Soldering small copper tee

[90066]

Hello,

I need to splice into a 1/4 copper line. I was planning to go compression fitting route, but since I'd love to learn to properly sweat the copper pipes I was thinking of doing that.

I looked at a bunch of tutorials for a single joint. What I am worried about with the tee, though, is that the tee for 1/4 (OD) line is maybe ~3/4" long. So, it's very difficult for me to "point heat it". The effect I am afraid of is twofold:

• i may pull a bunch of solder into the tee itself (on my previous attempt at this, I swaged the pipe, and the "female" end ended up a bit big, so as I was trying to draw solder into it, I am sure I overdid it and ended up with a lot of solder inside the pipe)
• I am afraid that as I finish one joint, and go to work on the next one, the first one is going to be "unsoldered".

Am I thinking about it all wrong? Or, maybe, my problem is that I just need to drastically reduce my flame and increase the heating time so that it hits less of a surface? Anything else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Reach4]

Most fittings have stops that keep the fitting from dropping.

You are not going to pull the solder into the big hole-- only into the close clearance. I guess you could maybe keep feeding but just be content when the solder gets sucked in and wraps around.

I was very impressed with the Oatey No. 5 flux with silver-containing lead-free solder recently. It was as easy as lead-containing solder. I also liked the https://www.oatey.com/2374926/Product/Oatey®-O.D.-Tube-Cleaning-Brush I don't remember if mine was Oatey. I soldered 3/4 copper and 1/2. I used fine emery cloth for one, and the brush for the other. Both worked well.

 

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[90066]

Thank you! I thought I was going to have to bridge larger gaps, so I bought BRIDGIT. Couple of joints worked out real nice (to my untrained and absolute newbie eye). But that one joint I just kept feeding solder in, and it kept going in and in. I later cut the pipe for unrelated reasons, and found a whole lot of solder in it.

You response gave me this idea that I probably did not swage it correctly! I probably clamped it in flaring clamp (don't know if it's correct term) too high, so there was not clear "flare" (which would have acted as a stop for solder!)

Thankfully 1/4 copper is cheap

 

[hj]

But that one joint I just kept feeding solder in, and it kept going in and in.

I was working on a bell and spigot/lead-oakum job once. As I was working on a section, the journeyman kept going back and forth for ladles of lead. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "pouring a 2" horizontal joint". I went back to the joint, took a hammer and smashed the pipe. He had about 5# of lead in a long "snake" on the bottom of the pipe.

 

[Jadnashua]

On a 1/4" pipe, you only need about 1/4" of typical solder to fill the joint properly. 1/2" on a 1/2" pipe. More usually just ends up dripping or flowing where you don't want it. If you fluxed things properly and cleaned the pipe and fitting, it should be good.