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Author:
DIY Pat (WA)
I recently installed a new shower valve and successfully soldered many fittings...all but one which I found when I pressure tested the line. It has a drip. How can i remove the solder and re-sweat the fitting?
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Author:
sum (FL)
I just went through the same thing as a DIY so I will share what I did.
The first time I did it I just aimed the torch at the fitting and waited for the solder to melt and back out the pipe, and since there are other pipes going in and out of the valve so it is very rigid, I had to tap on the penetrating pipe lightly to back it out...I found out soon enough the torch basically turned the water inside the pipe and valve burning hot, and if I was not careful as soon as the pipe is loose, water and steam would shoot out of the pipe.
The second time I did it, I used a pipe cutter to just cut the pipe going into the valve two inches away. Once it is cut then I drained the water out of the valve and the pipe, then I heated the fitting and took out the section of pipe, put a new section in, solder to valve and use a coupling to solder to the other cut pipe.
My valve has a male NPT connection but you can insert a 1/2" into the socket and solder it. When I removed the pipe from it, the solder always cling to the inside wall of that connection, which made it difficult to insert a new piece of pipe. I had to use elbow grease to clean the inside sometimes by heating it and brushing it, sometimes by wiping the inside with a rag, sometimes by using a coned sander bit on my drill, had to clean it pretty good to get a new pipe to fully seated in it. I am not good at this part, and cursing did not help.
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Author:
hj
Drain the water from the pipe and valve. Take the valve apart. Heat the connection. Pull the copper out of the joint. Reclean and reflux both parts of the connection. Heat the connection and push the copper tube back in. Resolder the joint. DO NOT try to just reheat and resolder the joint.
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
Fixitangel (NC)
Like HJ said.
In taking the valve apart, all the inner rubber seals, plastic valve parts or cartriges should be removed, lest they get warped by the heat. After you cut the tube, you may try a copper repair (slip on) union. It will slide up on a cleaned fluxed pipe as it doesn't have the pipe stop dimples in the middle. Mark the pipe when it's centered over the cut and sweat it in.
Copper fittings are really inexpensive. I don't try to salvage them unless I'm way out in the boonies and have no spares. It's your dollar eighty seven cents.
Come on, there's nothing nicer than sweating fresh, clean fluxed copper. 
P.S. Recycle your scraps.. scrap metal prices are heading back up..
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