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sewitgoes · Sep 14, 2014, 11:57 AM

Trying to remove a cap that was soldered onto a water line temporarily while remodeling a bathroom. Using a torch to heat it up to try and liquefy the solder but it just won't co-operate. The Tile and cement board are getting so hot around the fitting I'm afraid the tile will crack, yet the solder refuses to liquefy. The waterline may be a low point and have some water left in it (no sink installed yet so no way to completely drain it) Igf I end up cutting the cap, the line will be almost too short.

Any ideas?

afaroo · Sep 14, 2014, 12:01 PM

Can you drill a hole at the cap to drain the water if you can try that before cutting the pipe, also will suggest to put a wet towel around the pipe away from the cap and try, good luck.

John

sewitgoes · Sep 14, 2014, 12:21 PM

Thanks... from reading elsewhere, that may be the solution to the problem. Thanks for the input.

afaroo · Sep 14, 2014, 12:40 PM

Please let us know if that helped, Thanks.

John

ballengerb1 · Sep 14, 2014, 02:12 PM

Yep, you can't solder or unsolder a pipe that has water in it. Shut off your main, drain the lowest fixture and then apply the torch

Milo Dolezal · Sep 14, 2014, 04:34 PM

John, great advice. Experience has spoken !

If you plan on insterting push-on angle stops, I suggest you cut the tip off as the residue of solder will cause a leak.

FYI: With advent of Shark Bite fittings, we now use this product to temporarily cap off water lines. They go easy ON and can be removed without leaving any residue on the pipe.

Milo

afaroo · Sep 16, 2014, 01:53 AM

Thanks Milo for your comments.

Best Regards,
John