soldered joints

[Mikerobson]

Can someone tell me why I'm making such hard work of making a simple soldered joint?

I am using FRY Power Flow lead free solder and FRY Power Flow flux.

I clean the pipe end with emery till bright and cover with flux, I do the same with the inside of the fitting.

Put the two together and heat with blowlamp, remove blowlamp, touch with solder which just goes into a ball and rolls down the outside of the fitting.

I managed to do one successfully and the solder was absorbed evenly into the joint but I have no idea what I did different!

Any help would be very much appreciated!!

 

[Gray0689]

Keep the heat on as you solder

 

[Blake]

I can't comment on the FRY stuff as I've never used it. I like to use LA-CO flux and I know a lot of other guys do also.

Try not removing the blow lamp, it sounds like you don't have enough heat in the pipe and fitting for it to run. Keep the blow lamp on and then keep dabbing the end of the solder on the pipe, that way it will give you a good indication of when it's at the right temp as eventually you will dab it and it will just flow.

You don't wanna get it to hot, its just trying to find the right temp. After a while it becomes second nature. Also, try just fluxing the pipe and not the fitting also and see if that makes a difference with the FRY flux.

 

[tiling spread]

try cleaning the pipe just past the end of the fitting just flux the pipe not the fitting heat up the pipe till you see a green flame run the solder over the joint sorted

 

[SimonG]

Sounds as though you might be getting too much heat into it as well, burning off the flux and not allowing to run. Practice makes perfect!

 

[Mikerobson]

Many thanks everyone for your helpful comments, all were taken on board and a few fittings later I think I've cracked it!

I definitely had it all too hot and moreso, as SimonG commented, I was burning off the flux which meant there was no capillary action.

 

[SimonG]

Nice one.

 

[AWheating]

if the fitting gets dry and starts to burn/discolour dip your solder into your flux and apply alittle bit onto the joint with the flame removed and then carry on.
like others have said pratice makes perfect. good luck

 

[REDSAW]

use pushfits.

 

[mickie]

do not use push fit with regards to gas mains

 

[Dotty]

do not use push fit with regards to gas mains

You can if you're not gsr! lol

 

[-=HaZ=-]

I had an issue with soldering last week, i cut into some pipe to put an equal 15 tee in so i could go out to a tap, i cleaned things up and did the same as you, i always learnt to heat slowly in the middle then to go to one side and go from there, i heated it till it felt ready and dipped the solder in, it took a little bit and i managed to sort it all out till i turned the water back on and i had a leak from one of the joints, i ended up having to try and evaporate the water out of the pipework as i knew it wouldnt solder if i didnt, in the end i managed to get it but it took a long time just because of having to get rid of the water

have you had this sort of issue in the pipework your using, it could be an issue

 

[AWheating]

its a common problem, removing the standing water from pipework to enable soldering can be a pain, you will with practice learn some tricks to help. Blowing down the pipework from a fixture for example, using a vac can be helpful too especially if you are repairing pipework in a solid floor. Dont forget to have an open end/fitting to the pipe your tapping into as excess pressure in the pipe can cause the solderd joint to not take correctly, you can normally see this happening buy the hot solder spitting.

 

[mickie]

experiance tells me to not bother if a pipe is full of water unless you want things to go wrong, whats the point ?

 

[tamz]

I had an issue with soldering last week, i cut into some pipe to put an equal 15 tee in so i could go out to a tap, i cleaned things up and did the same as you, i always learnt to heat slowly in the middle then to go to one side and go from there, i heated it till it felt ready and dipped the solder in, it took a little bit and i managed to sort it all out till i turned the water back on and i had a leak from one of the joints, i ended up having to try and evaporate the water out of the pipework as i knew it wouldnt solder if i didnt, in the end i managed to get it but it took a long time just because of having to get rid of the water

have you had this sort of issue in the pipework your using, it could be an issue

Always make sure you have an open end somewhere especially if it is a small section of pipe.