i need to move some plumbing to another adjacent wall (and/or repair a leaky pipe) and was wondering if i should use copper pipe or galvanized since that is what‘s already there. i know how to solder silver, gold, and other soft metals, i‘ve tried mixing metals before with some success but i remember a plumber telling me something about eventual corrosion at the joint when copper is matched to galvanized pipe. any plumbers out there? any good ones in houston?
No you can't solder the two pipes sucessfully. You'll have leaks in nothing flat. You can use couplers to connect the two different metals. The plumber you spoke to was talking about ionization. You'll get a chemical reaction from the two leaving a white deposit around the copper solder areas. You eventually get a corrosion type deposit as said, but it doesn't really hurt anything for quite some time. Don't worry about it. If you have to, you have to. Copper is your choice piping or even better is Plastics (CPVC). You remove that deposit/chemical reaction. The only concern then is getting the right glue for the job. Talk to the sales associate where you buy your plumbing stuff.
Copper Pipe Soldering Kit
Absolutely not. Even if it was physically possible to solder them, it is a terrible idea to mix galvanized and copper in the same system. While it can be done by using a special fitting that connects them without a metal to metal contact, even that is a bad idea. There is a chemical/electrical reaction between the iron and the copper that will eventually damage both. No good will come of this. Unfortunately, sometimes it is very difficult to work on an old system without having to do something creative to put it where you need to be. Usually, a union (a type of pipe joint) will allow you the creativity you need with galvanized. Copper fittings come in enough variety to make unusual paths possible, but I have seen copper unions also. You could splice in a piece of plastic by getting the proper adapters. I have seen it used in a short run to replace damaged pipe. Personally, I think it looks cheesy to do that, but it does work. Personally, I like copper better than any other pipe. Use non-lead solder. Use a torch and other materials that are suitable for copper. The jewlers things that you have used may not be appropriate for copper pipes. Many of them put out a hot enough flame, but too little volume of flame.
