It's probably a silly question but is there any problem in quenching hot soldered copper joints in water if feasible rather than waiting for them to air cool before handling. I have been pre assembling some runs which I have been quenching in water and now starting to wonder if the quenching may cause some sort of failure / cracking in the solder due to the sudden cooling. Hoping the question is as silly as I think it.
Thanks Chrsi
I don't think I would do it. It does not take that much time for them to cool.
You are right, I would guess you could get some cracking and tempering of the joint. If in question about anything follow the manufacturer's directions.
later,
tom
Won't hurt a bit once the solder has cooled enough to be out of the plastic region. Be careful you don't get overanxious and start moving stuff around before then though, you might mess up the quality of a joint by having relative motion between the pieces at just the wrong time.
HTH,
Jeff
If the joint cracks after the water application then the joint would have failed anyway. IMO
Every plumber I have ever seen has used a wet cloth to smooth and finish the joint after soldering.
I'm not sure that assumption is justified...
Yeah, but that's not at all the same as quenching the joint by immersing it in water, which cools it much farther and much more rapidly than a simple wipe with a damp cloth.
-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?
Same here, but quite often it was because the pipe and fittings were being assembled in place between wood members, while standing on ladders, scaffolds, etc. Not to say it's not okay but, I've never seen a plumber 'immerse' sweated fittings in water after soldering.
I once asked this question of a mechanic who was rebuilding my auto radiator. He indicated that they do it. Authoritative? I don't know. Anyway, my rebuilt radiator worked fine. --- SJF
Well lots of information, looks like I'll just have to install it all and see if it leaks. Is it fair to say if it hasn't leaked after a couple of days it's good to go.
Thanks Chris
Are you a chemist?
Don't know if the same effect would be at work here but have you ever dropped molten solder into water? (yeah, I was a dumb kid once). What you end up with is something akin to solder wool. The solder expands from the steam before solidifying. Might be a good way to generate pin holes.
You mean physicist?
Personally I would wait not cool the new solder joints in water. I view it as an unnecessary risk for little potential gain. Just take yout time and do it right.
Never quench a soldered joint. Two good reasons are weakness from uneven cooling and you can handle (copper at least) in five minutes or less.
A dry rag is best...
I use steel wool.
Why?
Shiny
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