Replies

1. 
   lonecat | Mar 11, 2001 10:31am | #1

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   Yes, you can burn the dope out of the threads and you might not know it for a while. Need to plan it so you are soldering down the line a little ways.

1. 
   G.LaLonde | Mar 11, 2001 02:08pm | #2

   *Jeff, If I were you, I would use teflon tape (several wraps-stretched tight) instead of joint compound. These copper male adaptors are coming in from all over the world it seems and I'm having more and more trouble mating threads in jobs like yours. Teflon tape seems to fill in gaps better in poor threads. Be sure to follow lonecats' advice!

1. 
   Jeff_Leftwich | Mar 11, 2001 02:27pm | #3

   *Thanks for the hints. Interesting to know about the tape. It always seemed a little more elegant, and certainly less messy.In response to lonecat's comment, how far is 'down the line a little ways?' I've got some elbows that need to go in about 6-8 inches from the valve. I was planning to wrap a wet rag at the valve to keep it a little cooler. Good idea or myth?

1. 
   Dave_Richeson | Mar 11, 2001 04:44pm | #4

   *Jeff, sweat the male adapters on the 6-8 in nipples and install them with teflon tape as suggested. Bring your supply lines in and sweat the elbows on them so they line up with the nipples. The last step is to then sweat the nipples into the elbows. Since you are only heating one side of the fitting, and it is sevral inches away from the male joint you should be fine. If you are still apprehensive about the heat buildup, go to an HVAC or plumbing supply house and get a can of "plumbers friend". It is a product that you spray on the areas adjacent to the joint you are heating, and it keeps them cool enough to touch while you are sweating in the joints. We use it in HVAC work a lot because we use high temperature silver soldier with an oxy/acetylne torch. Dave

1. 
   Jeff_Leftwich | Mar 12, 2001 04:53am | #5

   *Thanks to all for the tips. Three out of the four connections worked. One of the supply connections has a slow drip when I opened the shut off valves. Any suggestions on fixing it before I cut the line to unscrew the threaded connector, put even more Teflon tape on and resolder the line? I'll be at my real job for a few days so it will be mid week before I get to it. At least I put in those shut-off valves...

2. 
   G.LaLonde | Mar 12, 2001 02:54pm | #6

   *Cut the line, throw away the fitting, start over again and make sure you tighten it enuff( but not too much)....Hey, 3 out of 4 ....You're right up there with most of the plumbers we hire!!

3. 
   marko_maryniak | Mar 12, 2001 06:32pm | #7

   *Hey everyone,Not that it happened in this case (a good thing!) but I'd be a little concerned about soldering next to a valve with a bunch of fancy parts inside (washerless I hope, but all the same). I'm glad it worked and all, but if there was a way I could solder farther away from the valve, I'd do that, like pre-soldering stubs into fittings, torquing them down, then putting that into the elbows from the plumbing service and soldering that later. BTW I wanted to mention (altho you all probly do this already) that I had a Trevi Fountain in my basement after using regular flux, seems I didn't sand my 3/4" pipe fittings enough. Was recommended this product called SR-71 or S-39 or something and it worked amazing, you don't even need to sand really. Anybody else with experience with this product?

4. 
   allaround_ | Mar 13, 2001 05:55am | #8

   *Like Marko said, unless you remove the "guts" from the valve, try to keep all soldering at least 6 inches away from the valve. If you have a valve with threaded connections, sweat a stub into the male adapter first. After the joint has cooled enough so the solder is set, drop the assembly into a bucket of water so it cools down to room temperature - then screw it into the valve using teflon tape. If you screw it into the valve while it's still warm it'll shrink just enough when it cools to give you a slow leak.

5. 
   Norm_Kerr | Mar 15, 2001 06:46pm | #9

   *As an ameteur plummer I got lots of leaks from threaded connections (after the job is all done and the rest is soldered together and its too late to just 'tighten that joint a little bit more').In desperation I started hiring plummers again (and marveled at how much 'cheaper' it was to pay a guy $78/hour for 1 hour's work than to pay myself in frustration for 8 hours time to try to do the same thing).Then, I asked my plummer how he avoids call-backs and 'do-overs'. I had always used the teflon tape, up to now, by the way.His secret was wonderful and simple: Tape AND Dope. Since then I've not had as many leaks. Still hire a plummer alot of the time though, cause when you've got to replace a rusted nipple that's deep down, inside some access space somewhere I feel thats $78 well spent!Anyway, even with Dope + Tape you still have to deal with the 'feel' aspect of good, successful plumbing (how to tighten things enough, but not too much, and so on) and my hat's off to those guys!-still learning in Ann Arbor...

6. 
   james_johnson | Mar 19, 2001 07:11am | #10

   *i do not know if it meets code but i have seen copper union fittings ( compression like a gas union ) used for shower valves, you can sweat your threaded peice to pipe to union then cool and install mechanicaly. also makes changeing a defective valve a snapp.

2. 
   Jeff_Leftwich | Mar 19, 2001 07:11am | #11

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   I'm about to install a new shower/bath valve which has female threads on all four ports (2 supply, shower, tub). My question is, if I screw the male connectors in with pipe joint compound before soldering the pipes in will the joint compound break down from the heat or should I solder the pipes first and then screw them in? Thanks.