This morning I was at the hardware store staring intently at the 1 1/4 inch ball valves thinking to myself that it would be nice to put one of these on the output side of the boiler. Just then a Young Man wearing a ball cap, who was perhaps five years younger than myself, asked:
“Excuse me, are you a professional plumber?” He was having difficulty successfully making a solder repair to a pipe. After a brief discussion, I discovered that he was using an ordinary propane torch. Almost any failure in the soldering process comes because the joint being soldered it not hot enough. When the joint is heated, it should turn slightly blue, you should be able to melt solder on it for a few seconds after you remove the heat.
I discussed the finer points of soldering copper pipes, I found a fitting and a short piece of 1/2 inch pipe and made a joint, then showed him where to hold the torch, about how long it should take to heat up, and what should look like after it is done.
So the Young Man, armed with this information, headed off to the tools section to buy a cylinder of MAPP gas. Truth be told, soldering can be a difficult skill to master. Even more so with lead free solder. So here is a basic “how to” on soldering or sweating pipes.
Safety first, always. Torches generate a lot of heat and can quickly start a fire if used near combustible material. Have a fire extinguisher on hand ready to be used. A spray bottle or a small bucket of water and a wet rag can be substituted for a fire extinguisher if the job is not too big. When soldering near combustible material (such as wood framing, drywall or plywood), use a heat resistant pad behind your work to prevent scorching or starting these materials on fire. Also, nothing says “amateur” like a big scorch mark behind a solder joint.
i used to do DIY plumbing at home at my work seems to be on par with regular plumbers.