My experience with using an oxy-acet is that I got enough heat - plenty of
heat to make steam. Of course I had faucets open so there wouldn't be
pressurized steam in the line. I think your problem is dirt. I found that
when I had to fix the water line that some else incorrectly soldered I
heated it up to take it apart and the aggressively cleaned it with emery
cloth. I also used one of those wire brush pipe and fitting cleaning things
to clean the inside of the fitting and the outside of the pipe. Get it
shiny bright! Then the flux can do its work. Flux CANNOT remove dirt or
old solder.
And don't be fooled into thinking that if you get a good adhesion of solder
around the outside shoulder between the fitting and the pipe that you're
home free. Solder has very little strength of its own - it relies on the
adhesion between the small gap between the inside of the fitting and the
outside of the pipe.
Whoever did the plumbing on my old house was somewhat of a bozo who believed
that flux cured all, that cleaning off the flux after you're done is not
necessary, that the bigger the blob the better the job. However, whoever it
was certainly gave me a bit of practice doing it the right way once I had to
clean up all his mistakes.
Link to the type of brush I've got:
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/Pasco-1-2-and-3-4-Copper-Fitting-and-Tube-Brush/7483/Cat/653?RefID=CJ
Pasco 5150
Enjoy but don't melt the copper with your oxy-acet torch - or set your home
on fire for that matter!
Mark Watson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Shipley" <shiples@comcast.net>
To: "Jim Franklin" <jamesf@groupwbench.org>; "Shop Talk"
<shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 12:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Sweat joint leak
> >Like others have said, there is still water in the line that is
>>absorbing all the heat.
>
> I just went through this.
> First you use a propane torch and you can't get enough heat because of the
> water.
> Then use your acetylene torch and you can't get enough heat because of the
> water.
> And then you replace the fitting and you can't make a joint because now
> you
> got the joint hot enough but there's enough water there to ruin your joint
> because the steam keeps the solder from flowing around the entire joint.
> And then you replace the fitting with another fitting but you make an
> extra
> effort to get the water out of the line.
>
> Lesson learned: Joints need to be dry and clean
>
> Like a lot of shop procedures, it's easy when done right, and impossible
> when done wrong.
>
> I'd never used those pre-soldered fittings before and they work great.
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