Solder / desolder a wet pipe

[boolie]

Trying to heat up a pipe to remove a joint but not having any success. The pipe looks dry, but when I heat it up I can see steam coming out

any ideas what the solution is ? How far away does the water need to be for the heat to stop working

 

[kidgreen61]

The pipe must be bone dry to do that, sometimes you can raise it a few mm enough to get water away.

 

[Tricky-Dicky]

Use a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to suck the remaining water out of the pipe.
Where I failed as DIY, a professional plumber succeeded.
The pipe where I had a problem was just below the ground floor tiling.
Titan TTB774VAC 1300W 16Ltr Wet & Dry Vacuum 220-240V | Wet & Dry Vacuums | Screwfix.com