I'm replacing a bathroom sink. The first segment of the drain trap is
soldered to the copper sewer pipe. There's not enough protruding from
the wall to comfortably sawzall the pipe off so I'd like to melt the
solder to remove the trap.

Easy enough to do, but am I going to blow the whole damn thing up when
the sewer gas in the pipe hits the torch flame?

I'm a little worried about trying this. Considering the grand scale of
good and bad ways to die, I'd really not like to go out that way. Not
what I'd want on my tombstone! "Here lies the reverend natty light.
Blown to bits by a flaming poop pipe."



-rev

I seriously doubt thatr would happen provided your sewer is properly
vented!

Might put a vacuumn cleaner hose into the end of the pipe to clear out
any gas, but with it vented to the roof any methane which is lighter
than air should be long gone

"The Reverend Natural Light" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm replacing a bathroom sink. The first segment of the drain trap is
soldered to the copper sewer pipe. There's not enough protruding from
the wall to comfortably sawzall the pipe off so I'd like to melt the
solder to remove the trap.

Easy enough to do, but am I going to blow the whole damn thing up when
the sewer gas in the pipe hits the torch flame?

If your sewer gas is so rich in methane, why not route it to your furnace?!
You could heat for free. Or better yet, use the sewer gas to power the
torch you use to melt the solder!

not normally, but it's not impossible. properly pitched, sewage in the
sewer moves downhill from your home and venting sends related methane
up above your roofline. but if your main trap is leaking and dry
between your home and the street sewer main, that methane and whatever
else accidentally got poured or spilled into the sewer such as a car
accident with a gasoline spill uphill from your house becomes your rare
problem you describe.

How about if he connects the *blow* end of a shop vac to it? Push air
into the pipe and the methane gas away from where he's heating.

Or would it also just cool the joint too much?

Btw, how are you going to put a pipe back on once you've taken this off?

"The Reverend Natural Light" wrote in message
roups.com...
I'm replacing a bathroom sink. The first segment of the drain trap is
soldered to the copper sewer pipe. There's not enough protruding from
the wall to comfortably sawzall the pipe off so I'd like to melt the
solder to remove the trap.

Easy enough to do, but am I going to blow the whole damn thing up when
the sewer gas in the pipe hits the torch flame?

I think you would smell the methane if it were there. Or am I
confusing this with another gas?


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

"mm" wrote in message

I think you would smell the methane if it were there. Or am I
confusing this with another gas?


Methane is odorless. But in a sewer, there are other aromatics that help
let you know there may be something present.

Methane was a problem in mines and that is why they used to take canaries
into the mines as detectors. Canary dies, get out.

I think you're onto something here. Good thing I went to Taco Bell for
lunch today. That should add a few thousand BTU's to the old oil
burner!


-rev

Thanks for the advice, folks.

FYI: It's a septic system, properly vented, I have no clue how the new
pipes will attach but I'm just rebuilding the wall at the moment. I
think the key here is that methane is lighter than air. So I'm going
to try it. If it kills me than I'll come back and tell everyone not to
do it.


-rev

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:8VqBf.21806$nQ3.14579@trndny03...

"mm" wrote in message

I think you would smell the methane if it were there. Or am I
confusing this with another gas?


Methane is odorless. But in a sewer, there are other aromatics that help
let you know there may be something present.

Methane was a problem in mines and that is why they used to take canaries
into the mines as detectors. Canary dies, get out.


So you're saying stuff a canary in the pipe first??????

So I'm going
to try it. If it kills me than I'll come back and tell everyone not to

do it.

HO HO HO THAT WOULD BE A GOOD ONE!

wrote:
I seriously doubt thatr would happen provided your sewer is properly
vented!

Might put a vacuumn cleaner hose into the end of the pipe to clear out
any gas, but with it vented to the roof any methane which is lighter
than air should be long gone


ROFL, that reminds me of a funny episode of cartalk where the guy was
vacuuming his spark plug hole, but the intake lifter happened to be
open. you can imagine what happened when that air hit the spark of the
vacuum motor.

--
Thank you,


CL Gilbert
"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16

10. phaeton Jan 24, 12:48 am
"How about if he connects the *blow* end of a shop vac to it? Push air

into the pipe and the methane gas away from where he's heating. "


I wouldn't be that worried about it, but doing as you suggested for 15
secs or so before starting to unsolder it sure wouldn't hurt. That
would blow any methane away from the area, at least for awhile. Of
course, this presumes the line is properly vented. If not, you may
turn the toilets into bidets.

"Gazoo" wrote in message

Methane was a problem in mines and that is why they used to take canaries
into the mines as detectors. Canary dies, get out.


So you're saying stuff a canary in the pipe first??????

Yes. Be sure to tie a string on the feet so you can pull it out to see if
it is alive.

On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 14:33:40 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"mm" wrote in message

I think you would smell the methane if it were there. Or am I
confusing this with another gas?


Methane is odorless. But in a sewer, there are other aromatics that help
let you know there may be something present.

That's right. I get it now.

Methane was a problem in mines

Still is.

and that is why they used to take canaries
into the mines as detectors. Canary dies, get out.



Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

So you're saying stuff a canary in the pipe first??????

No, that's a spud gun.

Edwin Pawlowski posted for all of us...
I don't top post - see either inline or at bottom.


"Gazoo" wrote in message

Methane was a problem in mines and that is why they used to take canaries
into the mines as detectors. Canary dies, get out.


So you're saying stuff a canary in the pipe first??????

Yes. Be sure to tie a string on the feet so you can pull it out to see if
it is alive.



It will flip you the bird.
--
My boss said I was dumb and apathetic.
I said I don't know and I don't care...

Tekkie