# Soldering question



## JeremyB (Jan 6, 2012)

Hey Guys

I have another question for you guys. I have been looking at different plumbing problems lately and wondering how I would go about fixing them ( actually been practicing soldering on some scrap pieces of copper pipe and Im not bad at it, how they hold up if water was in them is another story but hey at least Im giving it the old college try,lol )

Anyways I was looking at a water line that is close to a floor joint and got to thinking how the hell do I get a torch there without burning the wood if I had to replace it somwhow? is there something you can put there to "shield" it from the heat of the torch?

Thanks for the help guys

Jeremy


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## nealtw (Jan 6, 2012)

D.O. Smith 34196 18" x 20" Flame shield blanket at PlumberSurplus.com


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## kok328 (Jan 6, 2012)

One technique is to place a piece of sheet metal between the pipe and the wood or you can purchase a flame/heat resistant cloth made for just this situation and do likewise.


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## JeremyB (Jan 6, 2012)

Ah perfect guys, I was thinking something like this was available .


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## Redwood (Jan 6, 2012)

Hi Jeremy,

Great Topic! Certainly torch safety is a big problem when it comes to sweating copper pipes, especially inside the walls. There is not much worse than having the fire department show up at your job site....

I don't use the sheet metal between the pipe and the wood technique for the simple reason that sheet metal conducts the heat. If that sheet metal is red hot on one side you can rest assured that the side against the wood is red hot as well.

The flame protective mat is a much better solution as the conduction of heat to the other side is very slow and a lot less likely to reach a dangerous temperature even if you sweat pipe very slowly.

There are a number of other things you should have on hand as well for a good read check out the following link. Plumbing Torch Fire Safety

If you still aren't comfortable with the proximity of combustibles to the joint and you can't sweat it and put it into place, then sweat in a better location after, you can always use a SharkBite Push-In Fitting instead.


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## JeremyB (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks for the link Redwood, some very useful information in it. When ever Im using my torch ( Usually on my hockey sticks )  I have bucket of water beside me and the fire extinguisher because you never know what could happen.


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## isola96 (Jan 6, 2012)

Spray bottle of water for those tight situations "memories" lol I have learned to start using shark bites if I know it's to close to be risky.


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## JeremyB (Jan 6, 2012)

just googling those sharkbite products they look cool, I have never heard of them.Still really trying to figure out how they work. I watched the video they had on youtube. So If I have 2 join pieces of copper in a area that I dont want a torch around I can use on of there fittings? Are Can you get them at hardware stores?


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## isola96 (Jan 7, 2012)

JeremyB said:
			
		

> just googling those sharkbite products they look cool, I have never heard of them.Still really trying to figure out how they work. I watched the video they had on youtube. So If I have 2 join pieces of copper in a area that I dont want a torch around I can use on of there fittings? Are Can you get them at hardware stores?



Home depot has them make shore u get the ring key to get them back off with if needs be.


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## paul52446m (Jan 7, 2012)

JeremyB said:


> Hey Guys
> 
> I have another question for you guys. I have been looking at different plumbing problems lately and wondering how I would go about fixing them ( actually been practicing soldering on some scrap pieces of copper pipe and Im not bad at it, how they hold up if water was in them is another story but hey at least Im giving it the old college try,lol )
> 
> ...


Years back i bought a electric heating machine that you could put carbon ends on it, and i could use it to solder with. I was doing a lot of putting hot water heat in finished homes. It is a pain to solder in a corner with carpeting,
finish wood or painted walls. The machine worked good but it was very slow.
 Don't remember what the called it, a trendel or something like that.
 If i clamped it onto a 3/4" copper ell it would take 5 min. to solder that joint.
  When they said they were going to do away with asbestos, i bought a lot of rolls until i could see what they would replace it with. I still have a lot of rope and bagged asbestos in my ware house.   Paul


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## sisyphus (Jan 12, 2012)

I recently had to solder some pipes that was resting against the floor joist in my basement. I sprayed the wood first with some water. then had my fire extingusher within arms reach and went at it. It dried and blackened the wood. I waited a few secs. for the solder to cool and then sprayed the wood again for good measure. no leaks and my house is still standing. when using a sharkbite fitting, you have to make sure that you feel a click when you push the pipe into the fitting and the pipe has to run straight. great for those pipes that you can't get all the water out to solder.


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## Dionysia (Jan 12, 2012)

My husband keeps a spray bottle of water and wets the floor joist while soldering, unless I am not busy and can spray the wood down for him while he solders. It has worked out OK for us...


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## BridgeMan (Jan 12, 2012)

Spray bottle of water has always worked for me.  Just do a thorough job of making the nearby wood (joists and subflooring) soaking wet.  Then give it some more water if it steams itself dry while you're soldering.  I've noticed over the years (and even recently on a few DIY TV shows) that people have a tendency to use a propane flame that's way too large for the task--just a pencil-sized blue flame, 3/4" long and slowly moving, will get the job done.  And never direct the flame at the junction points where the solder will enter the fitting, but rather at the mass of the fitting itself.

Brings back memories of flame-straightening (acetylene) damaged bridge girders.  Just a small No. 2 tip, properly applied by someone skilled in the practice, is enough to bring a severely bent and warped girder (looking like it's ready for the scrap pile) back into line.


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