Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Another Soldering Question

I know how to solder. The folks boiler has a 2" T fitting that is leaking. I'm not sure how to go about repairing this leak. The original solder job was not cleanly done and there's some sizable globs of solder all around it. I'd rather not have to disassemble the whole thing and re-solder new copper.

My first thought was to get some of that solder soaker and try to soak up as much solder around the joint as I can, but I'm not sure how to get flux into the joint to draw in the new solder, unless maybe I use acid-core solder.

What's the most reliable way of repairing this leak and are there any solder recommendations?

Will post photo in a few minutes...

I’d say you have to take it apart and re-solder. How do you plan on getting the water out of the pipes?

Heat it up and take it apart. No need for new copper, just clean up the old and re-solder. There's a tool called a solder sucker you can use if you can't let it drip. If you can get a piece of cardboard under it, just let it drip on it. Cut it out to fit the area underneath including right around the pipe.

I'm not aware of a shortcut for your situation and since you're going to have to drain the system to a level below the tee to solder - might as well do it right and disassemble it.

Hanco would be getting a PM from me.

He might see the thread and jump in.

Without someone like him telling me different,
I'm with Pocono Jack.

The hard way is often the only way.
The easy way is going the right way first, not later.

The leaking joint is the one on the horizontal plane on the right side of the "T"

It looks like somebody has already tried to fix it without taking it apart, so you see how that works...

Well, I was going to drain the system and then hope that the heat of the torch would dry things out, but I understand that I may have to disassemble everything. I don't want to remove the gauge from the T if I can help it.

A properly soldered joint should never leak.

Yours has failed and needs to be redone correctly. An attempt to fix in place by weeping flux/solder in the T is going to fail sooner than later if you even get it to hold.

Depending on how it’s plumbed in you may be able to drain enough water to unsweat the fitting and clean and reuse but I’d get yourself a new T and a few no stop couplings and redo it right

*just saw your pic… cut it out and replace the T. If you know how to solder that’s a fairly straightforward repair

Drain it, heat it up, pull it apart, clean it up, resolder, and forget about it for another 20+ years

That gauge is the first thing I'd take off.

The opening would be a great steam release while you are repairing the pipe.
With water residual in the pipe the steam it may create can easily cause a leak while your attempting to heat the pipe and fitting during repair.

I give it a 98% chance of leaking again if you don't take it apart and clean and flux it. I could be wrong, but 25+ years as a plumber gives me a pretty strong hunch.

Meebe so, but this one is 70 years old.

I don't know....only 25 years?


Maybe we need a second opinion.

That picture tells me that was an OMG amateur repair!
Take it apart, and do it right - is my advice.
Anything else will just make things worse, Kevin.

Looks to me like the previous repair was done without draining the water out, cleaning up, and going through the whole procedure to get it right.

Is there anywhere else to install the gauge?
If so cut that tee out and reinstall 2 -45's or a street and a regular. (unless you have a little pc o 2" copper )
Then you could use a new tee and a coupling.
Looks like the copper is a little corroded,make sure it is clean.

I think Dad must have done that repair years and years ago, 'cause that's what he wants me to do again. I'm sure I'll end up taking it all apart.

The reason it looks corroded is due to some very old insulation that adhered to the copper. I cleaned it all off with a wire brush on a drill.

I'm reasonably sure I can figure out a different place for the gauge.

Tire inner tube and a hose clamp.

Don't need to cut the gauge out - it's in a threaded adapter.

Just found another leak. Whoever did these repairs did a piss-poor job. This other joint doesn't even look like it was soldered: