ATTN Plumbers.
I recently was soldering some copper pipes in my house when I ran out of my usual solder for plumming. I had a bunch of solder for electrical purposes available so I used it to finish the job (about 3-4 joints). Other than the electrical solder being a much smaller diameter, is there any difference from plumming solder? Will I see any ill effects from using this solder? Should I re-do those joints with plummers solder?
Thanks!
IIRC, electronic solder has a non-acidic flux built into it (the smell of it against a soldering iron takes me right back to childhood and all those Radio Shack kits). Plumbing solder doesn’t have any flux in the solder itself, rather, that is what you are applying when you use that gunky gray stuff and the little brush on the copper ends you are putting together.
I recall my father telling me that you should never use non-electronic solder with your electronics since some (back then? now?) had an acidic flux that would eat away the fragile electronics. But the other way? Shouldn’t hurt… How about putting some water pressure in the pipes and see if you have any leaks?
Let us know how it goes.
No leaks at all.
I followed standard procedure with flux and everything seemed to flow as it should. I was just curious if the solder itself did not have the strength to maintain over time, or if there was a contamination aspect to be concerned with. But now that I think of it, contamination is a non issue since the pipes were strickly added for my washing machine, and not very likely to be a source of drinking water.
The only issue I can see is the compstion of the solder itself.
Differing amounts of lead/tin ratios lead to differing mechanical strength, and brittleness, and also require differing temperatures to melt them.
A brittle water pipe jpoint is definately not desirable, and is we are talking fairly thin walled copper pipe, then higher temperature solder might also embrittle the pipe.
Since this pipe is at the back of a washing machine, one can imagine there will be a sloenoid shut off valve, and this will deliver a shock wave back into the pipework especially on closing and will find out any brittle joints.
I would chec your electrical solder alloy ratio and compare it to pulmbers solder, if they are the same than you will be fine.
BTW it is becoming much more common to use self sealing plastic connectors in outlet pipework these days, it is easier to install and mechanically extremely strong.
Electrical solder has lead which is absolutely forbidden in water pipes.
Plumbers use a non-acicid water based flux whix washes away readily with water. The solder is mostly tin with about 5% of alloying to lower melting point.
600-40 or 50-50 lead tin is not as strong as plumper’s solder. Unless you have a high pressure supply >150 psi you should not expect trouble.
Plumbers use a non-acicid water based flux whix washes away readily with water. The solder is mostly tin with about 5% of alloying to lower melting point.
60-40 or 50-50 lead tin is not as strong as plumper’s solder. Unless you have a high pressure supply >150 psi you should not expect trouble.
SWEATING
Old time plumbers cleaned, fluxed, heated, and tinned the surfaces to be joined, wiping away any exdess solder. When lightly fluxed and reheated the joint to soldering temperature the join was mad with very little additonal solder required.
SOlDERING
On the other hand rquires cleaning the surfaces to be joined, fluxing the joint area, heating bothparts to sloldering temperature and applying the solder till a fillet forms at the visible joing.
Sweating Pipes are cold water pipe in a humid enviorment and if dripping condensate is a problem they should be insulated.
Just being rigorous not critical, thank you very much.
A few points: I’m sure by “sweating”, he meant it as another word for “soldering”. When we use “silver-solder” the copper gets cherry red because of the heat, and that softens the copper, not make it brittle. We used to use 50-50 solder all the time before the laws changed, so it’s not really “not plumber’s solder”. It can still be used for copper waste lines, in fact. I think, as someone said, that the lead would be the biggest concern by using "electronic solder. By the way, I’m sure there are still lots of copper water systems in use which used solder with lead in it.