Brazing Copper Pipe & Fittings!
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2020
- This is it!...soldering to the EXTREME!
Ever wonder what the difference was between Soft Soldering and Silver-alloy Brazing? Better yet: Have you ever wondered HOW to do it? Well, wonder no more, as this tutorial is intended to introduce you to the art of brazing copper materials, what you need, where it's used - and most importantly: I'll take you through the entire brazing process to give you the confidence to braze like a pro!
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I hope you enjoy this video as much as I had fun making it. As always, please do PLUNGE that "LIKE" button to a healthy shade of blue, and be sure to subscribe to this channel so you can keep up with a wide variety of upcoming videos; I plan to cover topics suitable to the entire spectrum of the Plumbing field - from Newbie Do-it-yourselfer, to the ever-critical hardened Journeyperson.
If there's anything specific you'd like to see, I encourage you to let me know by dropping a comment below, or contacting me directly at plumbingscool@gmail.com.
Thanks for watching!
INSTAGRAM: plumbingsco...
TWITTER: / excel_plumbing
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Music: "Local Forcast" by Kevin Macleod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
Have spent the day watching brazing videos and must say yours is the most discrptive and informative. And first ive seen mute the sound of the turbo torch and narrated the acrual brasing. A++ for that
Thanks so very much...too kind! 🙏
Only please do yourself a favour by using a large enough tip if you're brazing larger pipe, such as the 1-1/4" manifold I demonstrated in the video - which will save you TONS of time. That tip was the largest I had on hand that day, and had a hard time keeping the pipe hot enough.
Thanks again for watching!
Thank you very much for the video
Thanks for doing the video 🤔you’re an excellent teacher😃👍✊️✌️🖖
Wow!...thanks so much for the very kind words! 🙏 It's people like you who provide the motivation for making these videos. Stay tuned!...more to come! 😁
great video and explanation
Thanks so much! 🙏. In hindsight, I should've acquired a larger tip, which would've have made the job much quicker and efficient.
I would love to see brazing being done on a vertical joint (coupling for Instance) from the bottom so that the capillary action is forced to work against gravity. I'm taking brazing class at my local union, and this issue has been a thorn in my side.
Thanks for the feedback! That's a great idea. I'm considering producing a soft-soldering video, and particularly highlighting the phenomenon of capillary action as it applies to soldering. I can personally attest that capillary action is a real thing indeed. I've gone as far as soldering a 3/4" 90-Degree elbow (with one end facing down) and then proceeded to split it open with my band saw. The solder stopped flowing PRECISELY where the pipe and fitting ceased to overlap inside the joint! No extra solder inside the pipe.
The biggest hindrance to soldering/brazing vertical pipe is not whether it will suck in the filler material (it will!), but keeping a nice, clean joint without having the solder run down the pipe (more so with soft-solder than with brazing Rods, which tend to run less). It can certainly be done in a nice, clean fashion, but it's tricky.
Stay tuned, much more to come, and I very, VERY much appreciate the feedback!
Thanks for the videos! I only ever use soft solder but like to keep curious and keep learning in the trades . I’m radiant heat guy (16yrs) and sweat pipe all day when working on the mechanical distribution of a boiler.
I keep a bucket of water to catch my solder drops and to then rapidly cool off my joints after I solder. You mention with brazing to slowly cool down the pipe/fitting but you lose the temper of the copper and it gets soft. In your travels do you have an opinion about my rapid cool off method? Would it be a method to return the temper if you did this with brazing or too risky? Thanks!
Hi there! Thanks for your feedback and I'm delighted you enjoyed the video. If I'm to be honest, 99% of my soldering work is soft-soldering, and I've often (but not usually) cooled my joints in the same manner you described without any issue. Also, during some of the rare times when I have brazed, I've occasionally cooled the joint rapidly so as to get on with the work. In either situation, I have never once had an issue with the joint becoming brittle or cracked. I even know a colleague who does a fair amount brazing and they insist on ALWAYS cooling the joints down with a wet rag. Therefore (and this is only my own anecdotal experience), either method is fine, and shouldn't pose a problem for your joints. The biggest issues I see are if the soft-solder joint is moved prematurely before it sets, or if there is expanding heated air in the lines while soldering, which may lead to a leak.
I will be eventually making a soft-soldering video, describing all the nuances (though it sounds like you don't personally need it!). Also, not sure if it interests you, but I'm in the process of composing a pipe oxyacetylene gas-welding video....which seldom gets discussed very often in the plumbing field.
Thanks again for watching!
When I was an apprentice the guy I learned from would shut down any carpenter hammering near him because while his solder joints were cooling at the critical moment a vibration would give the joint a “Matte” or “ crystallized” appearance and that was a sign of an inferior sweat. When I went out on my own I tried to tell the carpenters to take a break while I fired up my torch I got crazy looks and then they kept at it🤷🏻♂️😂
🤣 We can only do our best!
Fiquei curioso de conhecer o maçarico
So the copper coming from underground to my washer is 3/4 id the type hvac use. Can I braze a 3/4 od reducer onto it (I can’t solder that well but I can braze really good) I want to move the washer elsewhere and I can run pex through the attic to the desired location
If your pipe measures 3/4" ID, then it would be typical to what plumbers call 3/4"...and should measure 7/8" OD. Therefore, a simple 3/4" copper coupling/adapter/reducer from the plumbing supplier or even big box store should do the trick. Nothing wrong with brazing, but if you can braze, then you can surely solder...just need flux, Lead-free solder and much less heat.
If you DO braze, be very cautious about connecting copper to any brass, because you'll need special flux to get the Brass to stick...and too much heat on the Brass will cause it to disintegrate before your eyes...like Thanos's snap!
I'm really overdue for a proper soldering video, but in the meantime, feel free to check out around the 14th minute of the following video for a quick primer on soldering.
ruclips.net/video/87OvD-Eohqg/видео.htmlsi=HJQkzCTvXntj3NLW
Also, I'm not sure where in the world you live, but it's typically not a good idea to run water lines in the attic if you live in a location that's subject to freezing temperatures at any point in the year. And adding insulation will NOT help unless you add a proper heat source next to the pipe and within the insulation (such as heat tracing cable) to keep the lines above freezing temperatures at all times.
Good luck!
@@PlumbingsCool I’m in Texas the pex a will be insulated in the attic. Thank you for the response. The only issue is that I’m gonna be soldering against gravity. But I’m gonna practice before doing it.
Ah, Texas...Nice! Definitely on my short list list of places to consider if we ever move down to the US in the impending future.
Regarding the upside-down soldering. Don't be too concerned about it: As long as the joint is cleaned, fluxed, and heated properly, the magic of capillary action will do its job and suck in the solder. Think about when a roll of toilet paper sitting on the counter ends up getting all soaked throughout when some water spills onto the counter. Same scientific principle. Just be sure to heat the OVERLAP area between the pipe and fitting (not just the pipe) until the MATERIAL (not the flame!) is hot enough to immediately melt the solder to the touch...then run a bead of solder all the way around until the joint won't suck in any more. You'll know this when you get a consistent drip.
Do some practice to gain some confidence as you suggested, and I have no doubt you'll be fine! 👊
Dumb question here, but I assume you don't use soldering flux for brazing do you? TIA
Actually, that's a GREAT question, Steve. If you are hard-soldering (i.e., brazing) copper to copper, then no, you do not require flux because the brazing rod contains phosphorus, which acts as a fluxing agent. If however, you are brazing copper to brass, then yes, I highly recommend a fluxing agent, which will help the filler material adhere to the brass surface. Some installers claim success brazing copper to brass without flux, but I've had no such luck. Be sure to minimize the heat applied to any brass, so as to prevent it from disappearing before your eyes! Here's an example if what can go wrong: instagram.com/p/CL4g6DyB18b/?igshid=7lybdiu66p85
@@PlumbingsCool thanks for the quick reply. 🖒
👍
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@@PlumbingsCool thanks for sharing your wisdom! 👍
Thank you again so much. Extremely appreciated! 🙏 😊
I really don’t like how you tap I suppose if it works but I prefer dragging or pushing motion
It was a good video though
I like tapping it mostly to check if the joint is hot enough to melt the Sil-fos - and if I need to build up the joint or close up a hole...otherwise, I stroke the rod across the joint overlap too - akin to painting with a brush.
But it's all good: Different strokes for different folks! 🤣🤣🤣 (sorry, couldn't help myself!)
Was this your first time trying this process?
One may think so, but no. Problem was I only had a small tip that day, which was having a REALLY hard time keeping that 1-1/4" pipe hot enough to allow the rod to flow freely and build up.
You need a BIGGER torch tip my friend....
You are one hundred percent correct! Unfortunately, that tip was all I had on hand that day. Hopefully, I still managed to get the concept across to others. Thanks for the feedback!
You wasted so much gas and time using that torch 😂 still very informative
LOL...you're kind yet not wrong!..tip was definitely too small for the job. Unfortunately that day I had access to either only that tip, or my MASSIVE fighter jet after burner-like A8 acetylene tip...which I thought would've been a bit overkill - but would've certainly gotten the job done in seconds! 😁
@@PlumbingsCool on the bright side, you managed to milk a bit of watch time haha
@@nickc729 lol...well, although that certainly wasn't the intention, I do like your "Glass half-full" kind of thinking! 👍 Hopefully I've picked up a thing or two on video production since then. Cheers!
NO NO NO NO
Tell me how you really feel.
you can not braze AC units like this or in time it will start leaking @@PlumbingsCool
I m a retired HVAC tech ( 40 y + ) . U took TOO much time to do ur brazing. Huge waste of time and gas. Sorry to say !
You're absolutely correct...The tip I had on hand was too small for the pipe to get the material hot enough. Still, I hope the theory got across for those wishing to learn the basic principle. Thanks for the honest feedback.