Copper Piping - Soldering

Good evening everyone! In today's post we will cover soldering. Solder is a metallic filler that bonds two metallic surfaces with the use of a flux paste. It is important to note also that solder today no longer contains lead as studies have shown that water could leach lead from soldered fittings.

Soldering Copper

When soldering copper, one common mistake is a dirty fitting. When fittings are dirty, what ends up happening is that when you solder, the solder does not adhere well to the metal. Indeed, this can result in potential leaks.

Another problem when soldering is that using either too much heat or too little heat can result in a weak joint. This is because too much heat does not help the flux paste to work as well as it show, and with too little heat, the solder may not flow into all the places it show to create the strong bond.

Now, how much solder should you apply to each joint you may ask? And it is indeed a good question. One tip that can help you see how much solder should be used is to remember that a 1/2 inch fitting goes together with 1/2 inch of solder wire per hub. For 3/4 inch fitting, 3/4 inch of solder wire per hub.

In order to solder, you will need a gas touch designed for soldering, which is usually more hotter than propane gas torches. Also, remember that when you are soldering, you have to keep the torch moving to avoid hot spots and remember to heat the fitting and not the pipe. It is important to remember to always keep the torch moving and about 3/4 inch away from the fitting. When you do not move the torch, the heat spot created can literally cook the flux and render it useless.

One additional tip when soldering is to always start with the lowest hub on a fitting as this will help the hub cool while you move on to higher up joints.