Soldering 2" Cu

[Charles Bishop]

After my breaker work, I'm doing plumbing. I have to solder a drain line that is 2" Cu. I seem to remember the last time I worked on Cu this large I had a hard time getting it hot enough with my propane torch. What is the recommended heat source for 2" Cu?

All the parts will be connected and preped before I begin soldering, so there is a large mass of Cu involved (~10 of pipe and fittings).

I suppose I could assemble it as I solder if this would help, but my preference is to have the line assembled so I know it fits when I'm done and I don't have an angle wrong.

So will a propane torch work or do I need something else? If so, what do I use?

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

I'm no expert so wait for others to join the party but here's what I'd do. Either try a propane head that has two burners or go with MAPP gas. For the latter, you will need to purchase a new torch and of course the MAPP cylinder.

Cheers, cc

[Richard J Kinch]

A "TurboTorch" propane/air torch should do it ... they just put out a lot more BTUs than the little Bernzomatic pencil torches. I've seen them at Lowes.

[Titts McGee]

For more heat I use Mapp gas with my propane torch, not supposed to, but so far it works just fine.

[Toller]

So do I. Works fine. Why aren't you supposed to? The sell the same torch with either gas; or do they only look the same and aren't?

[RayV]

It is a little tough to do these but you can do it with your current setup.

1 Clean everything well with clean emery cloth 2 Flux up the male fittings and apply solder while unassembled then tap off the excess while still hot, or you can scrape it with a screwdriver, or wipe with a wet rag. This new solder residue will make soldering the joint much easier. I think this is called 'silvering'. 3 Clean up the male ends again with emery cloth and re-flux and assemble everything. 4 Heat up the joint with the tip of the flame, don't try and get the flame to wrap-around the pipe. Just keep moving the torch around until the flux turns silver. 5 Put on your solder and your done.

One tip I recently heard but luckily haven't had the opportunity to try yet is cleaning the oxidation off of the roll of solder with emery cloth right before you use it. Supposedly it helps the solder flow better. You may also want to try a 'flame spreader', it is just a piece of steel shaped like a small coal shovel that clips on the end of you torch to spread out the flame.

Third one on this page:

Good luck.

[Sacramento Dave]

If your talking about those small gas bottles with you screw the head your better of buying a Turbo torch for mapp gas.( not cheap) If you are using a propane tank set up you need a bigger head. I have done 6" copper with a propane tank. You drain should be DWV copper witch is thinner walled. So heating it up will be easier.

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

They're not the same. Different orifices inside the torch. Using a propane torch for MAPP gas diminishes the MAPP gas output so in essence you're just wasting MAPP when you could be using propane (IIRC, using a propane torch on MAPP cylinders ends up putting out roughly the same amount of heat as using an all propane setup). Get the MAPP torch to utilize the true heat of a MAPP cylinder. Cheers, cc

[HeatMan]

ProPress.

[bamboo]

Borrow a 2nd propane torch, use both and a helper.

[Charles Bishop]

I'm not sure this is a sandable problem. First, I've never had much luck sanding latex. Second, if you sand the routed panels, they will lose definition.

Absolutely not. However, even if I don't pay them a penny, I'm out $3k on doors plus probably another $3k in labor if I paid someone to install replacements. Interesting how probably $1500 of work (painting the doors) can more or less screw up $6k of prior work. Hadn't really considered that possibility with a painter...

Painters are not a licensed trade here.

Clearly.

[Stormin Mormon]

You need two men, and two Mapp gas torches. Two rolls of solder. And some good cooperation.

I've soldered enough 1 1/4 copper, with two men and two torches. Helps to be talking about something else while you're waiting for it to heat.

[Stormin Mormon]

Mapp gas is much hotter. But you have the correct idea.

[Charles Bishop]

Oddly enough, after I posted I was able to do the work by myself with one torch. I must have mis-remembered a previous experience. I dry assembled everything, then soldered small links - one pipe and two ells, say, then assembled again and caught the unsoldered bits. It took only a minute or two to get the copper up to temp and the solder flowed easily.

[mo]

If you get 60/40 solder you can do it alone. I did my 2" copper comming off furnace worked great.