Soldering

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Cass

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While I never have, I have had to cut out plenty that someone thought would never have to come apart.

Like Gary asked, why would someone want to.
 

hj

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Too many times to count. But almost everytime the customer buys a Home Depot shower valve with ips connections, instead of the plumber model with solder inlets. Once they are soldered in, it is no different than if the valve originally had solder inlets that would also never have to be taken apart, at least not without cutting them, and it eliminates at least one potential source for leak.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Whelpers, it goes like this

First, I've been doing a great deal of faucet replacements for tub and showers. Seems like I have some Deltas that are IPS valves.....and I use either male or female adaptors depending on it's application. For years I've been jigging those up with tape and dope.

The problem was the issue of having the heat get to those doped connections because I either have a close 90 or even street 90 coming out of the first fitting and jigging that up doesn't work always.

So...I've been soldering them with good result. Been doing this on B&K 1/4 turn laundry tub faucets as well. Most if not always I have no intention of ever taking the connection back apart on the laundry tub; it's already a union joint and I'm not too stingy to throw 2 MIP's and couple pieces of copper to the mix to get it done.

It's just that I need a positive solid connection in the concealed areas and so far I've not had any problems with this technique. If those valves ever come back out.....I'm always cutting the pipe at the threads closest to the valve and sweating the old cut pieces back off anyway.

Can't afford a taped threaded leak in a wall because I couldn't prevent the transfer of heat. I just started doing this about 2 months ago and it is helping my peace of mind.

Cartridge and all rubber 0-rings are removed from what I'm soldering if anyone thinks I'm frying those internals. Been there done that about 19 years ago.
 
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Steveg91

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So do you brush/flux then tighten the connection as tight as you normally would, then solder???? Reason I ask is I always sorda thought there needed to be a little space for the solder to get way into the joint???
Steve
 

hj

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valves

Delta, Kohler, and most of the rest with male connections on the valve can also be connected by soldering the tubing directly to the inside of the connection.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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steveg91 said:
So do you brush/flux then tighten the connection as tight as you normally would, then solder???? Reason I ask is I always sorda thought there needed to be a little space for the solder to get way into the joint???
Steve


Always flux the threads on both the valve and the MIP's/FIP's I'm using, then tighten up as tight as they go before soldering.


WARNING: I don't make a habit of doing this. If I'm in a 4-3/4" hole in a tub unit replacing a shower valve......I'm doing it because I know heat transfer will cause a leak on a tape/doped connection. It happens no matter what you do to control heat transfer with wet rags. Both the fitting and threads to the valve must be new and clean.

I saw one done to a PRV once and didn't care for what that probably did to the internals. Actually I know what it did......it went bad after 5 years...but Wilkins is notorious for bad product when it comes to PRV's.
 

Molo

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Is this where PEX might be an option to avoid the heat transfer problem?
Just curious, I have never used PEX but am trying to learn more about it.
Molo
 

Cass

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RUGGED said:
First, I've been doing a great deal of faucet replacements for tub and showers. Seems like I have some Deltas that are IPS valves.....and I use either male or female adaptors depending on it's application. For years I've been jigging those up with tape and dope.

The problem was the issue of having the heat get to those doped connections because I either have a close 90 or even street 90 coming out of the first fitting and jigging that up doesn't work always.

So...I've been soldering them with good result. Been doing this on B&K 1/4 turn laundry tub faucets as well. Most if not always I have no intention of ever taking the connection back apart on the laundry tub; it's already a union joint and I'm not too stingy to throw 2 MIP's and couple pieces of copper to the mix to get it done.

It's just that I need a positive solid connection in the concealed areas and so far I've not had any problems with this technique. If those valves ever come back out.....I'm always cutting the pipe at the threads closest to the valve and sweating the old cut pieces back off anyway.

Can't afford a taped threaded leak in a wall because I couldn't prevent the transfer of heat. I just started doing this about 2 months ago and it is helping my peace of mind.

Cartridge and all rubber 0-rings are removed from what I'm soldering if anyone thinks I'm frying those internals. Been there done that about 19 years ago.

To prevent the leak at a threaded connection from heat transfer, solder a nipple on to the male adp. then thread it in.
 

Dunbar Plumbing

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Cass said:
To prevent the leak at a threaded connection from heat transfer, solder a nipple on to the male adp. then thread it in.


If they were all like this application, it would be ideal.

I'm mainly talking about valve replacements in small openings without any chance of doing a whole lot of fitting work in the wall due to risk of fire with a torch. I've done some hard ones though that I couldn't even move the piping. Working off of the sockets of tees or 90's and reconnecting.


If you've done new construction..........still remember the measurements for a delta or moen on roughing in a bath faucet?
 
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