I have a leak in my copper piping. How do I solder the pipes? I have a propane blowtorch...?

Question

Ok, I know basic plumbing techniques. however, I tried to heat the pipes and then put the soldering on it, but it seems like the soldering is not melting on the pipes, do I need flux? What is flux by the way? Now what I did was cut the bad piece away and I am going to home depot tomorrow to get a new joint piece. I want to do it the right way but I am a step away from buying a flexible tube and using 2 pipe clamps! I heated the original pipe to the right temp... I waited for the flame to go green, then I rubbed the soldering on it but it did not melt. What the hell am I doing wrong!!! Losing my mind! Any help?

Answer 1

Listen to Jamie! Just make sure the copper is shiny clean, and apply water soluble flux to the exterior of the pipe only. Don't apply flux inside the fitting, unless you want the pipe to develop holes in about a year. If you can't get all the water out, then the bread trick is OK, as long as you remove the crust. There is a tool for this, that is inserted into the pipe, and the handle on the end of the tool, rotates, and squeezes a rubber attached to the end of the tool, outward, to stop the water, long enough to solder the joint. When you are through soldering, you unscrew the tool, and remove it. Good luck!

Answer 2

Okay! I'd say your flame wasn't hot enough and the lack of flux didn't help. I used to braze for years and years. Yes you do need flux. It has acid in it to clean the joint to be brazed. If this is for plumbing that you will be consuming the water, then you have to have a certain alloy that doesn't contain lead. Now as far as your torch, I've never used propane or the one they sell in a blue cylinder. Mine was mapp gas and in a yellow cylinder. Anyways, if the alloy melts when put in the flame then it should be hot enough to braze the joint. Without flux it will not flow around the joint. It really doesn't matter what color the flame is. You want it hot as you can get it so turn it all the way up. One thing you want to be sure to do before hand is to take fine sand paper and use it on the inside of the male pipe and the outside of the female pipe. I prefer to use a brush in a drill. Then flux the outside and inside of the joints. After brazing the first joint if the other joint is realtively close to the first joint, take a wet shop towel and wrap it around the first joint. You want it really wet so as not to catch fire.This will keep it cooled off so it doesn't come unbrazed. Also when you are brazing the joints don't hold the flame in one place for very long at all or you will burn a hole in the copper, instead use a fanning motion with the flame while going completly around the joint. When the alloy starts to melt around the joint you pull the flame further away. Try to only use the flame on the areas where the pipe is doubled since that area will be able to absorb the most heat and if it is cold your alloy will not flow as far into it or around it. One last thing, if there is any water in the pipe it will not heat up enough to braze so you have to get it out or at least further down from the joint. I am a female but I have replaced my water heater using exisiting copper pipe but had to add more since my water heater was taller. I had no problem and was thankful I had the experience brazing for all those years. You can get the flux and right alloy at Home Depot. They are very helpful. I also got my gas there. Hope this helps save your mind!

Answer 3

these are older copper pipes and you probably have a little water lying in there. not probably. you DO. if you cannot stop the water from flowing toward the connection, then shove a piece of bread up the pipe away from the area you are soldering. do not worry. the bread will disintegrate when you turn the water back on. make sure copper is clean and resin is applied, heat the pipe, not the solder . touch the solder to the pipe, and it will melt when the pipe gets hot enough. you can also tilt the pipes up so the water cannot get to the area. moral? keep water away from soldering area. do not use acid flux. use resin. and use solid solder. period.

Answer 4

First clean the pipe with a sand paper. Apply a flux to your pipe and inside the fittings. If your not experienced with propane, get MAPP gas, it burns hotter and you can use the same torch. You can get it wherever you get propane. If thers water in the pipes use the bread. Put your repair together and apply your flame to the fittings. Touch the solder to the pipe, once it starts to melt, cover around the joint. Once it cools enough for the solder to harden " clean the flux off " with a rag. Practice with a extra pipe first, just to get the feel of how long and how hot it takes for the solder to melt.

Answer 5

Hold it, hold it: First of all: if...you have one drop of water in that pipe, forget it. Make sure the pipe is dry. Like the man said, shove a piece of dried bread up the pipe before you solder it, it'll flush away with the water flow.
Clean all your pieces to be soldered with steel wool real good then, put some acid on each one and put them together the way you want them. Now heat your pipe for about thirty seconds and then hit it with solder and another ten or fifteen seconds with the torch.

Answer 6

Did you dry the pipe on the inside? ONE drop of water will ruin any attempt to solder the joint. What I usually do is put a small piece of bread into each pipe, it will suck up any water. Just make sure, when you turn the water back on, to remove the aerator from one faucet, and run the water through so the bread does not plug up the faucet.

Answer 7

Hey Bosco, I hope you don't take this wrong but from your questions, it really don't sound like you have the experience to easily do this. So why don't you get a couple of compression couplers instead? They are simple to install with just a couple of wrenches or channel locks. Trying to sweat pipe sometimes can be a challenge if the conditions aren't right. Good luck.

Answer 8

flux is a "acid" which cleans the copper, but it sounds like the copper is not hot enough, make sure there is no water in the pipes, this will cause it not to get hot enough.