I‘ve done a lot of electrical work around my house, but I‘ve never done any plumbing before. The guy at Home Depot told me that I need to heat the fitting, but not the pipe itself. He also said that valves (the new ballcock type) are easily destroyed by overheating. How do I know when the pipe and fitting is ready to accept the solder? How do I avoid damaging the valve? How do I know how strong to turn up the flame on the propane torch?
first, get all your tools together. torch, solder, flux and emery cloth or sandpaper. clean the end of the pipe, get it bright and shiny. then clean the inside of the fitting, getting it bright and shiny. now don't touch the end of the pipe or the inside of the fitting with your fingers. there is oil on your fingers which will keep the solder from sticking. after getting everything shiny clean cover the end of the pipe and the inside of the fitting with flux, or soldering paste. next insert the pipe into the fitting and give it a quarter turn to distribute the flux. next, heat the fitting with the torch, using the tip of the inner blue flame. heat the fitting, not the pipe. when the fitting is hot enough take the torch away from the fitting and touch the solder to the joint. if its hot enough the solder will flow into the joint through capillary action. all you need to next is wipe the joint with a dry cloth and the job is done.
there getting harder to find these days as they want to sell you the whole arm but any parts store should be able to get them for you.
It can be kinda tricky, but I learned how to do it so you can too. If the copper fittings aren't brand new, be sure and use some steel wool or find sand paper to shine up the copper and remove any dirt or coatings/corrosion. Dry-fit everything first to make sure it's going to fit correctly -- then take apart and brush plenty of flux on all the copper surfaces that will be receiving solder. In electrical work, the flux is built-into the solder, but not in plumbing. Then, get the torch very hot so you can heat the copper quickly. Heating quickly is better than slow heating, as there's less time for the heat to transfer to the valves, etc. When the copper is hot enough, the solder will flow. It won't take much solder. Test for leaks after it cools. Watch demonstrations of this on YT and on some of the DIY websites like This Old House, etc.
You have already received some great advice for soldering copper so I wont get into that. But, personally I use pex material. Specifically Wirsbo by Uponor. This material can be expanded to several times its diameter without bursting. These fittings are done with an expansion tool and a right that slides on the end or the length of tubing you are fitting. Slid the ring on, use the expanding tool to expand the pipe, fit it over the barb end of the fitting hold it for a minute and then done. Very easy. The pipe and the fittings are comparable to other manufacturers but the tool is a small investment. Other manufacturers have compression fittings that work great too, and the cost may be a little less than the Wirsbo. Just another option that can reduce the amount of soldering and also the amount of fittings that you may need with copper. When going up to a kitchen sink or connecting some baseboard radiation, using copper, you may need some 90s and some 45s to get there. With pex material you just slide the pipe up, connect the fitting and done. Just remember there are 2 different types of pex. If you are using it for a heating system you must get one with an O2 barrier. If it is for domestic water, you must get pipe that has been sterilized. It will say for potable water on the pipe itself. Good Luck
The vehicles dealership will have them, or could get them if they don't.
