Needing to splice into a water line in the attic. a little help please?

I am doing a remodel in which I need to splice into the water line which is in the attic to add a sink where there was previously none. There is limited space but my main concern is getting enough flex out of the main pipe to get a fitting in. There is plenty of movement from side to side but none moving back and fourth (I'm assuming the pipes are bracketed somewhere). What would be my best bet to get the T fitting in place? Should I find the brackets somewhere in the attic "void" or does someone have another solution?

I am pretty handy and am sure I can do the splice my self if I have the correct advice thanks much!

Cut out a section, use a repair coupling on one end of the new piece you insert, and the T on the other end. The repair coupling doesn't have a stop in the middle, so after cleaning and fluxing, slide it on the pipe, stick the T onto the other end, then slide the repair coupling so it is centered over the two pipe ends, and solder it together. But, once cut, you often have enough slack to spread it enough to just insert the T (after cutting out the small section so each end will bottom in the fitting).

Use a sweat union, that way if you make a bad solder joint you can separate it again to redo the joint.

Thanks so much! I was concerned that I would have to hire a plumber to work this out for me and did not want to spend the extra money. Since I have never sweated pipe before would you suggest I take a couple practice runs at it before heading into the attic?

Practice?
Yes, that makes good sense, then you can see in good light how it goes before you head up into a dark attic.

Clean the pipe and fitting,
Flux the pipe and fitting
Even heat, not just one side.
Use No-Lead solder.

If you have not worked with copper before you are better off to hire it out. If you can not afford to hire a licensed plumber look on Craigs list, have the guy show you how to sweat a pipe before letting him go to work.. I generate a fair amount of work from Craigs list list.

Michael

The only "house fire" I was ever involved with was when a plumber was soldering in the attic. That would be the LAST place I would want a "beginner" to be soldering. There are MANY flammable items in the attic, some of which you might not think about, such as; insulation, dust (which is what he set on fire), dry wood, etc.

yes, I have not worked with copper before but I am very comfortable working with a torch. There is good lighting installed in the attic and lots of space. I also have room to clear all insulation and set a piece of good steel between the pipes and anything else. I think should do the trick. No, I do not have the money to have anyone come out and do the work for me. My father in law actually built and plumbed his whole house so he is showing me how to accomplish everything needed before hand.

It seems to me that a repair coupling is a little big for what I need. It would be so much easier if there were not any stops in the T I have to put in so I could just slide the thing on there.

All being said I still not want to solder too many joints up there so I am going to pre assemble everything below and use shark bite T's on one end so I can keep the heated joints to a minimum.

What type of insulation do you have in your attic?

The biggest thing that hasn't been mentioned that bites home owners in the ass every time, is trying to solder a pipe that still has water dripping from it, or sitting in it. Open up some valves or faucets when you goto solder too.

I do not have faith in the shark byte fittings yet.

Maybe I'm just old school and like the sweated fittings....
Micahel

If you don't want to solder, and were already going to use Sharkbites for the other stuff, cut a bit more pipe out and use one of the slip fittings as shown here: http://www.cashacme.com/prod_sharkbite_pushfit.php. then, you'll only need a small section of pipe. You may also want to buy their tool that deburrs the ends of the pipe. Keep in mind that the thing that seals is the internal o-ring(s), and if there's a burr, and you slice it, all bets are off in it sealing.

Actually I went and looked at them and decided to go ahead with the slip T. I think it will make things much easier though the price is a lot higher. I think it's worth it this time though.