How to Solder Copper Pipe (Important Tips!!) -- by Home Repair Tutor

Do you need to learn how to solder copper pipe?
Today's tutorial will share how to cut, prep, and solder copper pipe.
Make soldering copper pipe easier with these supplies

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The first step is to cut your copper pipe. I like the AutoCut pipe cutting tool for tight spaces. It costs about $17 and simply clamps onto the pipe. Turn it in the direction of the arrow and you'll cut your pipe in about 10 seconds.

Once that's done make sure to ream the pipe. You'll need a reaming tool. This helps prevent the pipe from being loud or pitting over time, which can lead to pinhole leaks. Reaming also helps the solder job.

Apply a thin coat of flux, I use Laco in the video, using an acid brush. You shouldn't leave gobs of flux on the pipe. This can lead to flux getting inside the pipe and pitting. Apply a thin layer of flux to the fitting as well. Check that none of the bristles from the brush are on the pipe or fitting. This will create a gap in the solder and ultimately a leak.

After fluxing, immediately put all the pipes and fittings together to avoid dirt contamination.

Heat the pipe about 1-2 inches below the fitting, about 10 seconds. Then heat the fitting just behind the cup. Move your torch back and forth to heat the entire fitting. Dab the solder onto fitting/pipe transition and once it melts continue this process until the solder fills the entire fitting.

Wipe down the outside of the pipe with a damp cloth to remove flux.

Wear gloves, eye protection and have a fire extinguisher handy when soldering.

Check out my video for all the juicy details

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Thanks for watching my video, take care, and see you in the next one!!

Cheers,

Jeff & Steve

[DCayce]

Thanks, man... was upstairs in the walls of the bathroom getting ready for a DIY waterline replacement, got all my tools ready and thought, "maybe a YouTube session is in order to make sure I'm not assuming anything." Sure enough, you gave some points I hadn't considered.
Well done, and much appreciated!

[limogesfarmer]

Just to add:
1) when you finish applying solder to a joint, hit the joint with the flame just to make sure the solder is sucked all the way to the end.
2) measuring off the amount of solder is OK once you're a pro at soldering (which I am, and which I never do). You apply as much solder as it takes. Sometimes, the solder joint is in a tough place to reach, and you'll end up using more solder just to make sure you got it right.
3) it would have been good to add a section of what to do when a solder joint goes bad: heat the joint up, take a "hot brush" (brush designated for applying solder paste to hot joints) and load it up generously with solder paste, let the melted paste seep into the joint, and then heat up the joint flushing out any contaminants. This process may have to be repeated a few times.
4) when encountering water, you can use bread to keep the water away in order to solder the joint, but you'll need to apply more heat than normal.
5) Telling people why you do a certain step helps them remember it: you heat up the male section first because it expands, melts the solder paste in the joint, and helps flush out any contaminants.

[paulmac]

Thanks Jeff. I'm a rookie solderer and practiced your technique for a few days on my bench before installing 2 Moen shower valves and 9 potable water valves. We saved big bucks. I didn't apply the damp rag at the end though.

[ikigai]

finally, someone that's messier with solder than I am

[lordbyron]

Great presentation. I like someone who goes by the book, doesn't cut corners, is thorough and advises folks to practice. Thanks for uploading bud.

[purplepill]

5:30 - Using a damp towel while the pipe is still hot is a good way to create a microfracture in the solder and get a leak due to the sudden drop in temperature. Better you let the solder cool for 5 minutes before cleaning the pipe.

[lmgreer]

You're a natural, Jeff! Well done video, and as others have mentioned your explanations make it all that much more valuable. "The solder follows the heat" made my earlier (failed) efforts understandable. Back out to the garage now, better prepared! Thanks much....

[slickweng]

When I've taught people to do this in the past, I found it helped to teach people to think of the flame as a vacuum that pulls the solder towards it.  It think that mechanic is a little more important that was really covered here.

Also, one technique for when you're working under cabinet is to use that vacuum mechanic and your hook solder to heat from the front where you have access and touch your solder behind the pipe.  Once you see the solder pulled around to the front of your joint, you're good.  I've seen a lot of plumbing repairs fail there because the torch was on the side of the pipe and the solder from the front so it doesn't pull completely around.

Keep up the good work.  One idea I'd love to see from you is "Hack Busting".  Maybe take some of these home improvement hacks and put them to the test and save us the aggravation of finding out that the hack just isn't that great.

[jewllake]

thanks your video gave me the courage to tackle this job for the first time. I'm quite the auto mechanic and handy man, but never soldered copper pipe before.

[paulmoreno]

I really enjoyed the your video, I‘m doing soldering for my first time and I’ve watched other videos on soldering but they only covered half the information you covered, it makes more since your way. Thank You

[dyhosjw]

I hit ALL FOUR reasons why solder jobs fail today 😂
At least I had the sense to walk away from my project, do some more research, and return tomorrow. Thanks for the video!

[landuliorodriguez]

Just started brazing in class having a lot of trouble getting it down to a science. Hopefully this video helps me. Thank you!

[j.eddiepeck]

An excellent, thorough tutorial.  Thanks!

[notbbu]

This is a good, well narrated presentation with many straight forward proper procedural tips. 
The wet rag, gloves, fire extinguisher and safety googles are excellent practices.. getting hot lead splatter into one's eyes, touching a hot part on the skin,  will cause a person to drop their torch.. and then fooom... something catches fire. 

Might want to add the usual and important safety tips of clearing the work area of all combustibles and provide shielding to any combustibles that can not be moved, , plus a firewatch of the area for 30 minutes afterward to insure no fires.

[keng]

One of the best tutorials I've seen. Video was clear, showed the project in focus, and Jeff, you provided a very clear and thorough explanation as you demonstrated how to solder copper fittings. Nice job!

[truthseeker]

Excellent video, especially for someone who has never attempted. Thanks!

[joshlafrance]

Great video. Thanks. Just used it as a refresher before soldering a pair of 3/4 elbows. Went great.

[jdmec]

Thank you, got setup for $36 and have done several repairs of leaking pipes in my old house. Should have learned to do this years ago instead of trying to use the "Just for Copper" copper glue that always gave me mixed results and was a pain to do.

[RedondoBeach]

This 6:02 is exactly what I needed help understanding. Excellent video! I learned a lot. Thumbs up!

[longnguyen-hrmg]

Thank you for the video clip. Also thanks to other people's comments on this clip.