In article , "Robert11" wrote:
Guess this dates me, but when I did a fair amount of house plumbing, there
was pretty much only the Propane type of torches.
I see now at Home Depot, that they apparently sell a lot of MAPP torches for
this purpose.
Yep. Pricey in comparison to propane, but well worth it.
So, may I please ask:
a. which is more popular now for occasional house use to run a new line,
repair a leak, etc. ?
Why do you care which is "more popular"? Shouldn't you be interested in which
one works better?
I have no idea whether MAPP is more popular than propane for occasional house
use, but I can assure you that it works far, far better. I finally bought a
MAPP torch about two years ago, and haven't even touched a propane torch
since.
b. With MAPP, does one still have to "completely" drain the line of any
water first ?
If so, "fully" drain ?
What's the difference between "completely" drain and "fully" drain? g
With propane, you need to have the joint completely dry. With MAPP, you need
to have it pretty nearly dry. You can't solder a joint that's full of water,
no matter what you use.
c. MAPP more expensive ?
A MAPP torch costs about twice as much as a propane torch; of course, the
torch is a one-time expense.
A bottle of MAPP gas costs nearly three times as much as propane ($8 vs. $3
at Lowe's), but you don't need to use nearly as much of it as you do propane
to get the job done. In my experience, the overall cost of the gas is about
the same.
d. Pros and cons, etc.
MAPP gas stinks, and it burns with a sooty flame. But it's *much* hotter, and
so sweating a fitting with MAPP takes a small fraction of the time it takes
with propane. The higher temperature of MAPP is especially useful when
sweating valve bodies, or pipes larger than 1". Propane is pretty close to
useless on anything over 1-1/2". Also because of the higher temperature,
there's more risk with MAPP of setting framing members on fire. A fireproof
protective pad is a good idea, e.g.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...3498-138-31400
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.