Sweating Cu pipe

[JIMMIE]

I don't usually have a problem sweating Cu pipe but this is a little unusual. I need to put a coupling on a short pipe protruding from a wall covered with ceramic tile. When I place the coupling on the pipe the coupling extends back into the wall so I cant solder to it. Removing the ceramic tile is a last choice, it is very old, nearly 100 years and I doubt if a match could be found. Getting to the plumbing from the back side of the wall is also not a good choice. I was thinking of drilling some solder holes around the perimeter of the coupling to feed the solder into. I have experimented with this technique on a couple of pieces of scrap and it seems to work OK. Anyone here ever done something like this before.

Jimmie

[HeyBub]

Can you trim the coupling?

If the coupling is 3/4" maybe cut it back to 1/4" would provide enough work space.

[The Daring Dufas]

I've used flux that had powdered solder mixed in. I got it at Home Depot and I believe it was Oatey No.95 Tinning Flux in a small tube. You can coat the outside of the pipe and inside of the fitting with it and when hot enough, stick some solder through the open end of the fitting on the joint to completely fill the gap. Here's a link:

TDD

[Bob F]

How about using one of those "self soldering" couplings? They have the solder built in. Just heat and the solder melts. I don't know if they also have the paste built in.

[EXT]

One method would be to try a diamond hole saw, slightly larger than the outside diameter of the pipe. Drill the hole around the pipe into the tiles. This would make a neat but larger opening around the pipe which may give you some extra room to solder. Fill with grout.

Another method is to locate some 1/2" outside diameter copper pipe. It should fit snuggly inside the normally 1/2" inside diameter pipe. With some carefull cleaning of the old pipe with a chuck mounted wire brush made for copper fittings, you could clean the inside of the old pipe and then solder a piece of the smaller pipe inside it as an internal coupling allowing you to extend the old pipe enough to solder on the fitting.

[DT]

Don't make this harder than it needs to be. First off, just buy a coupling with a built-in solder ring. Home Depot has them, although they seem to be cutting back on them this year for some reason.

Or, do it the old fashioned way, sweat the fitting on. Clean and flux the stub, and coat it with solder, wipe off any excess. Heat the coupling and slide it on.

[DT]

I forgot to add, after sweating, touch a bit of solder on the *inside* of the coupling where the tube ends, to fill the joint a bit more, than slide the next tube in place.

[stan]

All great ideas. Presume no room to use a compression fitting?

[Lp1331 1p1331]

I have run into similar situations with a/c lines coming out of a slab. The suggestion about slipping a piece of the next size smaller tubing into it is a good one. The OP didn't say what size pipe he has, but 1/2" ref will fit snugly into the 5/8" that plumbers call 1/2. If he has

7/8"- (3/4" plumbing) then 3/4" ref tubing will also fit inside it perfectly. Larry

[Bob M.]

Why not use epoxy glue?

[John Gilmer]

Some years ago "they" had a copper bearing epoxy mix that was intended to replace replace solder in joining Cu plumbing parts.

The main drawback is that you have to wait 24 hours before you can pressure test the joint. It definitely didn't tolerate "playing" with the joint once the parts were assembled.

The main advantage is that there is no risk of setting the house on fire.

Alternatively, you can use compression fittings or just use plastic pipe adaptors/joints which use an "O" ring for leak tightness and some kind of grip to keep the water pressure from blowing the joint apart.

These fitting are bulky but if you follow directions they are quite good. They can be about $4/fitting but they are close to idiot proof.

Even if you screw up and have a leak, you can often just take the joint apart, smooth the old pipe and try again.

[Phisherman]

A Sharkbite coupling will make the work fast, easy, and water-tight.

[Dan Lanciani]

| I don't usually have a problem sweating Cu pipe but this is a little | unusual. I need to put a coupling on a short pipe protruding from a | wall covered with ceramic tile. When I place the coupling on the pipe | the coupling extends back into the wall so I cant solder to it. | Removing the ceramic tile is a last choice, it is very old, nearly 100 | years and I doubt if a match could be found. Getting to the plumbing | from the back side of the wall is also not a good choice. I was | thinking of drilling some solder holes around the perimeter of the | coupling to feed the solder into. I have experimented with this | technique on a couple of pieces of scrap and it seems to work OK. | Anyone here ever done something like this before.

I've noticed that the original copper fittings in my late-50's vintage house have such a hole. I was never sure whether it was to add solder or to confirm that solder had flowed in.

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

[trader4]

Exactly what I was thinking. They carry those at HD. The other obvious concern though is to make sure the pipe end is accessible enough so that you can get it properly cleaned and fluxed.

[Tony]

They even have new solderless connectors with an O ring for copper pipes.

[Tony]

At one of the big box stores I saw they had copper pipe sized to fit over the original pipe. Looked like it was marketed to fix burst pipes. Cut out bad section then slip new pipe over the old pipe. Maybe it's been that way all along but I never noticed?

[Red Green]

Tony wrote in news: [e-mail]:

That's called a "repair coupling/pipe".

[JIMMIE]

I soldered it in this AM. I removed almost all of the stop ridge from a coupling slipped it over the pipe a nd soldered it in feeding in the solder from the opposite end. Took five minutes. Well I did my civic duty for a while.

Jimmie

[Phisherman]

Right. They do not have an inner stop so you can slip the entire coupling over the pipe. There are "repair couplings" for PVC also, and sometimes that is the only practical "bandaid" solution. Use a Sharpie to mark the pipe such that the coupling is evenly spaced on the joint.

[Roger Shoaf]

For these I look for the standard connectors that have three little dimples on the inside. The little dimples are easy to remove with a small file, and they are about 1/4 the price of the "repair couplings".