do you flux your fittings???

[Mike Jackson]

I always use a thin smear of everflux on the pipe, never the fitting. If you put it in the fitting as you push the pipe in the excess is forced into the pipe and can cause corrosion or encourage the solder to flow into the pipe restricting it or forming those little balls of solder that you often hear jingling in the pipe. I also saw someone pulled up during his core gas safety assessment for fluxing a fitting.

I know everflux is corrosive but if you apply a thin smear to the pipe, twist it into the fitting, wipe any excess of before you solder and wipe off with a damp rag after you solder you don't get any problems.

 

[AWheating]

yes i do.

 

[kay-jay]

i flux pipe only. my mate fluxes fittings only using everflux he dips solder in rubs it around inside of fitting as mentioned above. i just don't trust that method as when watching him the amount of flux seems too minimal and unevenly spread round fitting.

i use fernox, but am thinking of swapping next time as it ain't what it used to be. the amber stuff was great but now its white and there is defo a difference. tried laco and everflux but i'm not a fan as these cream type based fluxes just don't run as well as the grease based ones

 

[Best]

i

i use fernox, but am thinking of swapping next time as it ain't what it used to be. the amber stuff was great but now its white and there is defo a difference. tried laco and everflux but i'm not a fan as these cream type based fluxes just don't run as well as the grease based ones

I agree, the grease based is tops & it won't do much harm to copper. Try the Yorkshire Traditional flux, - rolls royce flux i think. It is the same stuff as it always has been & is better than the Fernox flux.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

some times i dont put flux and wonder why the solder does not go round ,ha ha

as long as it does not leak to me there is not wrong way of doing it ,

JUST DONT PUT FLUX AND TRY SOLDER YOUR SPEEDFIT FITTINGS WITH COPPER PIPE lol

 

[SafeGasInstall]

I agree, the grease based is tops & it won't do much harm to copper. Try the Yorkshire Traditional flux, - rolls royce flux i think. It is the same stuff as it always has been & is better than the Fernox flux.

i use anything that i can get my hands on a good deal. last summer i got 5x500g

 

[kirkgas]

That's 7 years bad luck! :cry_smile: Very handy for checking if fittings are neatly soldered, but you can become obsessive very easily!

i heat from one side and load the solder from the back then you know when the solder appears at the front you have a good joint, loads of people load the solder on at the front and pile it high "to make sure there is enough at the back"

 

[kirkgas]

those wee mirrors are great, mine has broke already though, think i stood on it lol

was it beside your phone

 

[kirkgas]

Nope. Did at training centre but then went to work for a guy who applied his flux using the solder rod as a brush. Just dip it in and run it round. It's a bit of a trick but not that hard. Works for me.

if you dont flux the pipe insertion you are not doing a proper joint, using flux on the edge only could lead to a joint leaking, one of these joints that leak after many yrs when you look at it the wrong way

 

[antzheat]

I thought that new fitting had a lacquer on them to prevent them oxidising? So you only needed to flux the pipe. I always give the inside of fittings a quick wipe with steel wool and the same to the pipe end, but only flux the pipe (for same reasons as others, in that I believe it prevents flux getting into the pipe). For old fitting and pipe, I do the same, but more aggressive with wool first.

Worse still, I caught one of the youngens fluxing a screw to ease the fixing of a shower screen!

 

[Guest123]

Don't use flux....prefer Loctite Superglue 4

 

[stevetheplumber]

pipe only up to 28 mm that way the excess doesnt go into the pipework over 28mm pipe a very light coating inside flux in systems is always something to avoid

 

[kay-jay]

Is that a job for the apprentice then ? Measuring and marking 28mm from ends of pipes

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[TAPS GLOS]

I put plenty flux on pipes & just a smear inside fittings. Turning the pipe as i push it in to fitting if possible. But I think the secret to soldering is adding flux as you solder, usually by a little dab on end of roll of solder.

I have just finished a level 2 course and the three instructors all had different methods. The one I preferred was fluxing the inside of the fitting. While this meant an excess of flux in the fitting at least it was not pushed off the pipe to the outside. I always, always use new wire wool first, it takes but a few seconds, and I absolutely agree with the little dab of flux on the solder. In fact, on one installation I experimented and just added flux when the pipes and fitting were already in place. It worked fine, although maybe I was just lucky that time!

I only wish that there were a definitive answer

 

[antzheat]

While this meant an excess of flux in the fitting at least it was not pushed off the pipe to the outside.

I think the point is that the excess is pushed off to the outside, rather than the inside. If the pipe goes into the fitting, there is enough coating of flux.

Definitive answers would make very short posts and nothing to talk about in the pub.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

now let me ask you all engineers reading this :

How do you tight up the nuts on the rad valves ? Left hand or right hand ?Where do you hold the spanner ? how often do you use grips on rad valves how often do you do oil your spanners grips pipe cutters ?

 

[GQuigley67]

I have just finished a level 2 course and the three instructors all had different methods. The one I preferred was fluxing the inside of the fitting. While this meant an excess of flux in the fitting at least it was not pushed off the pipe to the outside. I always, always use new wire wool first, it takes but a few seconds, and I absolutely agree with the little dab of flux on the solder. In fact, on one installation I experimented and just added flux when the pipes and fitting were already in place. It worked fine, although maybe I was just lucky that time!

I only wish that there were a definitive answer

that is where you want the flux, around the outside so you get a nice neat solder joint

 

[GQuigley67]

now let me ask you all engineers reading this :

How do you tight up the nuts on the rad valves ? Left hand or right hand ?Where do you hold the spanner ? how often do you use grips on rad valves how often do you do oil your spanners grips pipe cutters ?

I use both hands when tightening rad valves and a combination of shifting spanner and pump pliers to hold against myself

havent used WD40 on my tools in ages, havent changed the wheels in my pipe cutters in ages(keep forgetting)

 

[Halesowen1]

that is where you want the flux, around the outside so you get a nice neat solder joint

You can get a nice clean solder joint however you flux. I only ever flux the fitting and never have a problem.

 

[gravytrain]

clean fitting and pipe with wire wool. flux on pipe only. works for me every time.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I never use wire wool. Strands can break off and contaminate the fitting. Much worse were the rust stains I left on a steel bath years ago after I'd cleaned a bit of pipe above it. Fortunately the stains came off with a bath rubber but it didn't look good for a while. I now use the abrasive strips or a stainless steel scourer.

 

[quality]

now let me ask you all engineers reading this :

How do you tight up the nuts on the rad valves ? Left hand or right hand ?Where do you hold the spanner ? how often do you use grips on rad valves how often do you do oil your spanners grips pipe cutters ?

I made an adjustable spanner for the rad valve which I posted a while back.
ps. I look after my tools as they look after me

 

[Phil]

Wire wool? I'd use it if I could find it!

My wire wool just disapears, I'm sick of routing around in my toolbox looking for it.

 

[GQuigley67]

i always have to go out to the van and get another bit after minutes of searching lol

 

[PlumbBobBob]

you've obviously both been visited by the wire wool goblins