How To Solder Copper Pipe Like a Pro (Tips & Tricks) | GOT2LEARN

what's up guys and welcome back to another video all right so I've been getting asked by a lot of people how to get that perfect looking solder joint on copper lines that are apparent and in this video I'll show you how to do it on a horizontal and vertical pipe this skill allows you to make awesome looking joints that'll make your work look professional and nice to look at if the pipes you're installing remain visible like on a radiator for example now before you attempt this I strongly suggest not to use this method if you're new to soldering copper pipes because there's a couple of things that could go wrong and I wouldn't want to be responsible for any leaks so I suggest watching my how to solder copper pipes videos which are linked in the description box below to learn how to properly solder prior to doing this the reason why I'm saying this is because you'll be using a little bit less solder and flux than usual to complete a joint which for beginners could be a little scary so it's preferable that you're already comfortable with soldering and that you know that your joints don't leak there's three things that you need to know to get a clean looking joint like this number one is how much flux to use flux cleans the copper and also for the solder to adhere to the surface so it basically dictates where your solder will go and since we only want it inside the joint we have to be careful about how much we use for this technique number two is how much shoulder to use a copper joint can only take so much solder into it any excess will either come out and make your joint look sloppy or it'll stay inside the pipe and cause restriction so it's important to use the right amount of it to get it to look the way we want it and number three is the heat as with any solder joint you don't want to get the joint too hot as the flux will boil off and your solder won't flow as it should and it's even more important when using this technique to learn how to control the amount of heat you use and I'll be showing you how to do so later in the video all right so let's quickly go through all the materials you'll need to get a clean looking joint like this first and foremost you'll be needing a soldering kit I will go through all the tools and materials individually to save time and like I said earlier this technique is for those looking to improve their joints not to learn how to solder something I do want to mention is using tending flux over normal flux if you're new to this and I'll show you why I recommend it once I get to the fluxing step also you'll be needing a clean rag or some paper towels to wipe any excess flux this step is crucial to making this work and if you have a dirty rag you could contaminate the joint and potentially cause a leak so make sure it's clean before wiping the joint and lastly I suggest having a small inspection mirror to check if the back of the fittings are well covered and you'll understand why later in the video alright so I made a small mock-up to show you guys in real time how to do it but before I show you how to do it I want to go through all the steps real quick with you so you better understand when I'll be demonstrating at the end so as you normally would you'd need to clean all the pipe surfaces as well as the inside of the fittings thoroughly with a wire brush and an abrasive pad it's super important that you don't have to do this step as preparation is 90% of the job then would come the flexing part like I said earlier if you're just starting off with this technique I suggest using tinning flux thinning flux will give you better coverage as it contains solder powder in it I gave a side-by-side visual in one of my soldering videos I made and we could see the difference between both the tinning flux itself will cover a good part of the joint without even adding any solder so consider it cheap insurance once the flux would be applied you'd assemble everything together if you want to use the same materials as me I linked everything I used in this video in the description box below so you don't need to search around now on to the actual soldering part if you're working on a heating system you're allowed to use lead solder which will make it a lot easier since it requires less heat to melt and reduces the chance of you burning the flux off however if you're working on a potable water line you'd be using lead-free solder which would require a little more heat and that's where would become a bit tricky to some I'm also gonna show you a few tips on how to apply the solder as it's applied differently for this technique so we talked about the solder and cleaning part now let's talk about the most important step for this technique which is the heating in my other soul during videos you'll see me use different methods to heat a joint which are all good but don't apply for this method the reason being is that if you heat the pipe on a vertical joint your solder will want to flow out of it and onto the heated pipe which isn't wanted we want all the solder we push into it to stay in the joint and have maximum coverage at the same time and for that we'll need to pay careful attention to the amount of heat we use and where we apply it so now that you have a basic idea of how to do it let's do it together the first thing we'll do is clean all the pipes and flux them I'm using a scotch brite pad to give them that nice shiny surface which I find works better than Emery cloth you also want to clean the inside of the fitting using either a wire brush or a piece of scotch pad that part is all up to you [Music] good the amount of flux needed is very minimal since we're using tinning flux if you're working with normal flux I suggest using a tad more but you have the chance of it going on the pipe and creating a clean spot for your solder to go on later here's a visual reference of how much I applied in the fittings and on the pipe themselves so for normal soldering tasks you'd apply it and not really care if there was any excess as it would just melt and drip down when heating the joint but if any flux does run down the pipe your solder will want to follow it and make the joint look like this and that's not what we're looking for with the fittings assembled you'll notice that there's a small lip of flux where both the pipe and fitting meet all of this is excess and needs to be removed so get your paper towel or rag and clean it off so that it's contained in the joint only now the trick to getting it to look the way it does is to not apply the solder where it's visible to the eye let me explain normally you'd heat the joint and circle around the circumference with your solder like this which would leave a visible trace of where was applied and to many it adds a degree of certainty on whether that joint was properly soldered or not but in this case we'll be applying it to the back of the joint where it won't be visible to the eye and rely on capillary action to bring the solder to the front of the joint to heat the joint I prefer using a broad flame instead of a pencil torch as it facilitates the job and makes it a lot quicker the way I heat it is I start from the opposite side of where I'm applying the solder and work my way around as such without applying the heat to the back I just let the heat from the front travel to the back this way I'm sure that the solder will be pulled to the front once the back is hot enough now it's important not to overheat it's easy to get distracted and overheat the joint but doing that will boil off the flux and you may need to restart everything if the flux carbonized if you have a gyproc wall behind you might want to use a flame protector or even an old license plate does the trick just get yourself two small nails to hang it so as you're heating pay careful attention to the joint and as soon as you see a silver Ridge appear remove the heat and the joint is complete [Music] on vertical joints your flux might want to drip down the pipe a little bit but don't worry since we're only giving the joint what it needs there shouldn't be any excess solder going onto the pipe [Music] once you're done I suggest using a small mirror to make sure that the back of the joint doesn't have any voice in it and test the line if there aren't any leaks I like coming back with the scotch pad I used to clean my pipes and scrub everything to give it that nice finish which makes it look that much better and you're done you'll be left with a clean and drip free joint which will make your work look professional and separate you from the others remember guys the stuff I used in this video is linked below in the description box so if you want to try it out yourself you won't need to search around for what you need and as always if you guys like this video give it a thumbs up and share with your friends thanks for watching and I'll see you guys in the next video you

Channel: Got2Learn

Views: 4,021,994

Keywords: plumbing trick, do it yourself, pex plumbing installation, plumbing hacks, plumbing, plumbing videos, plumbing tools, plumbing basics, plumbing repair, plumbing diy, plumbing how to, plumbing video, how to do plumbing, how to repair plumbing, how to fix plumbing, rough in plumbing, how to solder, soldering copper pipe, how to solder copper pipe, how to sweat copper pipe, how to sweat copper fittings, got2learn, How to Solder Copper Pipe The CORRECT Way, life hacks

Id: V13EEkeeYfM

Length: 10min 45sec (645 seconds)

Published: Sat May 04 2019