Table of Contents
Do you need special solder for copper pipe?
Basic Soldering Torches When the joint is hot enough, molten solder instantly flows into the joint and covers the entire mating surfaces completely, almost as if following detailed instructions. As you’ll see, you don’t need special skills for soldering copper pipe fittings successfully.
What is best solder for copper pipes?
What Type of Solder is Used for Copper Pipe? Lead free solder is best for copper pipes carrying drinking water. It will be free of elements you don’t want entering your drinking water. However it will require a higher melting point than a 50/50 solder.
Can you solder copper with water in the line?
Don’t try to solder pipes with water in them. Soldering a joint in pipes that contain even tiny amounts of water is nearly impossible. Most of the heat from the torch goes into turning the water to steam, so the copper won’t get hot enough to melt the solder. Stop the trickle of water with a pipe plug.
Can you use regular solder on copper?
Copper pipes and other copper parts can be soldered using various metals with low melting points. Traditionally, lead alloys have been used for soldering copper, but these have fallen from favor in recent years due to lead poisoning concerns. Today, copper water pipes are soldered with lead-free flux and silver alloys.
Can you use electrical solder for plumbing?
Typically, electrical solder contains rosin core flux; plumbing solder uses an acid-based flux. So it’s not a good idea to use plumbing solder for electrical connections because the acid in the flux can damage the wiring and lead to connection failure.
What solder do plumbers use?
Electrical solder is commonly a 60/40 blend of lead and tin. Because of the dangers of toxic lead in drinking water, local building codes now legally require the use of lead-free plumbing solder on all potable water plumbing connections that require soldering.
Why is the solder not sticking to copper pipe?
If the solder is beading up or running down the pipe, you have a dirty fitting. Just as Vic says use clean fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth. Clean both surfaces, spread flux as soon as you clean them. Also clean and flux joint after you fit them together.
How long after soldering can I turn water on?
If you followed these instructions, the joint is likely very tight. The only good way to test is to put pressure on the joint (turn on the water to the house). Be sure to wait until the solder has cooled (2-3 minutes) before pressurizing the line to avoid the solder cracking due to a quick change in temperature.
Can silver solder be used on copper?
A simple way of soldering together a piece of copper and a piece of silver is to use a technique called sweat soldering. Place your silver sheet to one side and apply a small amount of flux to the top side of your copper sheet. Make sure the area that is covered is roughly the same as the size of your silver sheet.
What kind of solder do you use for copper wire?
The best solder to use for tinning stranded copper wire is electrical-grade rosin-core solder. This is an acid-free solder that contains a flux in the core of the solder. Never use solder that contains acid, which can damage the wire or its insulation. Acid-core solder is intended for use in plumbing applications.
Do you weld copper or solder?
Metals that can be soldered include gold, silver, copper, brass, and iron. Flux is used in soldering, just as it is in brazing and welding to clean the metal surfaces and make it easy for the solder to flow over the pieces to be joined. Soldering is also used to join electrical components.
Can I use flux core solder on copper pipes?
Acid core solder is used for plumbing because it “fluxes” better, and because it’s water soluble. It may be more corrosive than rosin core, but not enough to hurt copper or brass.
Is plumbing solder silver solder?
Oatey® Silver Lead Free Plumbing Wire Solder is a silver bearing wire solder designed for plumbing and potable water line applications. Safe Flo Silver Lead Free Solder is also effective on stainless steel, brass alloys, chrome alloys, galvanized steel and cast iron piping.
Can I solder copper pipe without flux?
Flux is a chemical which helps you solder. Flux prevents the copper from oxidizing as you heat the copper with the torch. You can solder without flux, but it is really difficult! Flux is applied to both the pipe and the fitting with a handy miniature paint brush.
What are the three different types of solder?
In summary, there are three main types of solder: lead-based, lead-free, and flux.
Why do plumbers use flux?
In plumbing, flux is a compound used as part of soldering a pipe joint. Crucially when heated, the acidic flux draws molten solder deep into the cracks of the joint and forms a clean bond with the metal. Flux is an essential part of allowing the solder to flow evenly and fully around a well soldered joint.
What is the strongest solder?
A 60-40 solder (60% tin, 40% lead) is the most expensive, but it makes the strongest bond and is easiest to work with because of its low melting point. Less expensive 40-60 solder is more difficult to use. A 50-50 solder is a good compromise between cost and ease of use.
How do you solder perfectly?
Step 1: Begin by making sure the tip is attached to the iron and screwed tightly in place. Step 2: Turn on your soldering iron and let it heat up. If you have a soldering station with an adjustable temp control, set it to 400′ C/ 752′ F. Step 3: Wipe the tip of the soldering iron on a damp wet sponge to clean it.
What kind of torch do you use to solder copper pipe?
The torch needed for soldering copper can be propane or MAPP gas (methylacetylene-propadiene propane). MAPP gas comes in a yellow tank and propane comes in a blue tank. MAPP gas, usually a bit more expensive, gets much hotter than propane, so heats the pipe faster.
