Sweating shower valve help

[Anthony Curtas]

Issue 1: the solder around the elbow has two little pits instead of a nice fillet. Solder was dripping out of the bottom and I fed about 3/4" (my prebend), let it cool a second and wiped it. I tried one reheat with just a hint more solder but it didn't help. It has not seen water yet, so I don't know if it leaks. The other two joints turned out good and I had a chance to inspect the MIP fitting before installing it with the 3" stub onto the valve -- thin ring of solder just inside the fitting. Should I worry about the middle joint and if so what's the best way to fix it?

Issue 2: shower valve instructions say to purge the lines before installing. Since I have to screw on the fittings ahead of time and then sweat the rest together, it won't really be possible to flush the lines before installing to the valve. For reference, it's a California Faucets TH-52R.


Thanks,
Anthony

 

[Cacher_Chick]

You should be able heat the joint until the solder liquifies and wipe it.

I would not sweat any fittings on the shower valve without removing the cartridges. You need to do that to flush the lines when you are done anyway. Not doing it could ruin the cartridge.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Anthony Curtas]

I sweat the screw in fittings on the ground. Elbow was the first one I did in place at 4" from the valve, which was what was recommended in the manual as minimum distance. I put a wet rag on the valve to sink some heat, just as a safety. It was still cool when I was done.

Valve and shutoffs came pre-installed. I'll see how easy they are to remove. My experience so far is just with Moen valves, so this is new territory for me.

Also, MAPP is so nice. 10 seconds per fitting and it's taking solder; as opposed to 20/30 with my old propane torch. I'm also using it to light my grill

Thanks.