Sweating pipes - if it looks right, doesn't leak, can it still be wrong?

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BimmerRacer

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Have never done this before and added two ball valves at the end of my supply lines a few days ago. Not much drama except for not having the lead-free solder on hand and being smart enough to read the label before starting. One pipe was a bit stubborn and shop vac came in handy to suck the water out of it. Oh, and leaving the valves open with my wife watching for leaks as I turned the water back on. :D She didn't find it as funny. No leaks, looks good.

Now, my brother calls me yesterday and has a leaky valve. He says since I now can sweat pipes, I should come over. So, I do and no drama there either. Also extended and capped his in-laws lines in the kitchen as they are remodeling.

So, it looks nice and pretty (I am sure not as pretty as a pro can make it), but no pig slop award material either, no leaks, but since I have never done this before, could it still be wrong and if so, how? I guess I am looking for reassurance I didn't screw things up.

Also, apparently they had a plumber set of sprinklers in the building as he was making was switching out the water heater. :eek: Not fun from what I hear, FD had to come out...it's one of those apartments with individual mechanical room off the balconies.
 

Redwood

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So, it looks nice and pretty (I am sure not as pretty as a pro can make it), but no pig slop award material either, no leaks, but since I have never done this before, could it still be wrong and if so, how? I guess I am looking for reassurance I didn't screw things up.

Well it sounds like you did it okay but I can't tell from here...
But no leaks is a good thing....:cool:

Now as for the Pig Slop...:D
Post a pic and we'll let you know... LOL
 

BimmerRacer

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Well it sounds like you did it okay but I can't tell from here...
But no leaks is a good thing....:cool:

Now as for the Pig Slop...:D
Post a pic and we'll let you know... LOL

LOL, I'll see if I can get my brother to take a picture...his actually came out much better...something about practice I guess :D

517149523_dQkZX-M.jpg
 

wuptdo

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Couldn't too much solder, which isn't easy to see, be a potential problem?

I'm just a DIY'er so not sure.
 

Seaofnames

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Pump the system with air to about 80PSI and hold for an hour to test all soldering. It might be a different PSI in your area though.

It also seems those stop handles are facing up!! Should/could have had them pointing down for easy access(if you leave it exposed)
 

hj

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solder

Too much solder is a cosmetic thing. And there is no way to tell if there is enough solder inside the joint because you can only tell that when it is being applied. Also the solder in the joint has to be uniformly distributed and there is NO WAY to determine that without cutting it apart so you have to depend on your cleaning and fluxing abilities to do that properly. To make it short, good looking joints can be defective even if they do not leak initially.
 

SewerRatz

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Well too much solder can be an issue if there is solder balls inside the pipe. I have seen many faucets fail to work due to a solder ball that flew into the stem/cartridge.
 

Kingsotall

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I'd rather have a faucet clogged then have a joint fail and flood out. I do agree that there is a fine balance that must be made and the fellas I work with, luckily, have very high standards when it comes to sweating.
 

Redwood

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Well too much solder can be an issue if there is solder balls inside the pipe. I have seen many faucets fail to work due to a solder ball that flew into the stem/cartridge.

That usually involves a severe over usage of solder.
 

hj

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****

And what, praytell, is that vertical piece of PVC pipe to the left of the water lines? Not a lavatory or washer drain I hope. ANd, normally, only a masochist would use sweat stops.
 
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