copper water pipe fittings

[plunger]

I use mostly class 0 hard drawn copper for external,class 1 copper for wall chases and class 2 copper for underground and in concrete. I use mainly solder as its reliable but also compression fittings. We also use pex pipe with compression fittings but it needs inserts otherwise without doubt it will fail.We also use crimped fittings and John Guest fittings.Copper is best and I prefer solder fittings.

 

[Eddyde]

I have used shark bite fittings, some in place for 10 years now. Most new work I do is with PEX. I'm not particularly fond of the lead free solder, never had much problem with old lead/tin but this lead free stuff seems problematic. Maybe there is some secret I haven't been clued in on.

Yeah, the lead free solder is a bit more finicky, You just gotta do it by the book; brush/sand both parts throughly till bright, apply and even coat of fresh* clean flux and apply heat 3/4 on the fitting 1/4 on the pipe, evenly on all sides. Spray with water to cool the joint and clean off excess flux.

*A few years ago I plumbed a shower and used some old flux I had in the toolbox. Every joint leaked! Pulled it all apart, re cleaned every joint and bought new flux, not a single leak. Now I buy a fresh can of flux for every project.

 

[hman]

I first started using Harris "Stay-Brite" solder and "Stay-Clean" flux in the early '70s, when I worked as a tech in a research lab at U of Texas. (Way back before lead-free solder was mandated.) Loved it then, and still love it! Very easy to use, melts at a lower temperature than many other lead-free solders, and very reliable.

Stay Brite® 8 | The Harris Products Group

The Harris Products Group is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of brazing, soldering and welding alloys and equipment, cutting and heating equipment, and gas distribution systems.

www.harrisproductsgroup.com

Stay-Clean® Liquid Flux | The Harris Products Group

The Harris Products Group is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of brazing, soldering and welding alloys and equipment, cutting and heating equipment, and gas distribution systems.

www.harrisproductsgroup.com

Stay-Clean® Paste Flux | The Harris Products Group

The Harris Products Group is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of brazing, soldering and welding alloys and equipment, cutting and heating equipment, and gas distribution systems.

www.harrisproductsgroup.com

IIRC, Amazon sells these.

PS - About 90%+ of my plumbing work is copper. If I need to solder near wood or other flammables, I make a heat shield from several layers of aluminum foil. But I also keep a bucket of water nearby, just in case. I've also used steel pipe, PEX, PVC, CPVC, even PBT (Quest). Still prefer copper.

 

[whitmore]

I removed most of the +60 year old copper that was starting to fail at the joints.

Eh? Copper pipe oughtn't fail at that age. There are roofs of copper that work fine for centuries.
A good craftsmanlike solder joint doesn't have any failure modes, though I've heard of (and seen)
cold joints (surface solder, but never flowed into the joint).

Many polymers get brittle with age; I'm skeptical of PEX, and uncertain of the chemistry of various PVCs,
but (unless your water supply is acidic) copper has a good track record.

 

[hman]

Eh? Copper pipe oughtn't fail at that age

I bought a house in Corvallis, Oregon in 1984. A nearby road was "Sulfur Springs Rd," so named because there was a natural spring nearby that bubbled with hydrogen sulfide. My well water, and that of most nearby homes, smelled pretty strongly of H2S. The first thing I did was to add a water treatment system, to get rid of the sulfur stink. Unfortunately, the house was about 10 years old when I bought it, and the original owner had NOT treated the well water. H2S is known to attack copper, with which the house was plumbed.

I had several copper pipes fail during the first few years I lived there. I attribute the failures to the weakened condition of the pipes. Ah, well ... the joys and wonders of owning a house

 

[MontanaLon]

I bought a house in Corvallis, Oregon in 1984. A nearby road was "Sulfur Springs Rd," so named because there was a natural spring nearby that bubbled with hydrogen sulfide. My well water, and that of most nearby homes, smelled pretty strongly of H2S. The first thing I did was to add a water treatment system, to get rid of the sulfur stink. Unfortunately, the house was about 10 years old when I bought it, and the original owner had NOT treated the well water. H2S is known to attack copper, with which the house was plumbed.

I had several copper pipes fail during the first few years I lived there. I attribute the failures to the weakened condition of the pipes. Ah, well ... the joys and wonders of owning a house

Here we have the opposite problem. Our water is very hard, calcium and iron. They both react with copper and form a scale inside of the pipe reducing water flow. Once it starts it just gets worse with time. In 10 years the effect is noticeable. When I bought the house it had a mix of old iron pipe and copper. Not sure of the exact age but it was old to the point where the iron pipe either twisted off when the wrench went to it or not being able to see through a 1 foot length from end to end. There was water flow, it just wasn't in a straight path any more. The copper was put in after at some point and was nearly solid with mineral deposits.

15 years in with pex and I added in a slop sink in the basement. Cut the pex for hot and cold lines and it looked like the day I installed it inside. No mineral scale, no nothing.

 

[hman]

That's fantastic! Didn't know that PEX was so resistant. Not that I plan to move again, but I'll keep it in mind, if only for advice to others.

 

[plunger]

I like using pex but I am also sceptical of it . Its weak point is thee jointing system. There are many different systems on the market. Ive yet to come across a pex pipe that has burst but they do give problems at the joint. In my country pex is rated at 78 bar. I am a plumber by trade so it does have a direc5t bearing on my business. Its fine to be told by manufacturers that its good stuff only to find it fails in five years time

 

[machPete99]

I use a flux that has solder particles embedded in it, which seems to help "tin" the joint. You need to do a real good job cleaning, and make sure you do not overheat the joint.

I think this is the stuff, Oatey 95 "tinning flux":

Oatey 30372 No. 95 Tinning Flux, Lead Free 8-Ounce - Power Soldering Accessories - Amazon.com

Oatey 30372 No. 95 Tinning Flux, Lead Free 8-Ounce - Power Soldering Accessories - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Note that there is a newer "eco" water based version that apparently is not as good...

 

[pdentrem]

Both my neighbor and I had joint failures on the original copper pipes. Likely the solder was not done right or something in the water has eroded it. Same plumber using the same solder? Not likely as the homes were built 2 years apart back in 1952 for his and 54 for mine.

Anyways I figure that if the failure rate claims 20 years, I will not be able to care!