Sweat soldering ball valve

I just heat the pipe then the end of the valve, and let the solder run in.

But there's a neat thing I noticed when buying them at the big supplier. If you get an untouched one out of the bin and turn the handle to "open" - you hear a pop. I think they are pressure tested at the factory and that is residual pressure "popping" out.

Make sure you're up to speed on soldering quickly. I only do this occasionally and find my first couple are on the learning curve again. After that, SOP except have a wet rag handy and cool the valve right down after solder is just completed. Sweat valves are made to take some heat.

Karl

Heat the pipe only, and prep the joint for best possible wicking. As soon as the solder flows, remove the heat and pour cold water on the valve. JR Dweller in the cellar

Pilgrim wrote:

In addition to what everyone else said, please make sure that you are soldering *dry* pipe. Open a valve at the low end of the system and drain completely in the HAZ. Roll up a paper towel and soak up the excess.

Crocus cloth and flux are your friends. Use both to excess.

When re-soldering an end cap on to wet pipe, do not look at the end of the pipe with your remaining eye.

--Winston

Close the valve (or open fully) before applying heat; a half open valve can dent the seal. Don't heat the pipe first; most of the heat has to go to the heavy part (the valve) not the pipe. The valve has to be hot or the solder won't wick in.

My preference is to make both valve joints on a single heat. You might want to dismount the handle, so it doesn't block your flame or scorch.

Check with your local plumbing supplier for a brand called ez-sweat by Watts . These are multi-piece units. The ends screw-off and inside are copper pieces that look like top-hat bushings. Sweat those on, and re-assemble and the heat never touches the ball assembly.

I found mine at the box stores initially then ordered them from a real plumbing supply house when supply got spotty.

Good Luck

Jim Vrzal Holiday, Fl.

On Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:29 -0700, the infamous Winston scrawled the following:

You forgot the DAMHIKT, Winnie.

-- No matter how cynical you are, it is impossible to keep up. --Lily Tomlin

Oh, yeah!

DAMHIKT

--Patchy

Sounds an alternative to compression fittings. I have a compression ball valve in the house that I need to replace as it weeps when turned on, it's about 7 years old. I would be concerned that a soldered valve would be a PITA when it came time to replace, I just have to turn the water main off and swap the valve body I think, should be able to reuse the compression nuts and olives.

He's going to get a cold solder joint and a leak if he does that...

You have to wait a bit for the solder to properly cool a bit and solidify or crystallize - you can use a spray bottle set to Mist and just a bit of water - give a quick spritz and let it cool a few seconds, then another little squirt, another ten seonds.

Once it gets down below the 'instant flash into steam' stage and into the 'drops sizzle when sprayed' stage THEN you can hit it hard with the water to cool it down the rest of the way.

If you take the handle off, make sure the valve is aligned right before you sweat it in. No fun when the handle hits something and can't make the full 90-degree arc, then you have to either heat it up again and adjust it, or modify the handle.

-->--

If it's a sweat fitting valve and not obviously easily disassembled, it's teflon and should not be bothered by soldering, if you do it properly. Wrap a damp rag around the middle if you like, but mostly apply heat to the fittings, not the middle, and don't overheat - teflon is fine at molten solder temperatures. Solder with it open. Apply enough solder, not a vast excess, particularly if it's mounted in a vertical run of pipe.

Dunno, but maybe I was just plain lucky (or stupid) when I replaced the kitchen cabinets last fall. I cut off the old valves, cleaned the pipe and soldered on the new ball valves (two pointing up, one horizontal), no special technique except to use a "Turbo Torch" fed from a 20# barbeque tank - I hate the little 14 oz. bottles when doing serious work. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Wrong. Heat the *fitting* only. Heating only the pipe expands the pipe more than it expands the fitting, reducing the space available for solder to wick into the joint, and also makes the joint more likely to crack as it cools.

Wrong again. Continue heating until the solder has been sucked into the entire joint.

Wrong yet again. Doing so can crack the solder joint. Allow it to cool on its own.

snip---- Wrap a damp rag around the middle if you like, but mostly

Yep!

I not only plumbed our entire new house, but I built the control panels and manifold assemblies for the hydronic heating system. I've (successfully) soldered more than 100 valves with no problems. I strongly support the small strip of cloth, wet, wrapped around the body of the valve, away from the two ends, which must achieve molten solder temperatures in order to assure a fully soldered joint.

I have used both silver bearing (3-1/2%) and non-leaded solders---made by Harris. I highly recommend them over the others, especially Oatey, which I found to fill and run poorly. Use Bridgit for common plumbing-----Stay-Brite for heating systems.

Clean the bores of the valves well with a stainless brush, and the ends of the pipe with strip abrasive. Flux sparingly, but totally. Use an acid brush. Use water soluble flux for easy cleanup. When the solder has solidified, wipe down both ends of the valve with a wet rag, which will cool and clean the solder joints perfectly. Do not disturb the joints until the solder has set.

Harold

I found that I can get an acceptable joint with the Oatey stuff with silver in it, but their tin-antimony no-lead stuff works too hot for a regular propane torch (it might be fine with acetylene, it's not been worth my time to find out). --Glenn Lyford

Don't know about acetylene, but it's fine with a standard plumber's MAPP torch. It can be used with a propane torch, too, but it takes a looooong time.

Some of the best money I ever spent on a tool was the forty bucks it cost me to get a MAPP torch. Make a dozen sweat joints with a MAPP torch, and you'll never go back to propane. (It takes six or eight joints before you realize just how *fast* that sucker heats the fittings -- just a few seconds on half-inch pipe, only a bit longer on three-quarter. After three or four more joints at a few seconds each, you'll be hooked.)

Or just use ball valves with threaded fittings. Sweat threaded adapters on to the existing plumbing, let them cool then screw on the valve.

In order to tighten both fittings on the valve, leave the last sweated joint a few feet away from the valve until its all tightened up so you have someplace to turn the fittings. Or use a union.

I've got one, I've just not had to do any plumbing since I got it. :) Try the solder with a little silver in it, melts at a lower heat so you're not cooking the heck out of your fittings, flows super easy, I bet it's a joy even with the mapp torch. --Glenn Lyford

If you haven't tried the Harris Stay-Brite, I recommend you give it a go. The first control panel I built for my hydronic heating system was for the shop. I used the Oatey (silver bearing) solder for that and had a real struggle with the stuff. My second purchase was the Harris solder, with which I made the distribution manifolds. It worked so much better that I ordered a third roll so I could complete the panel for the house, which is now finished. I'm sold on the stuff. Truly better than the Oatey.

Also, the Harris Bridgit seems to flow and fill better than the Oatey I used for general plumbing. I have a 1" main, then it branches out to 3/4" and

1/2" pipe, so it's been tested on all sizes. Could be my technique, but I didn't like the Oatey at all.

I am using a Turbo Torch for all my joints. I'm soldering up to 1-1/4" pipe and valves with the thing. Haven't tried MAPP, but I can't imagine much of an improvement over the Turbo Torch. Excellent little torch.

Usual disclaimer---I am not affiliated with Oatey, Harris or Victor (makes the Turbo Torch).

Harold