I am going to begin to practice soldering aome copper pipes in the next week and I have been seeing most people talk about acetylene or propane torches. I had purchased a Benzomatic torch and was wondering if this was OK for soldering copper pipes. If it is OK is there anything in particular I should know about this type of torch (is hotter / cooler than acetylene etc).

Thanks

Doug

That is a brand of torch you can use propaneor mapp gas mapp is hotter for copper propane is suffecient clean the joint flux it and rememebr solder flows toward heat

Does that mean that if I start the heating process at the top of the joint and work my way down to the bottom and then apply the solder to the top the flow should go down as that would be the coolest? If my assumption is not correct could you explain it in more detail.

Thanks

First off, I'm not sure which Bernzomatic you have - I have the TS4000 (trigger-start - which is VERY useful - and compatible with both propane and MAPP gas). Bernzomatic makes very good torches, so you're in good hands. Don't worry - you do NOT want an acetylene torch, especially if you are a beginner. They're much hotter, but also more volatile, and more difficult to work with.

Some simple soldering tips: apply the flux liberally, as this will help draw in the solder once you start soldering. Heat the fitting, not the pipe. Heat only one side of the fitting, and test every few seconds by removing the torch and touching the solder to the OTHER side of the fitting (on horizontal joints, heat the bottom of the fitting, and apply the solder from the top). When you see that the copper is hot enough to melt the solder on its own, put down the torch and apply the solder to the fitting - if fluxed properly, the joint will suck in the solder until you see a thin ring of silver where the pipe and joint meet. Don't put on too much solder, though, or the solder will go all the way through the joint and form a glob on the inside of the pipe, impeding future water flow.

Oh, and one more important thing: you CANNOT solder a pipe that has water in it. Water will eat up all the heat, and even if you waste half a can of propane on it, you will not get it to ork. Therefore, when soldering onto existing plumbing, make sure the water supply is turned off and the pipes are dry; if water is still trickling through and/or you cannot easily get rid of the water, try stuffing a small piece of bread into the pipe to absorb the moisture. (Don't worry about how to get rid of the bread once the pipes are soldered shut; when you turn the water back on, the bread will dissolve from the pressure).

Good luck, and have fun!
Moishe
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Don't worry about how hot the various parts of the fitting is - the main thing is that the entire fiitng should be hotter than the solder's melting point - it doesn't matter if one part is hotter than the other, as long as the whole thing is hot enough to melt the solder.

The best way to ensure this is like I said before - heat one side, and apply the solder to the opposite side. Think about it from a logical point of view: if you reach the point where the side that is being heated INDIRECTLY is hot enough to melt solder, you can be sure that the side that is being heated DIRECTLY is most certainly hot enough by then.

Have fun!
Moishe
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Hi Doug.
I once piped a entire house using nothing but a propane Bernzomatic Torch. While Mapp Gas and acetylene may be hotter the Bernzomatic will do the job just as well. First I make sure the pipe and fitting are comletely clear of moisture. Even a little bit can turn to steam and blow through the solder leaving you with a pinhole leak. After sanding, shining and fluxing the pipe and fitting I put my torch flame on the bottom of the fitting and the tip of my solder on the top. When the solder on top melts I run the tip all the way around the joint. Capillary Action will pull the melted solder into the joint. This insures that the joint between pipe and filling is filled solid with solder.
Good luck, Tom