A slippery slope got me roped into putting in a whole new shower valve for my Girlfriend's friend. Any way I'm wondering if my technique was bad. It's a single lever valve with built-in shutoffs on either side of the cartirdge. Took valve apart to just brass, cleaned fluxed all pieces. I used a solder/threaded drop elbow for both shower and tub. Valve was so tight against the existing framing I had to use a street elbow right off the valve on one side. And I had 12" lenghts of copper coming down off the hot and cold elbows
Any way this was the first time I soldered a shower valve. I have had trouble in the past soldering a 3/4" ball valve with my my propane torch, so I bought a tank of Map-Pro and a larger all brass torch head. (heated joints alot faster than my small torch head with propane)
So, using 2x4s and shims I set the whole asssembly up on the basement floor and soldered it. Trying to make sure that the shower and tub elbows were straight out and that the hot and cold lines would be plumb/vertical. Then I took the assembly upstairs and using dimpled couplings soldered it to the existing hot and cold lines.
Seems to have turned out ok...no leaks, looks plumb and in right place.
After having done it I think I should have just soldered in the 3 pieces of pipe for tube, shower, and cold supply line, and then taken it up stairs attached valve to frame where it goes and then done final soldering. My big concern was that I would have to reheat the valve to attach street elbow to hot supply line without burning framing members and or messing up the soldered joints already in valve body.
appreciate any advice.
P.S. My new map-pro torch made a lot of "creaking" ta-ta-ta-ta-ta noises. That's not normal right?
Also, Was it the Map-Pro gas or the larger torch head that made my soldering go so much faster? I see that the Temperature of Map-Pro is 3600 and Propane is 3450. Map-pro is 3 times the cost of Propane here wonder if I need it?
Any way this was the first time I soldered a shower valve. I have had trouble in the past soldering a 3/4" ball valve with my my propane torch, so I bought a tank of Map-Pro and a larger all brass torch head. (heated joints alot faster than my small torch head with propane)
So, using 2x4s and shims I set the whole asssembly up on the basement floor and soldered it. Trying to make sure that the shower and tub elbows were straight out and that the hot and cold lines would be plumb/vertical. Then I took the assembly upstairs and using dimpled couplings soldered it to the existing hot and cold lines.
Seems to have turned out ok...no leaks, looks plumb and in right place.
After having done it I think I should have just soldered in the 3 pieces of pipe for tube, shower, and cold supply line, and then taken it up stairs attached valve to frame where it goes and then done final soldering. My big concern was that I would have to reheat the valve to attach street elbow to hot supply line without burning framing members and or messing up the soldered joints already in valve body.
appreciate any advice.
P.S. My new map-pro torch made a lot of "creaking" ta-ta-ta-ta-ta noises. That's not normal right?
Also, Was it the Map-Pro gas or the larger torch head that made my soldering go so much faster? I see that the Temperature of Map-Pro is 3600 and Propane is 3450. Map-pro is 3 times the cost of Propane here wonder if I need it?