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Mastered in a Minute

Sweating Copper Pipe

Clean the surfaces well, use good flux, and learn to bring the metal to the right temperature to ensure you make watertight connections when soldering copper plumbing fittings.

By Official Fine Homebuilding Post
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      Getting a good solder joint is as much about cleaning the pipe as it is about melting solder. Use a plumber’s pipe cleaning brush or sandpaper to clean the oxidation off the outside of the pipe and the inside of the fitting. They should be shiny like a new penny. Coat the inside of the fitting and the outside of the pipe with lead-free flux, then slip the pipe into the fitting. Being careful not to set anything on fire with the open flame, heat the fitting with a propane or MAPP gas torch (The latter burns hotter and is therefore easier to use). When the copper is hot enough to melt the solder, run it around the joint. The heat will pull the molten solder into the joint. Let it cool naturally until the solder solidifies, then wipe any excess flux off the pipe with a rag.

      Previous: Make a Flare Connection Next: Soldering Copper Pipe

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      View Comments

      1. milwaukee | Dec 02, 2015 07:10pm | #1

        oh my god. Thats your soldering video. WOW. please take this video down. Not good at all.

        lates

      2. milwaukee | Dec 02, 2015 07:10pm | #2

        oh my god. Thats your soldering video. WOW. please take this video down. Not good at all.

        lates

      3. Sheepman26 | Dec 07, 2015 12:50pm | #3

        if I left a solder joint that looked like that at someones house I would be embarassed. Ever hear of at least wiping a joint when the solder is soft?

      4. BGodfrey | Dec 07, 2015 04:56pm | #4

        C'mon guys. I think the real problem is the whole concept of "mastered in a minute". If the folks at Fine Homebuilding don't have a longer attention span than that, maybe they should move to Twitter.

      5. GILALO | Dec 07, 2015 07:04pm | #5

        Milwaukee, could you please expand on what's not good?

      6. demouser | Dec 07, 2015 10:01pm | #6

        There is actually a better video on YouTube.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV8boURmByU&ab_channel=EyeHandy

      7. old_house_guy | Dec 08, 2015 12:15am | #7

        For anyone who might actually try this based on this video, a correctly sweated joint SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE THIS ONE - IT'S TERRIBLE.

        Couldn't you at least correct the numerous errors in
        this piece?

        I would have thought that you could have at least had
        a licensed plumber read over the piece, preferably BEFORE it was published.

        "Solder pipe" ? Really?

        Correctly, it is "sweat copper tubing".

        "lead-free flux" ? Flux has never contained lead.
        It looks like you are using a solder paste rather than flux.

        Flux the inside of the fitting and the outside of the

        "pipe" (tubing) ? Maybe you are confusing priming PVC
        with sweating copper.

        "When the copper is hot enough to melt the solder,
        run it around the joint."

        WRONG! Feed the solder in at the top only. It seals when the solder cools and expands.

        Overheating the joint causes more problems than any
        other.

        Clearly the authors have no clue about the process.

        Jeeez ....

      8. David1233 | Dec 08, 2015 05:44am | #8

        While the pipe and coupling need to remain hot enough to allow the solder to stay molten and flow into the joint, keeping the torch on the joint continuously may overheat the joint and, I have found, occasionally allows the solder to run out excessively from the bottom of the joint. As long as the solder is still melting and flowing into the joint, it is hot enough...if it stops melting/flowing a brief warm up with the torch will get a uniform flow. Very large pipes (over 1" diameter) will typically require more heating and larger pipes require moving the torch around the perimeter to keep the entire joint flowing.

      9. David1233 | Dec 08, 2015 05:46am | #9

        I love silver bearing flux to enhance the flow of the solder when sweating copper.

      10. RWHPI1 | Dec 08, 2015 03:56pm | #10

        I don't think this video should be under the short-time fixes, especially for the benefit of novice do-it-yourselfers. It takes over a minute to ensure safety, even before starting a pipe sweating project. Safety should be the primary concern when using a torch around anything that could logically catch fire. Fire arises not only from direct flame, but from the extreme heat which could cause smoldering by hidden flammables, that eventually begin to burn. Rather than adhering to the directions of this video, I recommend reading the FHB PDF download by Peter Hemp on the same topic. It covers everything in a simple manner and I'd feel more confident with the finished product.

      11. Tangofox | Dec 19, 2015 06:45pm | #11

        I agree with others, this is horrible, especially on a website that typically values a high level of craftsmanship. A plumber or anyone else who takes pride in their work would never test the solder on the outside of the fitting - that's a waste of solder and looks bad. Second, experienced plumbers tend to hold the heat near the top of the joint rather than the bottom, because the solder will run to the bottom automatically. Whomever is doing the soldering in this video has an unsteady hand and did a sloppy job of applying the solder. The joint was not wiped clean to remove excess solder (and too much solder was used anyway). Basically everything about this is out of character for this site. I'm very disappointed. I am positive you have the people and resources to re-issue this video and show how to make a quick, clean, solid joint that looks great when it's done. And thin rubber gloves?? That's asking to get your hand burned, most plumbers I know use thicker cloth gloves like green ape.

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