Rerouting existing copper water lines in kitchen

[hat]

I am remodeling the kitchen with new cabinets. The cold water (copper) pipe happens to lie smack at a cabinet divider, which means it has to be moved about 6 inches out of the way. The line also feeds the two outside faucets so the exisiting contraption is the shape of an inverted "W" (with straight legs, of course). The pipes, which come out of a the floor slab, are reasonably accessable. Here is the question: I have been "reasonably" successful in the past in soldering exisiting copper pipes ("reasonaly" means that I had to go at it twice to stop nagging weeps in some joints). But in the current situation, all outside faucets set high above the level where I would be cutting the existing "W" connections and there is no way to drain out the water completely. I have read that you can stuff pieces of bread into the pipes and leave them there to absorb the water. Eventually the disintegrated bread will be flushed out through the faucets. But to my thinking, this may work only if there are few drops in the pipe. In my case, this will not be the case as the pipes will be filled to the tilt. Any ideas? Or should I just call my "trusted" plumber for expert help? I am just curious as to what he/she will be doing to get around this water problem. Thanks.

[JGolan]

[# Fred #]

Or cut part of the cabinets out to fit the pipe.

The line also feeds the two

Then use a compression sleeve - preassembled short copper pipe with a compression fitting at each end, slip it in and tighten it up and you're done. About $20 at my local hardware store for 1/2", pricey but save the frustration.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Opening a faucet in another location may help it drain or at least leave a path so you can blow the water out. You can also suck the water out with a hose or straw. You want to get at least 6" out, 12" would be better.

The bread thing is good if you have a little drip in a line

[Heathcliff]

I'm not sure I am picturing your setup accurately. If the other pipes are higher, won't the water drain out when you make the cut? But some general advice. One, you only need to get the water in all directions out a foot or two away from where you are working. If you can't drain it by opening faucets, you can take a length of that clear plastic tubing (or tape together some drinking straws if you want to go low-tech) and suck the water out. Two, you have to make sure the piping is open to air somewhere while you are soldering, so that air/steam pressure doesn't build up inside - that leads to leaks as the confined air looks for a way out and blows a channel through the solder as it is setting. Three, sometimes it pays to do as many joints as you can on the benchtop, then splice in the assembled part to the existing piping. -- H