# can you just solder a cut in a copper pipe?



## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

plumbers showed up to clients house yesterday 
one was a girl about 25 . said she was a plumber .

they had to re-do the drain under a double sink.
she was so hesitant to cut the backing off the cabinet. i told her don`t worry i`ll replace it ,
short story i jumped in and cut it out with my sawsall , and hit one of the pipes.
shut the water off , quick.( my defense , there was a disposal , dishwasher lines, and water filter , so hard to maneuver a full sawsall. and i didn`t have a blade for my multi-tool!!) 
she said she was gonna just solder the pipe ( not cut , and add a slip coupling )
will that hold in the long -run ?
just didn`t like her style. 
constantly calling her husband , and asked him how to do this and that
and charging the client $100 for her , and an apprentice who seemed to know more than her, but wouldn't let him do much because of ego.


this is a new remodeled kitchen , i want to make sure this leak will hold , ( great client )


will it hold , or should i demand they cut , and add a coupling ?


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

Did you walk out the door with it that way?

If so, wait a couple years, then check back in with customer. If still no leak, I'd let it go.


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## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

wow.
no offense , but i don`t like that philosophy at all.
i want 'whats the right way to repair a leak?"'.
not a " i hope it holds " repair.

nice , nice client , they just bought the house, just put in thousands to remodel. just moving in 
floors are wood.
don`t want a suprise


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## Big Johnson (Jun 2, 2017)

If the coupling is over the cut.

I’m not sure I understand what you’re describing


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

I did it on a drain pipe...

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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

SmallTownGuy said:


> *Did you walk out the door with it that way?*
> 
> If so, wait a couple years, then check back in with customer. If still no leak, I'd let it go.





woodspike said:


> wow.
> no offense , but i don`t like that philosophy at all.
> i want 'whats the right way to repair a leak?"'.
> not a " i hope it holds " repair.
> ...


I am mocking you. You walked out the door with it that way, knowing in your gut YOU weren't happy with the process, and now you are here, asking us to salve your soul with some bull**** answer.

Answer this: What is the difference between waiting and hoping one day or 2 years?

Nothing - not one damned thing.


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## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

Big Johnson said:


> If the coupling is over the cut.
> 
> I’m not sure I understand what you’re describing


 no coupling , she just soldered over the sawsall cut


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

woodspike said:


> no coupling , she just soldered over the sawsall cut


That probably won't hold by itself, but a slip coupling would have. Even a fernco over the cut would have been good. Did you clip the top of the pipe, or near the bottom? Sure it was just the drain?


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## Big Johnson (Jun 2, 2017)

MarkJames said:


> That probably won't hold by itself, but a slip coupling would have. Even a fernco over the cut would have been good. Did you clip the top of the pipe, or near the bottom? Sure it was just the drain?


It was a supply line, he had to “shut the water off quick”.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

Big Johnson said:


> It was a supply line, he had to “shut the water off quick”.


Figured as much, but he mentioned drain line, too...which wouldn't make sense anyway since it's not the 60's anymore. (My folks have all copper drains in their house, up in philly)

And that confirms the plumber lady was really not up to par, so maybe I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

If she got a good bond and made it thick enough it'll likely hold for a long time. It's not the right way to do it. As others have said, cut the pipe the rest of the way and reconnect it with a slip coupling.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Put a saddle clamp on it. The clamp won't be holding back pressure, just supporting that area of the pipe.


Tom


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

Leo G said:


> If she got a good bond and made it thick enough it'll likely hold for a long time. It's not the right way to do it. As others have said, cut the pipe the rest of the way and reconnect it with a slip coupling.


How would you clean the cut surfaces sufficiently, prior to flux?


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

MarkJames said:


> How would you clean the cut surfaces sufficiently, prior to flux?


Scuff the out side of the pipe.

Tom


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

MarkJames said:


> How would you clean the cut surfaces sufficiently, prior to flux?





tjbnwi said:


> Scuff the out side of the pipe.
> 
> Tom


Just like you would normally. emery cloth, sand paper, wire brush. Whatever you do just make sure it's clean. Probably easier to do while the pipe is still together. Clean it, cut it, flux it, install the fitting, solder it.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Here you go

https://www.flexsealproducts.com/product/flex-tape/






Tom


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

You convinced me that it'll hold for a while, but if it creates a bump of solder inside the pipe, then it'll probably have issues further down the road. 

Did you ever watch those vids where they bisect pipe to show how pinholes form downstream from a burr left in a joint? It creates turbulence and wears the inside of the copper, leading to pinholes.


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## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

Hey guys i never mentioned a drain line. 
" Inner 10 " 
This was a basic 1/2 inch copper line. 
I called her boss and told him if he won't put in writing that she just soldered it, and if he won't guarantee it'll hold up as good as putting a coupling in he needs to change it. 
Hey. Plumbers charging$100 an hour should know their job and i shouldnt be having to hunt for the answers.


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## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

meant to say, inner 10 was the one who mentioned the drain line


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

woodspike said:


> Hey guys i never mentioned a drain line.
> " Inner 10 "
> This was a basic 1/2 inch copper line.
> I called her boss and told him if he won't put in writing that she just soldered it, and if he won't guarantee it'll hold up as good as putting a coupling in he needs to change it.
> Hey. Plumbers charging$100 an hour should know their job and i shouldnt be having to hunt for the answers.


Was she cute?


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

woodspike said:


> Hey guys i never mentioned a drain line.
> " Inner 10 "
> This was a basic 1/2 inch copper line.
> I called her boss and told him if he won't put in writing that she just soldered it, and if he won't guarantee it'll hold up as good as putting a coupling in he needs to change it.
> Hey. Plumbers charging$100 an hour should know their job and i shouldnt be having to hunt for the answers.


Document & make sure to save documentation & make sure homeowner has documentation & if it fails, your ass is covered with the insurance company. 

Smalltown guy was right in mocking you on this. You let the plumber leave & you went home with the pipe under pressure.

How is a saw cut different than a sweat joint? Both use solder to hold the copper joint & contain water under pressure. Why would you think it's not a permanent solution for one & not the other? If it were in my own home, I'd go to sleep at night & not give it a second thought.


Oh & BTW, since you want to run down the lady who fixed the leak, you're the dumbass that screwed up & made her have to fix your FU.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

pinwheel said:


> Document & make sure to save documentation & make sure homeowner has documentation & if it fails, your ass is covered with the insurance company.
> 
> Smalltown guy was right in mocking you on this. You let the plumber leave & you went home with the pipe under pressure.
> 
> ...


One is like a surface scab, and the other is squeezed between two surfaces. 

But anyway, I went and looked this up elsewhere, and there are plumbers that say it'll hold up fine with proper prep.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

MarkJames said:


> Was she hot?


Fify.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

My concern is if she had a problem with cutting the opening, how trusting of her "prep" are you.

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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

VinylHanger said:


> My concern is if she had a problem with cutting the opening, how trusting of her "prep" are you.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


He's a remodeler and couldn't cut a cabinet without hitting a pipe...:whistling:whistling


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## Seven-Delta-FortyOne (Mar 5, 2011)

I don't know why you guys are bagging on him.

He hired a supposed professional to deal with it, and now he's not so sure it was so "professional" after all.

Hell, that's what CT is for, second-guessing everyone else's work, and armchair quarterbacking others projects form afar, and picking them apart. :laughing:

Anyway, no, that's not the right way to do it. Will it hold? I have no idea. 

But the time it would take to cut it and slip on a no-stop coupling and solder it, or just install a sharkbite, is so minimal. I do stuff like this all the time, it's just not that hard to do it right. :thumbsup:

And I understand that sometimes someones attitude and demeanor can make you doubt their abilities, even if they are competent.




On second thought, you should have just let the phukkr spill all over the floor, packed your $#!T, and high-tailed it out the door, yelling behind you "call a plumber!"

Then when they make a claim on your insurance, sue _them_, and the builder, and the pipe manufacturer, and the plumbing wholesaler, and Contractor who built the road into the subdivision.  :lol: :w00t:


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

She was professional enough to know how to shift the liability for cutting onto someone else, so I'm calling it good.:laughing:


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

If the prep was good, this isn't a scab, the solder will wick to fill the gap.


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Would never trust it...........


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## woodspike (Dec 2, 2018)

*ut in a copper pipe?*

Inner 10 !!! I heard that!!
Lol.
Yes i did cut the pipe.
Paying plumber.
(I'm actually not the contractor or coordinator on this job. Just carpenter-sub)
But i want it done right. 
On top of this all
She decided to do this waste line another way.
She came first thing this morning. 
Ican't pull up my pic of her work on my phone(I'm not that technically advanced)
Instead of using a slip coupling, she opted to put 4 street 90's together and horse- shoe'ed it. 
I don't get it!!
I came in to see this finish product.
Why would someone do that.??


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## Seven-Delta-FortyOne (Mar 5, 2011)

woodspike said:


> Why would someone do that.??


Inexperience.


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## Stryker1-1 (Dec 25, 2017)

Ask to see her license.

This would be like me coming in to do network cabling and not wanting to cut holes for my boxes.

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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I can pretty much tell by the crack if someone is licensed... .

That, and a name search in the state professional licensing database. Different levels if licensing have different levels of supervision, and supervision by phone may be OK. It's all state by state.

Getting a repair coupling in isn't always easy, 4 streets is pretty much always doable. Plus, they're charging you for each elbow.:laughing:


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

hdavis said:


> I can pretty much tell by the crack if someone is licensed... .


R U talkin bout their butt crack? TMI TMI TMI !!!


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

MarkJames said:


> One is like a surface scab, and the other is squeezed between two surfaces.
> 
> But anyway, I went and looked this up elsewhere, and there are plumbers that say it'll hold up fine with proper prep.


Sure. Don't believe the woodworker.


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

Stryker1-1 said:


> Ask to see her license.
> 
> This would be like me coming in to do network cabling and not wanting to cut holes for my boxes.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk


she does not need one if she works under the supervision of someone who does have a license. 


As far as cutting boxes, my electrician prefers me to cut holes for boxes in my cabinets if they need to be cut in


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

I prefer me to cut holes in my cabinets. Plumbers and electricians can keep their mitts off. Sometimes I install the boxes in them before they are delivered so the electricians can't get their mitts on them.


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## rblakes1 (Jan 8, 2015)

Seven-Delta-FortyOne said:


> I don't know why you guys are bagging on him.
> 
> He hired a supposed professional to deal with it, and now he's not so sure it was so "professional" after all.
> 
> ...


Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Wait, nevermind...

-Rich


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## Big Johnson (Jun 2, 2017)

Leo G said:


> I prefer me to cut holes in my cabinets. Plumbers and electricians can keep their mitts off. Sometimes I install the boxes in them before they are delivered so the electricians can't get their mitts on them.


I always install the boxes in my islands and fish the wire into them. No way I’m letting an electrician touch my wood.


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

A little Mighty Putty should do the trick.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> A little Mighty Putty should do the trick.


Worked in a pinch when I drilled through a 4" copper waste pipe in an apartment at 7pm on a Saturday....

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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> Worked in a pinch when I drilled through a 4" copper waste pipe in an apartment at 7pm on a Saturday....
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


No pressure on a waste line.......


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Rio said:


> No pressure on a waste line.......


Fact

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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Rio said:


> No pressure on a waste line.......


But we have to pressure test them to pass inspection. Go figger.


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Rio said:


> No pressure on a waste line.......





Inner10 said:


> Fact
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk





Tinstaafl said:


> But we have to pressure test them to pass inspection. Go figger.


Until there is a blockage. That's why drains are pressure tested in most areas. Some require a full system water test, not air.

Tom


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

Yeah, ain't nobody pressure testing repairs. FCOL
People going off the rails again on extremes.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

tjbnwi said:


> Until there is a blockage. That's why drains are pressure tested in most areas. Some require a full system water test, not air.


I'll give you that. However, I'd postulate that an air test could fail where a water test would pass. Reasoning being that water is denser and won't leak so readily, and in most cases wouldn't present as much pressure as we're required to use with air. Admittedly, I've never measured that pressure.


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> But we have to pressure test them to pass inspection. Go figger.


Yes, but the pressure they're tested at isn't as high as the line pressure many times and it's not forever so a plug that might work well for a short duration could easily fail after a month, or a year or..........


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

My waste line always has pressure. It makes me giggle when the dogs waste line releases pressure as well.

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## kloiks (Jul 8, 2019)

Put a saddle clamp on it. The clamp won't be holding back pressure, just supporting that area of the pipe.


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## dkonrai (Oct 19, 2019)

I've seen patches like that leak over time. Maybe 5 or so years and it will start as a small leak, then a rupture. At least that's what I've seen when nail holes were soldered over. 
Another vote to use a slip coupling and solder.
Or with propress around, it takes seconds. 

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