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

I would replace the parts in question and sweat them properly.

For those sizes of copper (2" or so) you're going to need quite a bit of heat.
Possibly, someone didn't get it all warm enough for a good joint.

That viega is a crimp fitting hence no solder. That means it also must be fairly new

ProPress. One of the new no heat pressed connect joints, problem is the pipe has to be in near perfect condition no linear scratches through the leak path.

He said he didn't want to lose the gauge,never said to cut it out. I suggested cutting the whole tee out if he could move the gauge.

This,,also the copper needs to be in fairly descent shape,if it's old it may crush a little and not seal.
Fittings are about 3x's the cost,but labor savings make up for that.

I've got an acetylene torch.

MAPP gas not enough?

Acetylene, with your turbo torch is plenty of heat for 2” soft solder.

Gotta' get that sukka refilled.

yes, would work. propane also if you took your time.

Yep. Cut it back to clean copper, install a new tee, and sweat it the right way.

Too much heat is just as bad as not enough. That tee looks like the result of too much heat the first time, and then someone tried to skim over the joint to stop the leak. If you took that fitting apart and wiped it out you would find a big black void near the top where the flux burned off on the original sweat job. 2" is going to take a different technique than 1/2 or 3/4. It must be "filled" from the bottom up both sides, without getting the entire fitting hot enough to flow solder. Also, the Viega press fitting has an O-ring in it that may be ruined by sweating real close.

Get new parts, plus two slick couplings( no stop in the middle of coupling) to repair the leak. You will need a turbo torch to heat the two inch reliably. If you haven’t soldered before, me thinks you should get a plumber to repair it.

That is a pro-press fitting. That’s on the same unit?
It slides on, squeezed with a tool, has o-rings seals. If you use a pro-press fitting close to a solder joint, it can crack the solder joint causing a leak. That looks like what happened in pic above.

Dad had 2 plumbers out to take a look. The first one wanted $800.00, the second, a grand. Ridiculous.

I do have experience soldering, but it's not something I do every day.

Yes, the pro-press fitting is on the same line - towards the right side of the photo - coming out of the air-handler:

It's a Carrier system from 1952. 3-phase.

So far there's two leaks and extra joints on that short length of plumbing. I would pull it all apart and start with new if there was any question on the integrity of the pipe or fittings. Do it once and do it right.

Where in Texas are you? Damn plumbers don’t work cheap. Damn parts and a 20’ piece of pipe probably cost 400 bucks, that’s a wild guess. The green fitting with 3/8’s tubing looks like an auto air relief valve.


I sent this to a friend that does side work, curious what he says he would charge