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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Hi, Ed. I know that you are a soldering expert. I'm a contractor and I live in a cold area high in the mountains about 4,000 feet high, and I've never had any problems sweating pipes until last week. Of course, it's winter and pipes are bursting everywhere! Using all new copper fittings, I have been trying to replace a main water valve at a dwelling. I've shut off the water at the street, drained the house and cleaned up the pipe and fittings, but I can't get the solder to flow! Could it be that my torch is not getting hot enough in the thin mountain air, or it's just too cold in the basement to solder? Why won't the solder melt? Help, I'm about to go nuts! Chuck (California)
A: Hey, Chuck, I've been there and it can be a very frustrating problem dealing with joints that will not solder according to plan! As far as the "high altitude" issue, since most of my soldering experience has taken place in lower altitudes, I cannot comment as to the affect that thin mountain air will have when you solder a pipe. But don't worry, we'll get plenty of letters from mountain plumbers, and I'll share that info with everyone at a later date.
What I can tell you is that I have had this exact same problem at lower altitudes and that the issue may not be with your location, but with the old pipe you're working on. First, the problem is simple: If the solder is not melting, it usually means that the pipe is not getting hot enough because of water or debris in the old lines. A quick experiment you can do is set up a new piece of dummy pipe next to the pipe you're working on. If the new dry dummy copper pipe solders up, then you now know you're having a problem with the old piping and it's not a location issue.
I suspect that even though the old pipe appears dry, it's still holding moisture. What I have found is that in some old copper piping, you may find a build-up of water deposits coating the inside of the pipe, and that can stop the transfer of heat to the joint. In this case the inside of the pipe has to be reamed out, dried and cleaned before the solder will flow to the joint. I'm not saying that this is your exact problem, but in most cases where I have seen joints that will not solder, the culprit was discovered out of sight hiding inside the water line. The moral of the story is: Knowing any subject inside and out leads to success!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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