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soldering a floor supply valve when the chrome covers the pipe.
Hi there
My bathroom water supply to the sink comes through the floor. I would like to replace it with a chrome plated straight valve. The chrome pipe slides over the copper pipe, which leaves the "solder seam" on the Up side (with respect to gravity) My question is: How to I ensure that the solder penetrates everywhere it's supposed to go -- won't it just drip down the pipe and not fill the seam? Should I use the kind of solder that is already mixed with flux, and just paint it on and heat? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Karl, I am assuming that you are installing a regular old chrome plated brass stop valve. I think most often you will find that a compression type is used and no soldering is required. This type has the advantage of that if you have to change it out you don't have to go through the unsoldering nd resoldering. If you use the solder type you should find that the inside of the valve is not chrome plated. Flux the pipe, slip the valve onto the pipe. I have not used the flux/solder mix so I am not familiar with it. I just unroll about 6 to 8 inches of solder wire. Curl the end of the solder in a about a 2" arc. Put the tip of your flame (the tip of the blue flame is the hottest) on one side of the valve. When the flux begins to flow begin touching the solder to the other side of the valve/pipe joint. When the tip of the solder begins to melt, the pipe and valve is hot enough. Reach around behind the valve with the solder and run a bead around to the front. Move you flame away. Then run a bead around the other side. If the pipe cools enough so that the solder no longer melts briefly heat the pipe about 1" away to bring it back up to temperature. Better to use the compression type though.
Thank you all for your help! To clarify it better --it is a chrome plated copper valve that is sold with the pipe, already sweated to the valve. (massplumber's picture was on the spot)
Thank you all for the tips --I'd like to go with the compression fit valve, but I like the look of the chrome plated pipe and valve, with the chrome risers to the sink.
I feel more confident now about soldering (having practiced a few connections) I guess I was mostly concerned because since I would be soldering this "in place" and not on my bench, the position might effect the solder -- in other words -- I need the solder to flow "upward" to fill the space between the two pipes. I imagine they design this contraption (The chrome plated valve and pipe) to have it's own "connection cup" built right in, which is why it slides over the stub out.
From what I gather from your answers, the solder will flow into the joint (toward the heated pipe) and seal the space. So I will heat the larger pipe--in this case, the valve. What I had been doing wrong in the past was heating both and wondering why I couldn't maintain the heat to finish the job. I know better now! I still don't know what is meant by "crimping the pipe" --do you mean that I tilt on of the pipes?
Actually, the way I teach people to solder is to clean both parts of the fitting (there is a tool for this) and use flux on both sides using a flux brush and place the fitting on top of the pipe.
Heat the massive fitting and occaisionally touch the joint with the solder until it's hot enough to melt. When it's hot enough, run the solder around the fitting. Capillary action will pull the solder into the joint. It doesn't matter the orientation, but doing it with the fitting on top lets you get the feel of the process. While it's still hot, you can wipe off excess solder with a damp rag. Let the fitting cool undisturbed.
As for the "look", there is another solution which I chose recently is to use a chrome plated soft copper 3/8 pipe nipple and a 3/8 NPT to 3/8 compression stop (valve). You'll need a pair of soft grip pliers to keep from damaging the pipes. I was able to "hide" the 3/8 NPT female to 1/2" sweat adapter under the chrome bell. Difficult, but not impossible and you need to use a heat shield when soldering.
Crimping means to just squeeze the shutoff (when installed on copper pipe), just a little so it hold the shutoff up off the floor and in position so you can solder shutoff on.
Here, install the bell flange, pull it up high on shutoff, then install shutoff to fluxed copper pipe (as described before) at about 90 degrees OFF where you want it installed...then "CRIMP" slightly and rotate the shutoff into final position.
This shutoff should be about 1/2"-3/4" off the finished floor to solder on properly and allow bell flange to cover the soldered joint. DO NOT worry about drips here....bell flange will cover the drips.
Again, clean chrome off end of shutoff like I said...then solder, and kinda CAP the soldered end as it cools....that make sense. Do not wipe this joint...just solder, and cap as cools with solder...hard to describe it..but you'll see what I mean.
If you point the flame away from the wall you should not need a soldering heat shield..ok?? Let us know if need more Karl...Good luck!!
I know Karl read my suggestion to use this compression fitting, he gave me a compliment. I did this back on 3-12 so there should be no need to try to solder a chrome pipe. Maybe I missed something along the way because there have been several great resonses here.
bb:
You missed something, He wanted the installation to look pretty. Compression fittings don't look pretty. The two choices then being an stop with a chrome plated copper extension or using chrome plated copper nipples. Both have a pleasing appearance.
With the latter the bell can be easily replaced when it inevitably decides to rust and there are a few exposed threads.
I must be getting old, I think everything with chrome on it is pretty. Mark posted what I think is a pretty comression/Pt stop. I miss my chrome bumpers.
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