After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I use?

--
charles

"Charles Bishop" wrote in message
...
After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I
use?

--
charles

I'm no expert so wait for others to join the party but here's what I'd do.
Either try a propane head that has two burners or go with MAPP gas. For
the latter, you will need to purchase a new torch and of course the MAPP
cylinder.

Cheers,
cc

Charles Bishop writes:

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what
do I use?

A "TurboTorch" propane/air torch should do it ... they just put out a lot
more BTUs than the little Bernzomatic pencil torches. I've seen them at
Lowes.

For more heat I use Mapp gas with my propane torch, not supposed to, but so
far it works just fine.


"Charles Bishop" wrote in message
...
After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I
use?

--
charles

"Titts McGee" wrote in message
news:vye8g.1203$KB.1065@fed1read08...
For more heat I use Mapp gas with my propane torch, not supposed to, but
so far it works just fine.

So do I. Works fine. Why aren't you supposed to? The sell the same torch
with either gas; or do they only look the same and aren't?

It is a little tough to do these but you can do it with your current
setup.

1 Clean everything well with clean emery cloth
2 Flux up the male fittings and apply solder while unassembled then
tap off the excess while still hot, or you can scrape it with a
screwdriver, or wipe with a wet rag. This new solder residue will make
soldering the joint much easier. I think this is called 'silvering'.
3 Clean up the male ends again with emery cloth and re-flux and
assemble everything.
4 Heat up the joint with the tip of the flame, don't try and get the
flame to wrap-around the pipe. Just keep moving the torch around until
the flux turns silver.
5 Put on your solder and your done.

One tip I recently heard but luckily haven't had the opportunity to try
yet is cleaning the oxidation off of the roll of solder with emery
cloth right before you use it. Supposedly it helps the solder flow
better. You may also want to try a 'flame spreader', it is just a
piece of steel shaped like a small coal shovel that clips on the end of
you torch to spread out the flame.

Third one on this page:
http://www.bernzomatic.com/bernzomat...ernzoCat100022

Good luck.

"Toller" wrote in message
...

"Titts McGee" wrote in message
news:vye8g.1203$KB.1065@fed1read08...
For more heat I use Mapp gas with my propane torch, not supposed to, but
so far it works just fine.

So do I. Works fine. Why aren't you supposed to? The sell the same
torch with either gas; or do they only look the same and aren't?


They're not the same. Different orifices inside the torch. Using a
propane torch for MAPP gas diminishes the MAPP gas output so in essence
you're just wasting MAPP when you could be using propane (IIRC, using a
propane torch on MAPP cylinders ends up putting out roughly the same amount
of heat as using an all propane setup). Get the MAPP torch to utilize the
true heat of a MAPP cylinder.
Cheers,
cc

"Charles Bishop" wrote in message

....
After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I
use?


ProPress.


--
charles

Borrow a 2nd propane torch, use both and a helper.

In article
,
tt (Charles Bishop) wrote:

After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I use?

Following up - I must have misremembered my previous experience. Propane
worked fine on the 2" Cu, even when the whole assembly was worked on. It
took just about a minute for the torch to heat the Cu hot enough for the
solder to flow. I don't know what I had been doing that made me think 2"
was too large.

I did have a MAPP torch as a backup, but didn't need it.

--
charles

You need two men, and two Mapp gas torches. Two rolls of solder. And
some good cooperation.

I've soldered enough 1 1/4 copper, with two men and two torches. Helps
to be talking about something else while you're waiting for it to
heat.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Charles Bishop" wrote in message
...
After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain
line
that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this
large
I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is
the
recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering,
so
there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my
preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm
done
and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what
do I use?

--
charles

In article , "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

You need two men, and two Mapp gas torches. Two rolls of solder. And
some good cooperation.

I've soldered enough 1 1/4 copper, with two men and two torches. Helps
to be talking about something else while you're waiting for it to
heat.

Oddly enough, after I posted I was able to do the work by myself with one
torch. I must have mis-remembered a previous experience. I dry assembled
everything, then soldered small links - one pipe and two ells, say, then
assembled again and caught the unsoldered bits. It took only a minute or
two to get the copper up to temp and the solder flowed easily.

--
charles

If you get 60/40 solder you can do it alone.
I did my 2" copper comming off furnace worked great.