wrote:
On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:36:31 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

BobK207 wrote:
On Nov 20, 8:28 am, (Lp1331 1p1331) wrote:
If I were doing this job, I would use a valve with female threads and 2
male adapters. I'd sweat one m/a to one of the pipes, install the valve,
sweat a piece of pipe about a foot or so, if space permits, to the other
m/a, then screw it to the valve, and lastly hook that piece of copper to
the rest of the system. That way there is no chance of messing up the
valve. Of course the main reason I would do it that way is that I only
use silver solder. Besides not liking / trusting soft solder, after more
years than I'd like to admit in the a/c /ref trade using silver solder
and almost no experience with soft solder, I always have the stuff handy
to SS. But regardless of which solder it usually seems easier to me to
sweat copper-copper than copper-brass. YMMV Good luck Larry

Per Larry's comments...silver solder is way better than soft solder
but in 40+ years using soft solder, I've had a long term solder
failure
(even in buried locations, where SS is often required & "should" be
used)

MAPP gas is way to go.....I have found it much faster than propane
torch, so much that with practice & a deft touch, the valve "proper"
will barely get hot. Wrap the center section of the valve with a
moist rag & go for it.

Larry's comment about copper-copper vs copper-brass has been my
experience as well....the heat transfer coefficent of brass is only
25% that of copper, so brass fittings & valve bodies spread the heat
more slowly.

cheers
Bob
I was in one of the HVAC supply houses a few days ago
when something caught my eye. I picked up a bottle of
copper glue. The instructions on the bottle indicated
that it is used in much the same way you would use PVC
cement but it's for copper. I thought it might be an
April Fools joke but it was for real. I haven't tried
it yet but I suppose I'll have to.

http://www.justforcopper.com/JFCPro.htm

TDD

It's one thing if a pipe develops a small leak, it's quite another if
a joint FAILS. Soldering penetrates the porous surface of the copper
and locks it together. A good solder joint will outlast the pipes it
connects. How long will "glue" last under pressure? Not in my house!


The price of 15% silver solder which is what I
use the most for HVAC and refrigeration work has
doubled in price. I wish there was a glue I could
trust as much as PVC cement but for copper. It
would save me a lot of time and time is money.

TDD