In article , Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro, but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

You can't possibly supply enough heat with an electric soldering gun.

Options would seem to be:

a) Buy a soldering blanket to protect the wood framing from the torch flame.
Any plumbing supply store would have them. Don't bother looking at home
centers like Lowe's or Home Depot. They don't have them. (Been there, done
that, just last month.)

b) Hire a pro.

I have never tried it, but I can't believe a gun puts out enough heat.

I have used epoxy where I didn't didn't dare take a torch. Two years later
the joints are fine. (bought it at Lowes).

Peder wrote:

Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the
problem joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is
very close to the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for
both) and recessed far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud
wall inside a concrete foundation. I would almost have to hold the
torch by the very bottom of the bottle to reach it. I worry even
about turning this over to a pro, but winter's coming and now the
sillcock is just capped off at the spigot. What are my options here?
Thanks for reading.

No you won't get it hot enuf with a gun.
There are highly specialized elec heating tools
for this, but let's not go there...

I don't have a clear picture of the space, but creating
a heat barrier is one option. Bend up old sheet metal
to fit over the joint/pipe so it blocks the flame from
the wood. Take a spray bottle and wet down all nearby wood;
that's very effective.

If possible in the situation, cut the pipe back further,
then remove the sill cock and solder an extension on it.
Dunno if that's clear, but I'm suggesting move the place
where actual soldering has to be done to a more accessible
spot.

Maybe the epoxies intended for copper fitting joining
would work in your case without any soldering. HD has it.

Jim

Gun won't provide enough heat. Consider buying a torch that has the nozzle
connected to the tank via a 3 foot hose. This allows the gas bottle to
remain upright while the torch (and user) may be inverted.

"Peder" wrote in message ...
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

--
Peder (Please reply to group only, email invalid)

I bought my blanket at the big orange store.

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

You can't possibly supply enough heat with an electric soldering gun.

Options would seem to be:

a) Buy a soldering blanket to protect the wood framing from the torch
flame.
Any plumbing supply store would have them. Don't bother looking at home
centers like Lowe's or Home Depot. They don't have them. (Been there, done
that, just last month.)

b) Hire a pro.

Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.


1. If your worry is about the wood overheating and catching fire, don't
worry. I may get hot, it may even catch fire, but if you are ready with a
little water to put it out after you finish the joint, you will find that
you only charred a small amount of wood. It takes a long time to
structurally effect a 2x4 with fire. Soaking the wood before hand will
eliminate most of the problem.

"Blankets" are made to protect what you don't want to get hot. And
despite some peoples experience I have seen them in the Big box stores.
Maybe not all of them all the time.

Another approach that might work would be to cut the pipe off in a more
accessible location and build the parts that are not now assessable and then
you will only need to solder the one last fitting and it will be easier to
get to.

Good Luck

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

You obviously didn't look hard enough Mr. been there done that.
Both orange and blue stores carry the flame retardant cloths in their
plumbing depts.

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

You can't possibly supply enough heat with an electric soldering gun.

Options would seem to be:

a) Buy a soldering blanket to protect the wood framing from the torch
flame.
Any plumbing supply store would have them. Don't bother looking at home
centers like Lowe's or Home Depot. They don't have them. (Been there, done
that, just last month.)

b) Hire a pro.

Peder wrote in :

Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very
close to the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both)
and recessed far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall
inside a concrete foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch
by the very bottom of the bottle to reach it. I worry even about
turning this over to a pro, but winter's coming and now the sillcock
is just capped off at the spigot. What are my options here? Thanks
for reading.


Thanks for everyone's quick and informative responses. I think pro is the
way to go and they would probably have the soldering blanket suggested (and
some insurance), too. Sometimes I guess you just gotta pay. Thanks again.

--
Peder (Please reply to group only, email invalid)

In article , "Curmudgeon" wrote:
You obviously didn't look hard enough Mr. been there done that.
Both orange and blue stores carry the flame retardant cloths in their
plumbing depts.

Fine -- you come to Indianapolis and point them out to me. At Home Depot, they
didn't even know what I was talking about. The guy in the plumbing department
at Lowe's knew what they were, and confidently assured me they were in the
tool department with the welding equipment. They weren't.

How about you posting the HD and Lowe's stock numbers for those items, wise
guy?

(Doug Miller) wrote in message m...
In article , Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro, but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

You can't possibly supply enough heat with an electric soldering gun.

Options would seem to be:

a) Buy a soldering blanket to protect the wood framing from the torch flame.
Any plumbing supply store would have them. Don't bother looking at home
centers like Lowe's or Home Depot. They don't have them. (Been there, done
that, just last month.)

b) Hire a pro.

Does the OP mean an electric soldering iron? or some kind of hot-air
blower? Either way, if he does improbably find one capable of
soldering pipe, it will pose as great a risk to his joists and floor
as a torch. Heat is heat.

A pro knows how to solder quickly (with a hotter torch), and has
(should have) insulating blankets etc. Though of course, they aren't
his joists, if you catch my drift.

If you want to keep this a d-i-y project, I'd vote for cutting the
pipe to make the solder joint elsewhere, if possible, as has been
suggested. In this case, cut the pipe well inside the house where it
is accessible, pull the sillcock and stub of pipe out of the house,
solder a new stub onto it on a workbench, and re-insert it to meet the
pipe where it was cut, and where it is more convenient to solder. (And
if I'm reading this right, it might help to toss the old sillcock and
replace it with one with a longer shaft. A good excuse to get one of
the new ones with built-in vacuum break.)

Chip C

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.


1. If your worry is about the wood overheating and catching fire,
don't
worry. I may get hot, it may even catch fire, but if you are ready with a
little water to put it out after you finish the joint, you will find that
you only charred a small amount of wood. It takes a long time to
structurally effect a 2x4 with fire. Soaking the wood before hand will
eliminate most of the problem.

I'd still be very careful. A plumber working on a bathroom fixture in a
relative's house a few years back caused a fire that burned their house to
the ground. He was an experienced plumber. I'd feel much safer using the
blanket.

"Blankets" are made to protect what you don't want to get hot. And
despite some peoples experience I have seen them in the Big box stores.
Maybe not all of them all the time.

Another approach that might work would be to cut the pipe off in a
more
accessible location and build the parts that are not now assessable and
then
you will only need to solder the one last fitting and it will be easier to
get to.

Good Luck

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"JohnR" wrote in message
...

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very
close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and
recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a
concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom
of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a
pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.


1. If your worry is about the wood overheating and catching fire,
don't
worry. I may get hot, it may even catch fire, but if you are ready with
a
little water to put it out after you finish the joint, you will find
that
you only charred a small amount of wood. It takes a long time to
structurally effect a 2x4 with fire. Soaking the wood before hand will
eliminate most of the problem.

I'd still be very careful. A plumber working on a bathroom fixture in a
relative's house a few years back caused a fire that burned their house to
the ground. He was an experienced plumber. I'd feel much safer using the
blanket.

it's happened at least twice in my area in the last year, with multimillion
dollar mansions involved.

"Blankets" are made to protect what you don't want to get hot. And
despite some peoples experience I have seen them in the Big box stores.
Maybe not all of them all the time.

Another approach that might work would be to cut the pipe off in a
more
accessible location and build the parts that are not now assessable and
then
you will only need to solder the one last fitting and it will be easier
to
get to.

Good Luck

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

wrote:
On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:20:15 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Peder wrote:
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.


1. If your worry is about the wood overheating and catching fire,
don't
worry. I may get hot, it may even catch fire, but if you are ready with
a
little water to put it out after you finish the joint, you will find that
you only charred a small amount of wood. It takes a long time to
structurally effect a 2x4 with fire. Soaking the wood before hand will
eliminate most of the problem.


I personally know of two cases in older homes where it was the paper
backing on ancient insulation up inside the wall that caught fire. That
situation can be very difficult to deal with. In both cases, the homeowner
had quick access to a garden hose, but was unable to do anything other
than
slow the spread a little while waiting for the F.D.

BB

All three of you have noted some good points. My suggestion should not
have been offered when I don't know the ability of the user. While I
personally would feel safe, unless I observed a potential hazard I could not
mitigate, I should not have assumed someone else would recognized the
additional hazards noted.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"Peder" wrote in message ...
Greetings. I know a torch would be best for this job, but the problem
joint is a sillcock very badly positioned for a torch. Is is very close
to
the floor joist and the floor above (about 1" max for both) and recessed
far from the inside wall which is a full 2x4 stud wall inside a concrete
foundation. I would almost have to hold the torch by the very bottom of
the bottle to reach it. I worry even about turning this over to a pro,
but
winter's coming and now the sillcock is just capped off at the spigot.
What are my options here? Thanks for reading.

What this guy said is the way to go:
--------------------------------------------
If possible in the situation, cut the pipe back further,
then remove the sill cock and solder an extension on it.
Dunno if that's clear, but I'm suggesting move the place
where actual soldering has to be done to a more accessible
spot
-----------------------------------------------
If you call in a pro, this is probably what they will recommend, since it is
less work for them, and less likely to cause a callback. And like another
guy said, a good excuse to upgrade to a modern freeze-proof sillcock with
the anti-siphon thing built in. Only downside is that you will need to
reseal opening in outside wall, with foam or mortar or whatever is
appropriate.

aem sends....

I personally know of two cases in older homes where it was the paper backing on
ancient insulation up inside the wall that caught fire. That situation can be
very difficult to deal with. In both cases, the homeowner had quick access to a
garden hose, but was unable to do anything other than slow the spread a little
while waiting for the F.D.

This is generally because people trying to put out fires in their house
aren't usually willing to wreck the wall in the process, and that's what's needed.