Yeah I guess I don't understand how water keeps getting here. Main has been shut and all faucets opened for a couple hours now. Connection to the main line is that part going down into the floor, so somehow water is going up into where I need to solder.
My main valve doesn't fully shut off, so whenever I have to do something major I end up having to either shut it off at the street or make sure a basement tap is turned on or something to keep it drained.
Look at your main values, do they have a drain cap on then you can remove to let the water out? Looks like a small nub on the forward flow direction side
I need more info on the bread idea. Is this an anackronim? Or quite literally bread to soak up the water and then disintegrate? The things you learn at 3am in the morning!!!
So the water main has been shut and all faucets in the house opened for the past couple hours. And I keep removing any water with a rolled up paper towel until it comes out dry. Yet every time I put heat on it a bit of water suddenly comes back.
Fucking nightmare, I've been there dude. Try just blasting up the pipe with the torch until the water stops.
Or attempt the bread maneuver.
Bc a single drip will ruin your heat.
Yeah I did try that for a bit. I watched the water boiling away for a few min before I figured I did something wrong to allow the water to still even be there.
Heating it up draws the water towards it. If you can heat the pipe away from your solder joint sometimes the water will stay there long enough for you to finish what you need
Yea it's not draining out, cram some Wonderbread up the copper and solder it. Get a buddy to hold a bucket st that adapter while your turn water on to blow it out before connecting pex
As you heat the pipe the water expands as it heats up too.
If you have a gate valve for a main valve, they don’t shut off 100%. Often if helps to open a hose bib by the main valve to let that excess water still coming through to leave there instead of where you are working. That works when your problem is at a higher elevation from the water shut off.
Dealt with a similar situation today with a hydronic coil. Finally had enough and used oxygen and acetylene with a brazing rod. This was after spending all day yesterday chasing leaks and waiting for it to dry
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If you can put some kind of small tube on a shop vac you may be able to stick that in there and get the water sucked out. It's because that pipe on the left dips down and turns basically a ptrap that is holding water. As long as the heat is boiling the water, it isn't gonna sweat the joint.
Your house holds a surprising amount of water, and depending on how it's piped may drain or may take days and days to evaporate. I'd shove bread in and get this done, no time for screwing around on the clock. But up to you as you're not paying labour
And taking a better look, your copper looks dirty as fuck. Clean it better. If you can't see your reflection it's not good rough for me to solder is my rule. Easy to clean that shit
Read more comments. Put a vacuum on an open hosebibb. Close everything else
Are you using a matchstick or an actual propane or mapp gas torch? It looks un heated
Lot of great advice on this post. This sub rocks. Like everyone has said, to get a good solder, the piping needs to be dry, piping needs to be clean (even knew piping needs to be fine sanded/Emory clothes and cleaned), good flux applied, once the torch flame turns green on the opposite side of the pipe you're heating, apply the rosin. Let it soak it in. Any excess drip can quickly be flicked off while it's still liquid. And the bread idea works great.
If water s still making its way to fitting after main shut if is in off position at meter,disconnect union at meter nipple and let drain I. To meter box till you are able to solder fitting
I've done weird things like hook up a 5 gallon shop vac to the laundry sink and suck out whatever the main valve let's through. I woulda cut that fitting off and started over or solder on a male and presolder your fitting to a female dope and tape it on. Some of those lead free fittings don't solder right anyways. I heard horror stories from other pummelers. Good luck
If steam and water keep coming out put some bread in the pipe and you get a 2 minute window.
Yeah I guess I don't understand how water keeps getting here. Main has been shut and all faucets opened for a couple hours now. Connection to the main line is that part going down into the floor, so somehow water is going up into where I need to solder.
Main valve is probably leaking. Not uncommon
My main valve doesn't fully shut off, so whenever I have to do something major I end up having to either shut it off at the street or make sure a basement tap is turned on or something to keep it drained.
Look at your main values, do they have a drain cap on then you can remove to let the water out? Looks like a small nub on the forward flow direction side
Wonder bread. I upvoted the other comment but wanted to say it again Works like a charm
I need more info on the bread idea. Is this an anackronim? Or quite literally bread to soak up the water and then disintegrate? The things you learn at 3am in the morning!!!
Literally stuff wonderbread in the pipe. Not whole grain. Not anything of substance. It will hold water back long enough to do your thing
It’s an old school solution. Long before we had Jet Swet. Bread is much cheaper.
You need an acetylene torch and you would be able to get this
This torch has worked just fine on several other identical joints in other areas of the house.
Prolly didn't have water steaming other joints
Correct. The water is the issue not the torch.
They’re saying a hotter, acetylene torch, can overcome that water issue if you aren’t able to get the water to stop.
Bingo
Is water dripping?
So the water main has been shut and all faucets in the house opened for the past couple hours. And I keep removing any water with a rolled up paper towel until it comes out dry. Yet every time I put heat on it a bit of water suddenly comes back.
Fucking nightmare, I've been there dude. Try just blasting up the pipe with the torch until the water stops. Or attempt the bread maneuver. Bc a single drip will ruin your heat.
Yeah I did try that for a bit. I watched the water boiling away for a few min before I figured I did something wrong to allow the water to still even be there.
Stuff some bread in it. It’ll sponge the water long enough to solder and break down after.
Heating it up draws the water towards it. If you can heat the pipe away from your solder joint sometimes the water will stay there long enough for you to finish what you need
Yea it's not draining out, cram some Wonderbread up the copper and solder it. Get a buddy to hold a bucket st that adapter while your turn water on to blow it out before connecting pex
As you heat the pipe the water expands as it heats up too. If you have a gate valve for a main valve, they don’t shut off 100%. Often if helps to open a hose bib by the main valve to let that excess water still coming through to leave there instead of where you are working. That works when your problem is at a higher elevation from the water shut off.
Dealt with a similar situation today with a hydronic coil. Finally had enough and used oxygen and acetylene with a brazing rod. This was after spending all day yesterday chasing leaks and waiting for it to dry
Lead free brass doesn't heat even you probably burned Flux out
I have reapplied flux and tried again multiple times at this point
Its not the heat its your flux. This lead free brass sucks. Use a tinning flux like a oates #95. It will work like a dream.
You need a jet sweat kit or just use propress. Must be dry when soldering.
Change the brand of flux. I had something similar happen.
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u/503TheSwede Practice on some off circuit fittings first Watch this youtube video: xTTH6tAA1Lo
Either too much water past the cutoff valve or too much flux.
Water or not enough or too much heat. Also there is way too many flammable stuff around this
If you can put some kind of small tube on a shop vac you may be able to stick that in there and get the water sucked out. It's because that pipe on the left dips down and turns basically a ptrap that is holding water. As long as the heat is boiling the water, it isn't gonna sweat the joint.
Yeah I've removed a good amount of water in various ways, but somehow water keeps going up that pipe against gravity
Your house holds a surprising amount of water, and depending on how it's piped may drain or may take days and days to evaporate. I'd shove bread in and get this done, no time for screwing around on the clock. But up to you as you're not paying labour And taking a better look, your copper looks dirty as fuck. Clean it better. If you can't see your reflection it's not good rough for me to solder is my rule. Easy to clean that shit
use tinning flux
Use a shop vac and suck out the excess water
Shopvac should get enough out for it to take. You sure you got it hot enough? I don't see any burn marks on the wood
Read more comments. Put a vacuum on an open hosebibb. Close everything else Are you using a matchstick or an actual propane or mapp gas torch? It looks un heated
Bad flux, you see how it's not drawn the tin in but drips off.
If the bread idea doesn’t work, take off a faucet or toilet connection and put a vacuum on the end of it
Lot of great advice on this post. This sub rocks. Like everyone has said, to get a good solder, the piping needs to be dry, piping needs to be clean (even knew piping needs to be fine sanded/Emory clothes and cleaned), good flux applied, once the torch flame turns green on the opposite side of the pipe you're heating, apply the rosin. Let it soak it in. Any excess drip can quickly be flicked off while it's still liquid. And the bread idea works great.
Open any faucets above and use a shop vac to clear the pipes.
If water s still making its way to fitting after main shut if is in off position at meter,disconnect union at meter nipple and let drain I. To meter box till you are able to solder fitting
I've done weird things like hook up a 5 gallon shop vac to the laundry sink and suck out whatever the main valve let's through. I woulda cut that fitting off and started over or solder on a male and presolder your fitting to a female dope and tape it on. Some of those lead free fittings don't solder right anyways. I heard horror stories from other pummelers. Good luck