Been doing a bit of plumbing work lately and have come across a reoccuring problem three times. A few times I have soldered an incorrect fitting to a run of copper pipe. I try to remove the fitting by reheating, the solder melts and I pull on the fitting but the fitting jams and will not budge. Usually at this point the fitting looks pretty dry and free from solder/all solder on one side of joint. No matter how much I heat the fitting will not remove. My solution has been to hack off the fitting and couple on some new pipe. As an experiment I clamped one of these off-cuts in a vice and continued to heat the fitting to see if it would eventually remove the copper went red hot and as I pulled on the fitting it still would not move and the the pipe easily bent as it was so hot. I want to stop this happening. What would be causing it do I need to apply more solder or flux in order to remove these fittings?
Removing solder fittings
- Thread starter jcalow
- Start date
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Are you applying the heat all round the joint not one place ?
Yes, I always try to heat evenly all around the pipe. Still the pipe seems to bind and will not move any further. The pipe must get hot enough as I have had nearby joints come loose instead to the fitting I want to remove. I always deburr and clean inside and out of joints so the problem cannot be due to debris either.
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- 7 Jan 2007
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Sounds like you've been using power flux ! personally found fittings where its been used dont want to come apart.
Use la-co, and if the flame turns green around the copper its too hot !
Dry fit your pipework first and only sweat it up when youre happy that way you wont need to un-sweat any joints !
Use la-co, and if the flame turns green around the copper its too hot !
Dry fit your pipework first and only sweat it up when youre happy that way you wont need to un-sweat any joints !
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A
ALEC1
either way its a useful skill to have...of course a vice and the grips all leech heat, so avoid handling the fitting until the silver ring is liquid... should be no problem then
L
longdogs
Silly question but..... Are you just pulling the fitting? You may need to twist it off.
N
namsag
If the fittings close by are melting then you are putting far too much heat on it and as gasbanni says certain fluxes will lock a fitting up completely
Are you applying the flame to the pipe or the fitting?
If you heat the pipe only (or heat the pipe more than the fitting), it will expand and jam in the fitting.
If you heat the pipe only (or heat the pipe more than the fitting), it will expand and jam in the fitting.
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