sweating copper

The solder should melt the second you touch the heated metal with it, leading me to think that you are not heating the joint hot enough. Put more heat on a freshly cleaned and fluxed joint and see if that helps.

Jon

When using lead free solder on copper water pipe, I've found the paste flux that contains powdered lead free solder the best thing to use. I get a good joint every time. You can buy small containers of Oatey #95 lead free tinning flux at Lowe's and Home Depot.

teabird wrote in news:b0ed7e7e-d0ed-4988-9825- snipped-for-privacy@q12g2000yqg.googlegroups.com:

Are you also using a MAPP torch? You won't get a proper flame if you try to use a bottle of MAPP gas with a propane torch.

Where are you applying the heat? A common mistake is to heat the joint between the pipe and the fitting. Always heat the fitting only: the pipe will get plenty hot enough anyway.

Also, make sure to clean and flux both the fitting and the pipe.

I've had best success with touching the solder to the side away from the flame, from the beginning. The correct temperature is reached, the solder flows. If the heat is too hot, the flux dries off, and gives a bad joint. The only way to know when the correct moment is by either years of experience, or touching the solder from the very start.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

The joint should be hot enough so that the solder melts easily when you touch it to the joint. Get the joint hot, then touch the solder to it. If it doesn't melt, take the solder away and continue heating.

If you can't do it, then either you have a torch that is too small, isn't turned on enough, or is defective for some reason.

In addition to the other good advice You may be melting the solder with the torch. The pipe needs to be hot enough to melt the solder [torch can help].

It is also possible to heat the joint too hot and screw up the flux. (Not likely what is happening.)

The stuff works - and it works well IF you are meticulous with the preparation. A fingerprint on the joint can cause a leak that doesn't show up for a day or two.

Don't ask how I know. I ended up taking it apart and cleaning it all up and soldering it. Never had a solder joint leak on me.

Where I can't solder because of flamible materials or no access I use a "sharkbite"

He did say he used flux and lead-free solder.

In my experience, that stuff is a CURSE.

a bottle of MAPP

the pipe and the

You always heat the biggest heat sink first - which in this case is the PIPE. The fitting is smaller and thinner and heats faster. I always heat the pipe where the fitting ends, then move the torch to the fitting just as I touch the solder to the joint.

Some of us still have a stash of the good stuff.

I hope you don't use lead solder on pipes carrying potable water.

I do too - and it gets used for anything that is not potable water - (and some that is)

snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Garbage.

it's not hard to find

snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Garbage. Heat the fitting, never the pipe: this loosens the fit and allows solder to flow in easily.

all we used for decades. no need to change just because some gubmint pinhead pencil pusher decided we should. No lead free s*it in my tool kit.

A common mistake is to hold the flame too close to the pipe. This is not the hottest part of the flame. Plenty of video on the net on how to do this and what part of the flame to use. Google.

Jimmie

The house I lived in for 15 years had a lead main water line, as did hundreds of other houses built at that time in the late 40s. Millions of homes have copper and lead soldered joints. I don't know of anyone that was affected.

I drink water every day at work. The copper was installed in the 50's or so.

I bet that just dashed your hopes and dreams.

For us non-professionals, I've found this stuff helps alot.