Reorienting a copper fitting
I have 3/4" copper water supply line that enters my house through the basement wall, makes a 90-degree turn and runs for a short distance horizontally, makes another 90 and goes vertical for a short distance, then through another 90 to horizontal where it goes through a pressure reducing regulator and then vertical again. It was connected this way by a plumber when I had the old galvanized supply line from the meter to the house replaced with copper. He connected the new copper to my existing galvanized in the house the best way he could because someone else (not me) had already cobbled up the old piping. I am in the process of replacing all the old galvanized with copper, and I would like to simplify the zig-zag configuration described above. I would go vertical through the first 90, into the regulator, and on from there. This would involve rotating the first el 90-degrees so it would run vertically rather than horizontally. Can I just heat the fitting and rotate it or should I remove it and resolder a new one in place? If I remove it, will the old solder on the pipe help to tin it when soldering the new fitting or should I try to remove it? If I can heat it and rotate it, should I try to sweat more solder into it? No matter what I do, I could have a major problem drying out the pipe out because it runs about 75 feet from the meter downhill into the basement. The best answer may be to leave the zig-zag as is (it doesn't leak) and connect the new pipe to it.