the system with water, and hold a bucket under the "new" valve, and open it to blow out the bread. Once you have removed all the bread, finish soldering the rest of the pipes, and you now have shut off valves at the shower. When soldering, clean the fittings and pipe ends thoroughly, use water soluble flux, not acid flux, and when applying heat, start on the pipe first, working the flame around the pipe, never stopping in one spot too long, moving to the fitting, and finally concentrate your heat towards the middle of the fitting, as solder will travel to the heat. Make sure that you only flux the end of the pipe, and don't put any inside the fittings. Too much flux, will pool inside the fitting, and solder can ball up inside the fitting, creating a restriction, that will cause problems later on. When you apply the solder, unroll about 18", and stick the tip right into the socket of the fitting. As the joint comes to temperature, the flux will appear as a clear water type fluid, and the solder will melt, and by a process known as capillary action, wherever flux was, now solder will exchange places with it. Apply the solder all the way around the joint, and then wipe the joint with more flux, and apply a little more solder, to ensure a good joint. Take a cloth, and wipe the excess solder and flux off. This way, you will see if there are any missed spots, that need to be touched up. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 2

Poppyman 54 gave you 99% of what you need to know. I'll add just two more things. Because you may be overheating or under heating the copper pipe, you need to know how to determine when it's exactly the right temperature for the solder to melt the instant you touch it to the joint.

The flame from most propane torches is blue and yellow/orange. Apply the tip of that flame to the joint where you intend to solder so that a small bit of the flame goes around the pipe and shoots out the other side. Watch that bit of flame carefully. When the copper pipe is the right temperature it will turn to a nice green colour. Once you see that emerald point of flame, you should remove your torch and immediately touch the joint with the tip of your solder. If you fluxed it properly, that flux will wick that solder right up into the joint. You'll use about a quarter inch of solder per joint.

The other thing is about installing taps. Many taps have a rubber (or plastic) washer inside. If you are going to install a tap, take it apart and remove the innards. If you leave that washer in there while heating things up as you solder, that washer can melt and give you one hell of a time to clean out! After your soldering is done, wait for the tap body to cool before inserting the innards again.

Answer 3

Your soldering of copper is made 100% easier when you will solder with a Map Gas torch instead of propane. Not much too it with map gas and it works even if you got a bit of water in the line as propane torch will not. So to start get map gas to make your job much easier. On cutting out old pipe, you want an ELECTRIC saw called a "SAWS ALL" in the industry. This is a portaable hand held reciprocating saw that has about a 4 to 6 inch mean looking blade on it and believe me it can cut thru a steel pipe with ZERO effort in less that 45 seconds. Lowes or Depot or Menards have these things for about $35 and every homeowner needs one. On copper tubing, of course use a tubing cutter and REAM out the inside of the pipe with the attachment on the cutter. Remember, there is also a "mini" tubing cutter for those tight places. Buy one of those too. Then. Clean with steel wool and heat the fitting only with the Map Gas torch and feed in the solder. Nothing to it really. Dont forget a bucket of water in crawl and a wet rag to cool off the fittings after soldering and snuff out any hot spots. Really, ive yet to hear of a plumber setting fire to a house while installing copper and neither has anyone else.

Answer 4

I take sandpaper and clean the pipe until it is bright and shiny and also the fitting until it is bright and shiny. Do you have paste flux? If so, then I coat both pieces of items to be joined. Then I fit the fitting onto the pipe and start to heat the fitting towards the rear of the fitting and try to heat it evenly, side to side. The flux will start to smoke and ooze some, put the acid core solder up to th joint and move it around the joint. When the temperature gets high enough, the solder will melt and suck into the fitting make sure you get it all around the joint. Remove the heat and take a damp rag and wipe around the joint to get rid of the extra solder and make a nice looking joint. Good luck

Answer 5

I'm no expert. But shouldn't the joints be "sweated" with a torch? A method like heating the joint and then melting the solder into the joint. The solder likes heat and will travel to the heat source and sealing the joint by filling the gap between the two fittings.

Plumbing can be tricky... I personally wouldn't trust myself to seal a joint where water could leak... I'd call a plumber if I had to do it.

Answer 6

The trick with soldering first is clean...shiny like new clean.
I am suspecting that yours is not that clean.
Also there can't be any water....if you hear it sizzling and steaming, that steam is keeping the temperature of the pipe too cold to melt solder properly. So you have to steam dry it along way back(maybe 2 feet) before you can do a good job.

Answer 7

What you have done sounds correct, the only other possibility is that you are heating the pipes too much if the pipe is too hot the solder will continue to flow, there is a rather delicate balance that must be reached to get the solder to flow just right.

Answer 8

the age of the solder can be a problem,, they took the lead out of solder a few years back and the new stuff dont stick good with the old stuff,, you may have to completely remove the old solder,, just a thought ,,not a plumber,dont know what runs uphill

Answer 9

Solder will wick toward the heat - so apply the torch to the fitting and when it is up to temp, the solder should suck right into the joint, toward the flame.

Answer 10

CLEAN CLEAN and more clean! sounds like you are doing every thing wright using the correct solder?? i know if it is not cleaned real good it wont stick try again