How To Solder Copper Pipes

Wondering how to solder copper pipes? If you are going to attempt home plumbing projects, it may come in handy to know how to solder copper pipe with a propane torch.

By Steve Maxwell
Updated on March 22, 2023
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by AdobeStock/vladimirfloyd

Wondering how to solder copper pipes? If you are going to attempt home plumbing projects, it may come in handy to know how to solder copper pipe with a propane torch.

Plumbing your bathroom with DIY-friendly PEX-AL-PEX water supply lines (see Easier Plumbing with PEX Piping) offers many advantages. While you can buy fittings for making solder-free connections between old copper piping and new PEX, you also can solder transitional fittings to bridge the gap between copper and PEX when replacing drains and toilets. You might even want to stick completely with copper pipes to keep costs down. Regardless of your situation, soldering copper pipes is surprisingly easy to learn.

Soldering (also called “sweating”) is a process that uses molten metal to join copper water supply pipes with a bond that’s strong, permanent and waterproof. Plumber’s solder originally was made of lead, but because lead is now known to be toxic, solder is now mostly made from tin. But regardless of the metal it’s made from, the soldering process involves the same three steps: clean and heat the metal, add solder and then let the joint connection cool and harden.

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