question about soldering

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i've had a whirlpool IC built for a while and finally got a pump so i can utilize the wort return. however, i haven't attached the wort return piece to the rest of the chiller yet... i've never soldered copper pipe to copper pipe, are the principles the same as soldering joints?

maybe wire the thing on for temporary holding, dab some flux where i want to tack it, heat it up and just dab it in? it just seems like when i've dripped solder on the copper coil in the past, it flakes right off. i just want to make sure i'm doing it properly. thanks in advance for any pointers.
 
You need a sweat coupling to solder copper pipe to copper pipe. You just can't butt the two against each other and solder. It's really simple. Clean the exterior of the pipes you want to solder together with steel wool as well as the insides of the sweat coupler (both sides). Apply flux to the cleaned exterior of the pipe and inside of the coupler. Assemble the pipes to the coupler and you are ready to solder. Apply heat to the joint until the solder flows into the joint by capilary action.

251942_front200.jpg
 
Ditto with the above. To connect them without a coupler would be amazingly hard and easily breakable.
 
sorry, i wasn't clear with what i'm trying to accomplish. i know how to solder two ends of copper pipe together with a coupler, i'm trying to tack on a wort return to my immersion chiller. i'm just not sure if you can "tack weld" one copper assembly to another with solder. no liquid will be flowing from one part to the other, i just need the two entities to become one solid unit if you see what i'm saying.
 
Soldering requires appreciable contact surface area. Unfortunately two tubes next to each other won't give you that. You could probably get a weak join by using flux and heating both tubes, but I'm guessing it would eventually break. Two large hose clamps would do the trick, as might a strip of copper sheet wrapped around the two, then soldered.
 
You could use some solid copper wire to attach them and then use some solder to the copper wire and both assemblies to make a more permanent connection. Just needs a lot of flux.
 
i've had a whirlpool IC built for a while and finally got a pump so i can utilize the wort return.


I have had 3 different replies typed out here and deleted all of them. Can you explane your process to me? That and the connections you have. I have thought about this in several different ways. Maybe I am just the village idiot and don't get it.
 
I think he wants to do this which was accomplished by Jamil with cable ties from what I can see.

insidekettle.jpg
 
You could use some solid copper wire to attach them and then use some solder to the copper wire and both assemblies to make a more permanent connection. Just needs a lot of flux.

I made a garden trellis out of copper pipe a few years ago and wrapped the four pipes together with 12 or 14 guage wire. I sanded everything in the immediate area to be soldered and brushed on flux. I was amazed by how well the solder wicked in to this unusual joint and when it dried it was very strong. Just wrap it a bunch of times and give it a go.
 
great, thanks for the replies. i'll give it the old college try and see what happens.

greenmonti, you're right on, except i designed mine a little differently... i suppose a zip tie or two might be a good solution in the case that the solder doesn't work out.
 
greenmonti, you're right on, except i designed mine a little differently... i suppose a zip tie or two might be a good solution in the case that the solder doesn't work out.


I don't recall saying anything helpfull??

It was samc who put up the pic.
 
I have also soldered two copper pipes running side by side together without any problems. As previously said, you must sand well, flux then solder. Without sanding and flux it will not stick.
 
i had some issues getting them together during the first try. i sanded really well and fluxed liberally, but don't think i got the pipes hot enough. reheated the connection points well again and things seem to be fine. i used the chiller today and the wort return worked great and seemed plenty sturdy. thanks for the replies.
 
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