In the process of tearing down our shower stall, I broke a water line. I capped it off a while ago, then today I installed a new section of pipe. I got the old cap off without problems, but I had trouble getting all the old solder off the pipe. I ended up heating the pipe pretty hot, and the end got warped. There wasn’t much room to work with because where I was working was very close to a tee. I cut off just on the other side of the solder drip, and then inserted the new pipe with a coupling. My consern is that the piece I cut off was quite weak, and I was able to squeeze it with my fingers with some effort. So now I’m worried that section I just joined could eventually break even under normal circumstances. The piece that I was able to squeeze did not crack that I could tell. And I would rather not mess with the tee because it’s still good, and I wasn’t able to find a tee like it that was angled. Should I be worried and just go through the trouble of replacing it all? Or will the piping be ok?
Thanks, Ryan
Replies
If you have doubts about what you are dealing with plumbing wise, call a plumber.
Coming to you from beautiful Richmond, Va.
"When in doubt. Tear it out." A seriously overheated fitting may make the copper brittle and it could crack. Better a few extra hours of work now than a flood later.
Besides replacing this piece, in general I believe it is better to cut out sections with solder and start with fresh, clean pipe. That way you know what you are dealing with.