J
John_
I know this is prob personal habit but when soldering which is better - flux inside or outside, i.e female end or male end? 
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Flux inside or outside capillary end feed?
Discuss Flux inside or outside capillary end feed? in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net
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I dont do , but others may have
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You can do this, but usually better IMO to reapply heat again. I love it when the solder forms & stays a nice high solder ring on top of fitting. Great when it is somewhere on show. How sad am I? :smile:
T
tamz
I never heard you in Kent Road. Probably drowned you out at the time shouting at the boy for getting on my wick.
I was too stressed out to give you a shout btw.
D
dontknowitall
Once you've had a session of soldering around 30 fittings you soon learn what method(s) suit you.
Anyone else brush their fittings and nearby pipework with flux (then a wipe with a cloth) after applying the solder? Solder goes grey (or occasionally black) but pipe comes out lovely and clean.
No?
Thought it might just be me ...
Anyone else brush their fittings and nearby pipework with flux (then a wipe with a cloth) after applying the solder? Solder goes grey (or occasionally black) but pipe comes out lovely and clean.
No?
Thought it might just be me ...
I flux the fitting only, using the end of the solder to apply the flux. I know you should apply to pipe, but if its already clipped to the wall its a right carry on, plus I always flush after and never had a problem. So middle finger up to the rule book.... Last time I used a brush I went through a phase of getting leaks which i'm convinced was dirt on the brush getting into the fitting. As soon as I binned the brush and went back to my old ways, no leaks!
Also If I think an old bit of pipe is going to give me grief, I tin the end first then wipe, then make up joint and crack on, always works.
Also If I think an old bit of pipe is going to give me grief, I tin the end first then wipe, then make up joint and crack on, always works.
T
tamz
I once had a guy work with me who cooled his fittings with flux. That one really annoyed me. I wondered why he wanted a new lb of flux after 3 days. I thought he had lost it. Next day i saw him using it to cool the fittings so i sacked him just for that the next day :lol:
E
ecowarm
Hold the brush with one hand and apply with tongue
M
Mike Jackson
Have a look at http://www.ukcopperboard.co.uk/literature/pdfs/Installation-Tips/Jointing-capillary.pdf
And take note of
No mention of fluxing fitting.
A few years back I saw a lad pulled up on his CCN1 for fluxing a fitting.
When I was at college we were taught to flux the pipe only as any excess will be pushed out. If you flux the fitting excess will be pushed into the pipe and can cause corrosion (I take not of the flushing comment above but that doesn't hold for gas) and can draw excess solder into the pipework which reduces the bore and can create those irritating little balls of solder that you hear rattling around in systems.
I also worked with someone who used flux to cool joints but he didn't even wipe it off so a week later you were faced with a green mess.
And take note of
No mention of fluxing fitting.
A few years back I saw a lad pulled up on his CCN1 for fluxing a fitting.
When I was at college we were taught to flux the pipe only as any excess will be pushed out. If you flux the fitting excess will be pushed into the pipe and can cause corrosion (I take not of the flushing comment above but that doesn't hold for gas) and can draw excess solder into the pipework which reduces the bore and can create those irritating little balls of solder that you hear rattling around in systems.
I also worked with someone who used flux to cool joints but he didn't even wipe it off so a week later you were faced with a green mess.
Most of the new type flux is heat activated though, so i presume when it cools down it is neutral again? To be honest I don't use much flux anyway. I know my way is the wrong way but there are worse acts in the plumbing world going on so i'm not going to feel guilty about fluxing my fitting rather than the pipe. The old chestnut about drawing solder into the fitting is balls as well, at least for me, as I use very small amount of solder, normally tabbed on the back of the fitting, you have to look closely to see if its even been soldered sometimes.
G
Guest123
As I said earlier, the manufacturers of the fittings that we use for soldering, recommend in both their installation manual and their online training manual that flux is to be used in the fitting and on the pipe. Use it sparingly and wipe off the excess. Despite what certain tutors in a college say, I for one would rather follow the manufacturer's recommendations as they thoroughly test their products under stringent and often extreme conditions, while some college tutor does not.
Whether it's Yorkshire or Speedfit or whatever, if you do not follow the manufacturers installation instructions and you have a catastrophic failure, any manufacturers warranty implied is void.
Here is a link I posted earlier to Pegler Yorkshire's online training videos:
Pegler Yorkshire
Whether it's Yorkshire or Speedfit or whatever, if you do not follow the manufacturers installation instructions and you have a catastrophic failure, any manufacturers warranty implied is void.
Here is a link I posted earlier to Pegler Yorkshire's online training videos:
Pegler Yorkshire
Can't remember the last time I had a leak to be honest, it's the solder inside the fitting that counts, not the stuff smeared all over the pipe or collar
without blowing my own trumpet, I always get good comments about neatness of soldering too, so my opinion is that it is worth a little extra care, and very very rarely get drips or runs from upside down fittings collars. Horses for courses though, not saying it is the best way, just my way that i'm happy and confident with. Also I had a drip of solder go straight through a cotton dust sheet and weld itself into a carpet once, so prefer no drips!
To be honest, we are all experienced at soldering, and if your getting leaks, then you have to ask yourself why, if you don't then who cares what anyone else thinks, your doing it the right way in my book. If your bothered about where to put your flux, inside, outside, upside down or inside out, try it on a couple of test pieces and take a hacksaw to it, then you can make your own mind up.
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i always have a damp towel with me and wipe the pipe of a minute or so after soldering, a pet hate of mine is green pipe or dirty pipe, i also use wire wool to wipe off the odd snot that runs down the pipe to keep things all tidy..
on occasions i have been known to cool pipe with flux but tend not to do it, its a waste of flux and flux brushes. lol
on occasions i have been known to cool pipe with flux but tend not to do it, its a waste of flux and flux brushes. lol
J
John_
I flux on the pipe and like Sam tried to keep my soldering as neat as possible. I normally heat the pipe until when I dab the solder it runs, then move the flame away and dab the solder until I see the silver line around the joint - though quite often can't see due to awkward angle. I should be confident that the joint is good but the devil in me tell me (more likely being paranoid) to add an extra dab of solder to be safe and end up ruin something that would have been perfect. Then resort to use the brush and flux to tidy things up. I know this is prob due to lack of confidence but couldn't resist that extra dab for safety. Is this quite common?
G
Guest123
Perhaps and probably so but the point I was making is that the manufacturers of the fittings we use recommend putting flux on the pipe and the fitting.
This debate could go on indefinately!
John_ yes most people add a bit for good measure, its only when you have built up confidence you should worry about it. It is nice to see as little solder as possible IMO, and runs down vertical pipework look a bit grotty. A good tip, if you are doing say a vertical joint with an upside down collar, heat the top half of the fitting and solder the top first, most times with a straight coupling the solder will flow down and solder the bottom collar by itself. If its a tee keep the heat on the top half of the fitting and just dab a bit of solder on the bottom collar, because the heat is higher the solder will be drawn upwards and less likely to dribble out, but too much solder and it will over fill and the excess will again dribble out down the pipe!
Practise makes perfect as they say! I've seen some of my work I did 10 years ago (still look after the boilers) and I think it looks a bit untidy, but once you've done a few hundred installs you've had enough practise to figure it out for yourself!
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