Information About Pipes and Soldering in Home Plumbing

While some plumbing jobs are too big for the average person to tackle, others are small enough that anyone can learn how to do them. If you are a novice when it comes to plumbing then there are things that you need to become familiar with before you attempt any water work in your home.

To begin with you need to understand about the different types of pipes. Piping is the foundation of the plumbing world. Knowing your materials is essential to your success. There is more than one kind of pipe. The most popular kinds of pipes that are used today include rigid copper, flexible copper, rigid plastic PVC, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PEX (crosslink polyethylene) and galvanized steel.

Rigid copper is the type of pipe that is used most frequently for main water lines. Rigid copper as the name implies is rigid which means that is not flexible and is unable to be bent and twisted into a different shape. What this means is that if you use rigid copper for the plumbing needs in your home then joints and tees will need to be soldered onto the pipe.

When you are soldering it is essential that you apply soldering paste (also referred to as flux) to both the pipe as well as the surface to be worked on. When copper is heated the soldering paste retards the oxidation process. When you attempt to sweat a copper joint make sure that you use a lead-free solder or a solder that is almost completely free of lead.

What works very well for soldering is a modified acrylic polymer anaerobic that is in liquid form. This type closely resembles regular solder because it is strong, resilient and lasts for a long duration. It is also very effective for uses in small and tight spaces where a soldering torch could be dangerous. The acrylic polymer does not require a surface that is completely dry in order for it to work as the regular type of solder does. This makes it the more preferable kind to be used by those who wish to do their own work.

If you discover a small drip anywhere in the water line then there is a simple way to solve the problem. Remove the crust from a slice of white bread and roll the bread into a tight ball. Then take the ball of bread and place it in the pipe where the drip originates and this will bring an end to the drip. Once the plumbing job is finished you can turn on the water and the bread will quickly wash away.