re-using fittings

samlin7

samlin7

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Hi

This may sound stupid, but i am fairly new at this plumbing thing,

I soldered a brass fitting to a m-rated copper pipe, Now I hear that I should use a L-rated copper pipe. Luckily it is a short piece and easy to undo and put in the L-pipe.

My question is can I reuse the brass fitting (a 1/2" sweat joint on one end and a 1/2" threaded female end on the other) once I unsolder it?

Thanks
sam
 
Yes if you need to. Don't over heat it. Getting the solder out to put the new pipe can be a pain and you will have to re do the threaded fitting if it is installed, you will burn the paste or tape out.
 
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Thanks,

Those little things add up in price if i keep messing up
 
Type M and Type L have the same O.D. (outside diameter).
The wall thickness is different and it effects the
I.D. (inside diameter)
 
HUMMM,

So would it be ok for me to leave my M-rating copper and not change it? It is for a bathroom sink and the run is about 4' and not near an outside wall??
 
I use L in outside walls, sometimes, and under ground or for hotwater heat.

In my opinion the M is fine from what you said. The L is better I won't say it isn't. Some people always use it some go for less expensive and easier to work with. It does have a bit to do with water conditions in you local area as far as how long it will last. Many sources say that using thicker copper will not help failure due to water conditions enough to be worth it.

I've had customers insist on all type L and I use it. I look at the cheap fittings in use today and wonder if it matters.
 
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samlin7 said:
HUMMM,

So would it be ok for me to leave my M-rating copper and not change it? It is for a bathroom sink and the run is about 4' and not near an outside wall??
Click to expand...

You hadn't made the use clear, never use type M on potable water.
It's main use is in closed systems like hydronic heat where oxygen levels are low so corrosion is less likely.
You'd mentioned a brass fitting, so I thought it was a drain.
I'm afraid the news is still bad.
 
Here, we've used nothing but M for home plumbing, at least until plastic came along. It's worked quite well, for the most part, and my spate of recent pinhole leak finds have almost all been in L hard or L soft copper. (Mostly soft)

Just last week, I did a repair on a recirc system that had a pinhole in a 45. That's certainly not unusual.

The previous couple of pinholes were a leak under a slab with 1/2" soft L and a leak in a crawlspace where soft L was used to route under beams. What worries me is that I've been seeing more than the usual number of copper leaks, and I have to wonder if it has something to do with our water table . . .

I agree that it's better to use L, but when it's lowest-bidder time, you use apples to apples.
 
GrumpyPlumber said:
You hadn't made the use clear, never use type M on potable water.
It's main use is in closed systems like hydronic heat where oxygen levels are low so corrosion is less likely.
You'd mentioned a brass fitting, so I thought it was a drain.
I'm afraid the news is still bad.
Click to expand...

Just wondering where that comes from, never, I think type M is used a lot. Like I said I would never argue that L isn't better, but you can use M there is no law of man or nature that I know of saying not to. Beside the cheap foriegn fittings everyone is selling are lighter than the Type M and that will be where most failures will come from in the future, just as they have in PEX.

Most people will say if you have water destroying copper pipe, the use of heavier pipe will not solve it. The money would be better spent fixing the PH or mineral content in the water.

L is way better don't get me wrong, but using M is not wrong per say.
 
construct30 said:
L is way better don't get me wrong, but using M is not wrong per say.
Click to expand...

Must be a state thing, it's forbidden here on potable...just ask Patrick or Cass.
Here, using type M is considered about as bad as using copper on NG...I've seen guys use it when stock on the truck has run out and then sand off the lables so the inspector can't see it.
Ordinarily I'd say it could just be a local superstition, but I've had the first hand experience to see how quickly it erodes in high mineral area's, it was allowed for a brief period years ago.
There are towns in this state where you could clean house just by advertizing copper alternatives for repipes.
It's ironic how taboo's in one state can be considered the norm in another.
 
Like you said it could be a water thing and your state had enough trouble to mandate it and I know a lot of older plumbers here that would never use M.

Something for us to keep in mind with posts like these, some one catch the original poster and tell him to check local and state codes.
 
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From what I am hearing I think I probably will have to go with L type copper. It is probably safer way to go.

And i guess the 2nd time around I should do a much better job soldering these things.

This is for a water supply line to my bathroom faucet.

thanks
 
copper

Here, you would have to look for a very long time before you found a piece of type "L" copper in a residence. M has been the standard for several decades.
 
My house was built in 1986 the pin holes happen often. Getting ready to repipe in pex. I would use L and only L and have gotten into a few arguments over it. I work with a few hacks.
 
5 Minutes to clean solder out of a $0.50 fitting... Doesn't seem cost effective... Toss it in the scrap and make money!
 
There are just two times I will mess with cleaning and reusing a fitting. If it means a 15 mile round trip to the store to buy one fitting or if it is a very expensive fitting. Other than that, it isn't worth the effort to clean 'em up.
 
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