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Sweating a Joint in Copper Plumbing

The plumber Steve Bowton shows Bob how to sweat a joint in copper plumbing. First he cleans the pipes with an emery cloth. Then he explains that plumbers no longer use lead solder and instead use a tin and antimony mixture to protect homeowners from lead poisoning. Then he puts flux on the pipes and the fittings. Places the fixture on the pipes and levels it, then solders the joints. The flux helps draw the solder into the space.

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Clip Transcript For:

Sweating a Joint in Copper Plumbing

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Well now let's visit with Steve Bottazzi, our plumbing contractor. Hi Steve."

" Hi Bob."

" Tight quarters in here. And you've just finished drilling the hole in the acrylic back part of the shower. That's for what ----the mixer --"

" That's for our shower valve for the --"

" So this is where all the good stuff happens. You've got a hot line on this side and the cold one over here and the two come into this mixing valve and make that water temperature just perfect for that morning shower."

" Yes."

" What are you doing next?"

" Next, we'll clean all these fittings."

" Now you have to clean all the different pieces of copper before you can sweat the joints --"

" Right."

" And that is basically so that the wielding or soldering process rather, works appropriately."

" Let me see that, is it like a copper screen?"

" Yes ,it's an amory cloth."

" It is a fine amory cloth, yeah, good. I thought it was sand paper."

" Now all the valves are a temperature balanced valve."

" You know, the use of copper piping, I guess, is a little controversial in some parts of the country. Why are we still using it around here?"

" Well, we use copper 'round here mostly because that's what 90% of your plumbers use."

" Avits [unk] in New England right."

" Exactly."

" Yeah, coz in many parts of the country, PVC has taken over, it's less expensive, easier to work with, but one of the concerns that some folks have has to do with lead contamination, there is lead in the process of soldering the joints of the different pieces of copper and that lead can leak into the water supply, how are we addressing it ---this concern nowadays."

" The code for the last couple of years has changed and you cannot use lead, in the solder --"

" In the solder --"

" It's called 90-55. It's 95 percent tin and 5 percent antimony."

" So in Newark, you don't have to worry about there being in any kind of lead contamination."

" Right, exactly."

" Uh huh."

" And now what's the next step?"

" The next step is we'll flux everything up."

" And the flux is really ---you'd think of it as a catalyst but it really is the necessary step for the copper molecules to kind of be used together."

" Right, it will not solder without flux."

" Right."

" Would you hold that Bob?"

" Sure, I'd be glad to."

" So you have to put it on the fitting insides and on the outsides of the pipe."

" Right."

" Is there a drying time with the flux or you have to worry about being quick?"

" No, not at all."

" No? It just stays on there right."

" Yep."

" Now we'll set this in place."

" Does it have to be level?"

" Yes, we'll set it right in the hole, existing hole."

" Saw [unk] this up a little bit so it doesn't move us."

" You're just crimping it a little bit."

" Just a touch. Just the tip."

" So that it doesn't slide or move."

" Right."

" Ready for the fire?"

" All ready."

" Steve, what process the solder to travel vertically like that?"

" Well, the flux helps the solder [unk] up into the [unk]."

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