"Sacramento Dave" wrote in message
om...

"Bill Lee" wrote in message
...
Greetings all;

My brother-in-law just bought a approximately 30-year-old house. Had
a
number of plumbing problems I was able to fix. However, a leaking "T"
joint
in standard half-inch copper pipe has resisted all my attempts at repair.
I
have done the typical intensive sanding, fluxing and re-soldering several
times with no success. This had always worked for me in the past. All
pipes,
etc. look in good shape.

Any other suggestions as to how to stop this leak without having to
soldering another "T" and corresponding connectors into its place.
Thanks.

Bill

Once in a while you get a joint that just wont Solider. The best thing to
do is replace the fitting. What I do if it is in a tight spot and to
replace is major pain I will sill- floss it . ( SILVALOY 15 15% silver )
With Map gas you can do up to a 3/4" joint. Basically you get the joints
red
hot, no flux, put Rod to it, the solider will burn out.

Wouldn't getting it that hot cause the other joints in the T to melt and
fail?
Last spring I had to replace a broken pipe in a tight crawl space. My new
joints were fine, but then nearby ones fell apart. I screwed with it for an
hour, and just as I was about to give up in disgust, it miraculously all
came together. But I didn't even get it as hot as you suggest.