I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded to
the pipes.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome. Bring
it on!

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between
them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I
think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that
rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to
the pipes.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring
it on!


While you could learn to solder (its not difficult) the easiest way would be
to get some of the plastic compression fittings.

There are 3 things about soldering pipes. Clean the copper very bright ,
both pieces. Absolutly no water near the joint. No movement of the pipes
once the heat is removed untuil the solder has setup.

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between
them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The
regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I
think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that
rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to
the pipes.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty
far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring
it on!


While you could learn to solder (its not difficult) the easiest way would
be
to get some of the plastic compression fittings.

There are 3 things about soldering pipes. Clean the copper very bright ,
both pieces. Absolutly no water near the joint. No movement of the
pipes
once the heat is removed untuil the solder has setup.




No water. Sounds like either:

1) Use the Bernz-o torch to heat away any remaining drops, let pipes cool,
stick finger in to check.
2) Shove in a tampon? :-)

My goal here (as you might imagine), is twofold:

1) Save a few million dollars by not having to hire a plumber. Two of them
have quoted about $200-250, including the new regulator, which I've found
locally for $40 (Home Depot) to $50 (excellent plumbing supply). I'm
envisioning a plumber finishing the whole job in roughly 11 minutes,
blindfolded.

2) If it would take a plumber 11 minutes, I'd be happy if it took me 4 hours
the first time. Being realistic here, accounting for "paranoia time" (going
down in the basement for 3 hours afterward, checking for drips), and perhaps
a total of 3 screwups. Maybe a half hour to practice on some pieces of scrap
pipe.

If you decide to solder them yourself here are a couple things I would like
to add to previous posts.
1. Dry fit everything first
2. Clean all fittings until bright,
3. USE FLUX, on all joints (tinning flux is best)
4. Don't use acid core solder.
5. Keep a heat shield and fire extinguisher handy.
"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up
if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4"
pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between
them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The
regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side,
so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I
think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that
rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to
the pipes.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty
far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your
flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of
error
is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring
it on!


While you could learn to solder (its not difficult) the easiest way would
be
to get some of the plastic compression fittings.

There are 3 things about soldering pipes. Clean the copper very bright ,
both pieces. Absolutly no water near the joint. No movement of the
pipes
once the heat is removed untuil the solder has setup.

Doug Kanter wrote:
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Extremely unlikely it's threaded that way.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded to
the pipes.

More likely they were soldered onto the pipes. And that coulf have been
done before they got screwed into the regulator if the regulator was
being installed as part of the original plumbing.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome. Bring
it on!



Sounds almost trivial, especially if the new regulator spans the same
length as the old one. Just shut off the water and cut the pipes on both
sides of the regulator about 6 inches away from it.

Remove the two pieces from the old regulator and screw them into the new
regulator, using teflon tape or paste pipe dope on the threads.

You can put it back into place using compression couplings if you don't
want to bother learning to solder for just one job. If you want to "do
it right" and solder things back together, then get two copper "slip
couplings" and solder them over the cuts, being careful to locate the
cuts in the center of the couplings by measurement or marking.

There are plenty of web sites which can teach you all about soldering
copper pipes.

One last thought, there are "no heat" epoxies made specifically for
joining copper piping without needing soldering gear. You could use that
stuff to fasten the slip couplings over the cuts in the pipes. I've
never used it but I've heard nothing but good comments about it from
several folks, including some pros.

If the new regulator is shorter or longer than the old, you may have to
do a little more work to put it in, but nothing that takes a rocket
scientist.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

Doug Kanter wrote:
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Not a snowballs chance in hell, comes to mind


Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded to
the pipes.

Pretty close


Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

Or use compression fittings


My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome. Bring
it on!


In a basement with water dripping from the scale in the pipes and you
probably not
having a oxy - acetylene torch. (I'm not going to discuss the bread
trick here.) Your chances of success are not real good. Check with a
real plumbing supply store for compression fittings, it would probably
help if you bought the regulator there too, and not at the big box store.
Dave

"Dave Morrison" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between
them is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The
regulator has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have
male fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either
side, so I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator.
Rather, I think the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a
way that rotating the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Not a snowballs chance in hell, comes to mind


Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to the pipes.

Pretty close


Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty
far away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

Or use compression fittings


My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!
In a basement with water dripping from the scale in the pipes and you
probably not
having a oxy - acetylene torch. (I'm not going to discuss the bread trick
here.) Your chances of success are not real good. Check with a real
plumbing supply store for compression fittings, it would probably help if
you bought the regulator there too, and not at the big box store.
Dave


So....the Bernzo-o torches are good for what? fill in the blank here

And yeah....if I do this, I'd buy ALL of it from the real plumbing store. I
learned that lesson 20 years ago in my first house.

Doug Kanter wrote:
"Dave Morrison" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote:

I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between
them is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The
regulator has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have
male fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either
side, so I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator.
Rather, I think the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a
way that rotating the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Not a snowballs chance in hell, comes to mind


Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to the pipes.

Pretty close


Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty
far away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

Or use compression fittings


My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!

In a basement with water dripping from the scale in the pipes and you
probably not
having a oxy - acetylene torch. (I'm not going to discuss the bread trick
here.) Your chances of success are not real good. Check with a real
plumbing supply store for compression fittings, it would probably help if
you bought the regulator there too, and not at the big box store.
Dave



So....the Bernzo-o torches are good for what? fill in the blank here

For easy dry joints. As I recall you are working in a basement, water
will drip down from the upstairs pipes and ruin your joint. You just
won't be able to get it hot enough.
BTW one thing I haven't seen mentioned. Open a valve to atmosphere
somewhere or pressure build up from heat will blow the solder out of the
joint.


And yeah....if I do this, I'd buy ALL of it from the real plumbing store. I
learned that lesson 20 years ago in my first house.


Dave

"Dave Morrison" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"Dave Morrison" wrote in message
...

Doug Kanter wrote:

I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up
if they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at
birthday parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two
3/4" pipes facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that
gap between them is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to
replace. The regulator has female fittings molded into its housing, and
the pipes have male fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10
feet on either side, so I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the
regulator. Rather, I think the regulator's female fittings may be
threaded in such a way that rotating the whole regulator tightens both
sides at once.

Not a snowballs chance in hell, comes to mind


Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded
to the pipes.

Pretty close


Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty
far away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

Or use compression fittings


My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your
flood insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin
of error is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than
welcome. Bring it on!

In a basement with water dripping from the scale in the pipes and you
probably not
having a oxy - acetylene torch. (I'm not going to discuss the bread trick
here.) Your chances of success are not real good. Check with a real
plumbing supply store for compression fittings, it would probably help if
you bought the regulator there too, and not at the big box store.
Dave



So....the Bernzo-o torches are good for what? fill in the blank here

For easy dry joints. As I recall you are working in a basement, water will
drip down from the upstairs pipes and ruin your joint. You just
won't be able to get it hot enough.
BTW one thing I haven't seen mentioned. Open a valve to atmosphere
somewhere or pressure build up from heat will blow the solder out of the
joint.


And yeah....if I do this, I'd buy ALL of it from the real plumbing store.
I learned that lesson 20 years ago in my first house.

Dave



I'll have to check out the water residue issue as much as conceivably
possible, then. This pipe makes a straight run on one side to the water
meter and main shutoff. At that junction, there's just one pipe, an outside
hose faucet, which comes straight off the meter. That feed is about 6" lower
than the one I'm referring to. On the other side of the regulator, the other
pipe goes to bathroom, kitchen, and what may solve this problem: The
basement laundry sink. When I was changing washers in the outside hose
faucet and laundry sink a month ago, I found that the main shutoff worked
really well. After I opened a few faucets upstairs and downstairs and waited
a few minutes, there was no drip whatsoever.

This whole process could be a snap. If there is any water near your
joints you will not be able get the pipe hot enough.

Benzomatic torches are only good for very small jobs, 3/4" might be
doable since you're inside. MAPP gas is a good alternative. But an
air breathing acetylene torch would be better.

cheers
Bob

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!



I'd rate it as an 8 the first joint, a 3 for those following. Buy a couple
of feet of tubing, a few fittings, and practice. Better to practice on a
mockup rather than the real deal. Look up a "how-to" on soldering and give
it a try.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

3/4" can be tricky. If you go for solder, I recommend MAPP rather than
propane. If you have done it poorly, it will leak, and you will just have
to do it again until it doesn't leak.
It wouldn't be my choice for a first project, but it is doable. (Unless your
shutoff isn't solid; then it would be a real bear. Any way you can check
that before proceeding?)

I have never used a compression fitting, at least not a 3/4" one, so I can't
comment on them.

Neither have I used
http://www.onwardsales.com/pages/1/index.htm
It sounds pretty idiot proof and claims it will work on dripping pipes. I
intend on buying some and trying it out; but maybe you can be a pioneer.

I have used an epoxy sold in Lowes. It is very easy to use, and certainly
cheaper than soldering for a single project, but it also requires dry pipes.

I have used the brass compression adapters where there is a shutoff
valve that leaks through and they work great. If you do that, screw
the adapters into the regulator first. Use pipe dope joint compound or
teflon tape on the male threads only and scre them in with a wrench on
the adapter and a wrench on the close end of the regulator. Do NOT put
the wrench on the far end of the regulator, you will ruin the
regulator. After the adapters are attached to the regulator, put the
whole thing on the copper tubing. Use pipe dope compound on the
compression nuts and rings. If you don't use dope, you will have to
tighten it so much to stop the leaks that you may split the rings or
compression nuts. Good Luck.



Stretch

Right on with using MAPP. For drinking water you should use 95/5
solder.
This requires the use of MAPP. Not using it will just waste your time.

If this was for hot water heating, 50/50 is still used and propane work
just fine.

Tom

P.S. Please note that when using any solder and pipes overhead make
sure
to either watch your arms or cover them with something. (this really
goes for
anything else that is attached to you) Solder heated up with MAPP
or Propane
hurts like a bitch and leaves some interesting marks on your arms....
Yea, i've learned that lession the hard way! OUCH! 3 scars on my arm
and counting...

In article . com, wrote:
Right on with using MAPP. For drinking water you should use 95/5
solder.
This requires the use of MAPP. Not using it will just waste your time.

It doesn't either. Propane works just fine.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
m...
In article . com,
wrote:
Right on with using MAPP. For drinking water you should use 95/5
solder.
This requires the use of MAPP. Not using it will just waste your time.

It doesn't either. Propane works just fine.

I'll settle this on Saturday and let you know. Worst case: I end up with a
propane torch that'll be useful for lighting the newspaper in my BBQ chimney
starter in a high wind, when matches and everything else fails.

wrote:
Right on with using MAPP. For drinking water you should use 95/5
solder.
This requires the use of MAPP. Not using it will just waste your
time.

If this was for hot water heating, 50/50 is still used and propane
work
just fine.

Tom

P.S. Please note that when using any solder and pipes overhead make
sure
to either watch your arms or cover them with something. (this really
goes for
anything else that is attached to you) Solder heated up with MAPP
or Propane
hurts like a bitch and leaves some interesting marks on your arms....
Yea, i've learned that lession the hard way! OUCH! 3 scars on my
arm
and counting...



It doesn't hurt near as much as popping molten slag while arc-welding.


Joe

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 21:01:05 GMT, "Doug Kanter" a:

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome. Bring
it on!

=================Maybe I missed something but solding copper water
lines is not hard...quite easy....
clean the joints....make sure no water is present...heat the bottom of
the joint..apply solder at the top...solder will flow right in and
around the entire pipe....

Mapp gas is what I would use...

Bob Griffiths

"Bob G" wrote in message

Mapp gas is what I would use...

Bob Griffiths

Good point. In the past, propane was all that was needed with lead based
solder. Newer lead free solders have a higher melt temperature and MAPP gas
burns hotter.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

In article , "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:

"Bob G" wrote in message

Mapp gas is what I would use...

Good point. In the past, propane was all that was needed with lead based
solder. Newer lead free solders have a higher melt temperature and MAPP gas
burns hotter.

Propane's still hot enough.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error
is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!

It is a bit tricky to get soldering right, but the good news is it's very
cheap to get a book and a little spare copper pipe and fittings with your
purchase, and then practice on your workbench until you've got it down pat.

TO HELL WITH IT ALL.
Get some Copper-Bond, a 2-part epoxy made for the task,
and damned good at it, replace the squarish sticks with Q-tip sticks without
the cotton, and do the joints.
A 2 liter bottle cap makes a pretty good mixing container.

"jeffc" wrote in message
. com...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your
flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of
error
is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!

It is a bit tricky to get soldering right, but the good news is it's very
cheap to get a book and a little spare copper pipe and fittings with your
purchase, and then practice on your workbench until you've got it down
pat.

Michael Baugh wrote:
TO HELL WITH IT ALL.
Get some Copper-Bond, a 2-part epoxy made for the task,
and damned good at it, replace the squarish sticks with Q-tip sticks without
the cotton, and do the joints.
A 2 liter bottle cap makes a pretty good mixing container.

I've not used this....how easily does it come apart when the time comes?
Or do you just cut the section out?


Joe


"jeffc" wrote in message
. com...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your

flood

insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of

error

is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome.
Bring it on!

It is a bit tricky to get soldering right, but the good news is it's very
cheap to get a book and a little spare copper pipe and fittings with your
purchase, and then practice on your workbench until you've got it down

pat.

What is copper-bond?
Harry

The time never comes to take it apart.

I had used a torch, and was quite good with it. No fitting was a problem.
Then I had a redo alongside Styrofoam, had to set up
shrouds, heat sink, etc. Or try something else. Started asking around, found
a fireman that told about someone in the same situation that used
Copper-Bond. I suspect that it's similar to the fast version of JBWeld
(JBKwik).
Anyway, it's what I use for everything plumbing-wise.

"Joe S" wrote in message
news8W%d.34124$hA3.13127@trnddc09...
Michael Baugh wrote:
Get some Copper-Bond,
I've not used this....how easily does it come apart when the time comes?
Or do you just cut the section out?


Joe


"jeffc" wrote in message
. com...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your

flood

insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of

error

is acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than
welcome.
Bring it on!

It is a bit tricky to get soldering right, but the good news is it's
very
cheap to get a book and a little spare copper pipe and fittings with
your
purchase, and then practice on your workbench until you've got it down

pat.

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 21:01:05 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

I'm trying to decide whether this would be a good time to learn how to
solder copper pipes. Here's the scenario:

Point your forefingers at each other, similar to the way they'd end up if
they were stuck into one of those Chinese handcuffs kids get at birthday
parties. Now, move them apart about a foot. They represent two 3/4" pipes
facing each other, on the basement ceiling. Right now, that gap between them
is occupied by a water pressure regulator I need to replace. The regulator
has female fittings molded into its housing, and the pipes have male
fittings. The pipes continue UNINTERRUPTED for 10 feet on either side, so
I'm guessing the pipes were not rotated into the regulator. Rather, I think
the regulator's female fittings may be threaded in such a way that rotating
the whole regulator tightens both sides at once.

Or: the male pipe fittings, which are separate pieces from the pipes
themselves, were cranked into place, and then those fittings were welded to
the pipes.

Based on what I see, anything that would need to be soldered is plenty far
away from anything heat sensitive, like beams, wires, etc.

My question (which requires psychic powers to answer):

On a "trickiness for beginners" scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (check your flood
insurance), where does it sound like this job falls? A 3x margin of error is
acceptable for all guesses, and horror stories are more than welcome. Bring
it on!


you can "sweat a joint"! It's not too hard. Go to Home Depot and get a
roll of solder, a wire brush tool to scratch the end of the pipe or a
piece of grit cloth to rub the end of the pipe. Stick the wire brush
inside the end of your fitting to rough it up also. Then apply the
"flux" to both surfaces to be joined. Next, uncoil about 2 or 3 inches
of solder from the roll...just straighten out a piece about three
inches long. It don't have to be exactly three inches...just close.
Make sure you have blown out the line and there is no water in the
pipe within 50 feet of the spot where you are soldering...figure out
where the water line comes into the house...if an intelligent plumber
put it in you will have a valve in the line you can open up to drain
the line...or you could just open the spigot on the front of your
house and drain the water out of the line...after you have cut the
water off at your meter box or well. Now go back to that joint, light
your Bernzomatic torch and heat the joint for ten or fifteen seconds
and then just quickly touch that three inch segment of solder to the
seam in that joint you just heated up...you will see that solder just
quickly dissolve and absorb up into that joint! You have just "sweated
a joint"! If you don't get all the water out of the pipe you can heat
and heat until you actually burn the pipe all the way through and the
joint just won't absorb the solder.

Bill
(weekend plumber)