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soldering problem

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jking
jking Member Posts: 1
in THE MAIN WALL
I cant get solder to flow on a small 4ft section of baseboard Im trying to replace. I am trying to sweat the section out I applied heat with map gas but the solder still will not flow. Any help would be appreciated thank you.

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  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
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    Solder.

    Dd you clean and flux the pipe?
  • Steve Whitbeck
    Steve Whitbeck Member Posts: 669
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    water

    If there is any water in the piping it will produce steam and push the flux and solder out of the joint.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
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    No Heat:

    If you are replacing the baseboard, there is water inside the pipe. The water being boiled into steam uses a lot of energy and you must overcome this or the pipe/fitting will never get hot enough. The steam vapor will traven away from the place being soldered and condense some distance away. Then, it runs back as a liquid water. Sort of a mini steam boiler inside the pipe.

    IMO, MAPP gas flamethrowers cluck as instruments of soldering. In the case of baseboard, you usually burn the paint off around where you are trying to solder.

    Many of we geriatrics consider MAPP gas flamethrowers to be troublesome and prone to burned surfaces and leaks. We prefer our air/acetylene Prestolite #3 tips and B-tanks.

    If you are using 50/50 solder, you only need to heat the fitting to 360 degrees to solder it. The flame is well over 1500 degrees. If you can't solder it, and you put your hand 12" away and the pipe is so hot that you can't hold it, there's steam in that there pipe.

    Or so it would seem
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