MAPPS Torch Rather Than Propane For Home Plumbing ?

Hello,

Guess this dates me, but when I did a fair amount of house plumbing, there was pretty much only the Propane type of torches.

I see now at Home Depot, that they apparently sell a lot of MAPP torches for this purpose.

So, may I please ask:

a. which is more popular now for occasional house use to run a new line, repair a leak, etc. ?

b. With MAPP, does one still have to "completely" drain the line of any water first ? If so, "fully" drain ?

c. MAPP more expensive ?

d. Pros and cons, etc.

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
Robert11
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I hired a "pro" to install a water heater with 1.5" copper, he worked all day and never got it soldered and the leaks stopped he quit and was not paid, out came a real pro and in 5 minutes with Map it was fixed.

Reply to
ransley

I haven't done a lot of these, and I've never used a MAPP, but my general impression is that MAPP's are for people who don't have enough patience to wait for the solder joints to warm up properly using a regular torch. That and a MAPP torch can at least used for more other things too.

Reply to
scott21230

MAPP will make your joint hotter quicker...seems to allow better solder joints since the flux doesn't slowly burn off. It also allows you to work faster. You still need make sure there is not water anywhere near your joint...that has not changed. It is the only thing I ever use now.

Reply to
beerguzzler50

My guess is that MAPP, being hotter, will heat up the joint quicker which actually will reduce the conduction of heat away from the joint which will reduce the total amount of heat that needs to be applied for a proper solder joint.

Last time I had a professional plumber out he was using MAPP for his solder joints.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Yep. Pricey in comparison to propane, but well worth it.

Why do you care which is "more popular"? Shouldn't you be interested in which one works better?

I have no idea whether MAPP is more popular than propane for occasional house use, but I can assure you that it works far, far better. I finally bought a MAPP torch about two years ago, and haven't even touched a propane torch since.

What's the difference between "completely" drain and "fully" drain?

With propane, you need to have the joint completely dry. With MAPP, you need to have it pretty nearly dry. You can't solder a joint that's full of water, no matter what you use.

A MAPP torch costs about twice as much as a propane torch; of course, the torch is a one-time expense.

A bottle of MAPP gas costs nearly three times as much as propane ($8 vs. $3 at Lowe's), but you don't need to use nearly as much of it as you do propane to get the job done. In my experience, the overall cost of the gas is about the same.

MAPP gas stinks, and it burns with a sooty flame. But it's *much* hotter, and so sweating a fitting with MAPP takes a small fraction of the time it takes with propane. The higher temperature of MAPP is especially useful when sweating valve bodies, or pipes larger than 1". Propane is pretty close to useless on anything over 1-1/2". Also because of the higher temperature, there's more risk with MAPP of setting framing members on fire. A fireproof protective pad is a good idea, e.g.

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Reply to
Doug Miller

My general impression is that people who haven't ever used MAPP shouldn't be trying to answer questions about whether it's better than propane. Ever sweated a 1" brass valve body with propane?

Reply to
Doug Miller

e.g.http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=173498-...>

Those protective pads are the nuts! I combined mine with a piece of luan with some hooks so I can stiffen up the pad when required. I also cut a slot in the luan and a slit in the pad so I can fit it around pipes and other obstructions.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I tried to make up an elbow joint of 1" copper at my furnace a while ago and couldn't get it hot enough, so called on a friend who arrived with MAPP and voila! Good clean sweat - easy as pie. So if you need extra heat go with MAPP.

Cheers, John

Reply to
John van Gurp

Consider the source...

Reply to
Doug Miller

a 1.5" line eh? ya, ooooooooookay.

s

Reply to
Steve Barker

It seems there are two differences with MAPP torches: different fuel, and different burner construction. All of the MAPP torches I've seen use "swirl combustion" burners that make a lot of noise when operating compared to the cheap but quiet propane torches.

Now, at least some of the MAPP torches (I think mine is a Turner) have an internal pressure regulator that can be adjusted for either propane or MAPP fuel. The swirl torch is hotter when burning propane than an ordinary propane torch, though not as hot as the same swirl torch burning MAPP.

So I tend to ignore my "normal" propane torch and use the swirl torch all the time - but I burn propane for smaller jobs (e.g. half-inch copper plumbing) where it provides enough heat. I switch to MAPP for larger jobs.

Dave

Reply to
Dave Martindale

... and different materials for the higher temps

Reply to
salty

when solder went no lead for safety, necessary temperatures increased, which made mapp more necessary

it costs more but saves a lot of time, the faster the joint heats up the less the chance of the joint getting dirty and leak

Reply to
hallerb

Rather than just give an opinion, here's a recent experience.

I had to replace a faucet bibb on a 3/4" copper line. Cut the old bibb off. Line had a slow drip that I couldn't stop. Packed a bread in the line to stop the leak. Tried to sweat the new bibb on using a propane torch. Tried for over 20 minutes and never could get the solder to flow properly. Gave up and bought a Mapp gas outfit. Did a perfect job in about 2-3 minutes. So it was not a case of impatience - the propane just would not get the line, bibb. & water hot enough to solder whereas the MAPP did an excellent job.

Red

Reply to
Red

Mapp is much hotter than propane. Doing refrigeration work, I've done stick brazing with a Mapp torch. Ranks right up there with acetylene. Actually, I've not used my acetylene torch in years.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@halifax.chebucto.ns.ca...

re: Actually, I've not used my acetylene torch in years.

Can I have it?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Actually, IIRC "MAPP" means something like methyl acetylene, propadiene stabilized. Machinery mfg I once worked for was required by insurance co. to change over from using bulk acetylene bottles (where the acetylene is dissolved in carbon disulfide, and such bottles get explosive with little temp elevation) to bulk MAPP bottles. For burning/welding steel. (In same vein, USN will not allow bulk acetylene bottles to be stored within any space on ship; all are stored out in the weather.)

The portable torch I have uses oxygen in refillable, MAPP in disposables. There also, you can't tell the difference between MAPP and acetylene for heating up steel for burning.

Bottom line: MAPP removes/reduces safety probs for really serious torches. Maybe this carries over to air/fuel-gas torches?

Anyone knowledgeable about relative hazards of heating propane/MAPP bottles? Risk-management rules. :')

John

Reply to
John Barry

Well, it's a Pres - To - Lite rig on a MC tank. I'm not sure it's worth much. I doubt I could ship the MC tank anywhere, even if I tried. You'd have to come pick it up. And we'd have to figure out what it's worth. Any ideas?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I don't have an official source of information. However, I do know that one bitter cold winter day I was trying to braze a copper connection on an indoor piece of equipment. My Mapp torch was just totally useless until I took the torch in the bathroom. Heated the tank under the hot water faucet. And then it worked fine.

I'd guess that for heating a winter cabin that propane would be the way to go.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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