Huge new project underway!

Tintin said:
Ah.. well, you see I'm using these fancy chrome valves that are compression fittings.

I know sweating on valves would be the 'right' thing to do, but these are really nice and frankly, the more often I handle a torch, the more often I burn something.

On that topic, I will likely want to sweat off one or two of the end caps from the capped 1/2 copper. Two of the roughed in pipes are a little short, so I don't want to cut them shorter.

Aside from scraps of wood etc, what is the best thing to use as a shield for the torch so I don't burn all the paint off my beadboard?

http://www.dahlvalve.com/Finishing_Valve_021907_R.pdf
Click to expand...

If you're going to try and unsweat the caps, after you've shutoff the water and bled the pressure off, drill a 3/8"s hole in the end of the cap to get all the water out of the pipe, and THEN try to sweat the cap off. Funny enough, toothpaste actually works okay at blocking heat. Then use some good sand cloth to get that pipe perfectly clean of solder. Those ferrules on the compression valves need good round pipe to seal properly.
 
Where would I put toothpaste? I need to protect the wall around the pipe.

I'd much prefer to not take a torch in there now. If I blister the wall paint, man oh man, I might as well pack my bags now.

These fittings allow a few inches of copper to slide up inside the chrome sleeve with the compression fitting right up against the wall. How much/little copper do you think I can get away with beyond the ferrule?

I think the trick is to get a 2nd set of hands helping me out so I can maintain good control of the torch. Someone else can pull the cap off with pliers.
 
Tintin said:
Where would I put toothpaste? I need to protect the wall around the pipe.

I'd much prefer to not take a torch in there now. If I blister the wall paint, man oh man, I might as well pack my bags now.

These fittings allow a few inches of copper to slide up inside the chrome sleeve with the compression fitting right up against the wall. How much/little copper do you think I can get away with beyond the ferrule?

I think the trick is to get a 2nd set of hands helping me out so I can maintain good control of the torch. Someone else can pull the cap off with pliers.
Click to expand...

The toothpaste would go on the wall around the pipe to protect from heat.
I looked closer at your photos and it looks like you could get away with just cutting the caps off. The pipes that are close to the wall, I would just use a hacksaw to cut the caps off right at the seam. Then use a coarse file and sandcloth to clean off whatever slag is left over.
When you ask about how much copper is needed beyond the ferrule do you mean on the wall side or valve side?
If you mean the valve side, I'd say 3/8" is all you really need. Thats all thats available on all standard Arco valves.
If you're not comfortable using the torch, just cut those caps off.
Just to be sure, those compression nuts sit against the wall?
 
Yep - the nuts would go as close to the wall as possible. The valve allows for probably 3 inches of copper to extend into the chrome sleeve beyond the ferrule.

I'll measure things up and will probably just hack off the caps like you mention and clean things up for the valves. If I was to royally screw up I could open up the wall on the other side where it's just drywall, but would of course rather not bother with that!

All the valves are going on tomorrow, toilet going in, thermostat for the Nuheat floor going in... Unfortunately I'm waiting on a replacement sink from Kohler. The Kohler logo is off centre on the one I got.
 
Tintin said:
Yep - the nuts would go as close to the wall as possible. The valve allows for probably 3 inches of copper to extend into the chrome sleeve beyond the ferrule.

I'll measure things up and will probably just hack off the caps like you mention and clean things up for the valves. If I was to royally screw up I could open up the wall on the other side where it's just drywall, but would of course rather not bother with that!

All the valves are going on tomorrow, toilet going in, thermostat for the Nuheat floor going in... Unfortunately I'm waiting on a replacement sink from Kohler. The Kohler logo is off centre on the one I got.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're all set then. Take your time and you should be fine.
I've seen a ton of those sinks with the logo off center!
 
Well, they'll be shipping me new ones till they get it right. My Kohler shower doors had a few scuffs on them, and they're shipping me a complete new set (and they don't want the old ones back!).
 
Back to the heat issue.... I use a fabric heat shield that is available most places where you can buy torches and solder... have never left a scorch mark anywhere when I use it. Sort of an asbestos mat without the asbestos :)
 
Yeah - I'll pop down to Rona and see if they've got one. I think I have enough pipe though to just cut the caps off. It's really just the toilet and the hot supply for the sink that are a little short. That's the problem when a) your demo guy cuts the pipes off and b) you put 1/2" drywall, then 3/8" beadboard and then 3/4" thick baseboard on top of that.
 
If you use a low enough heat you shouldn't need a heat shield. Don't point it at the wall and make sure there is no water in it. I agree with drilling a small hole in the end. Also make sure the solder is completely liquid in the fitting before you try to pull the cap of. If you oval the cap it becomes a real pain in the nether-regions. If you are still concerned about burning the wall, just pop a small hole through a piece of drywall and slide the pipe through. You'll burn the drywall first. When you have removed the caps, heat the pipe up again till the flame starts to turn green. take a dry cotton (don't use polyester) rag and wipe the excess solder off the pipe. You wont get the ferrule (compression ring) on the pipe if you have any solder on it.

Good luck and dont burn your house down.
 
I cut the cap off - easy peasy. Got the toilet in tonight - no more going from the 3rd floor to the basement!

Strangely, the supply line for the toilet was exactly the right length. Didn't have to cut even 1mm off it. Fit perfectly. Strange. Of course that was tempered by one of our new wall sconce shades falling from the fixture. So, off to the lighting store I go tomorrow. Wife is gonna kill me when she finds out!

Wired up the Nuheat thermostat and the floor is warming up nicely :)

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IMG_8168.jpg

IMG_8171.jpg
 
All that and you couldn't find a fancy chrome nut for the tank end? ;)

Nice job... love the hole in the toilet.
 
Meh - you can't see the nut anyhow. Not even sure if they make them anyhow. It all works and no leaks, so I'm not touching it again.

Tub is next up on the list.
 
Yep - they did a nice job with the paint. Good news on the light-shade front - replacement has been ordered and was only $10.

Medicine cabinet is next up along with something on that knee-wall. Wife is pushing me to put a wood top on it to get it done quickly. I want a custom-made marble top to match the floor, but matching tiles to slabs is near impossible.
 
Tintin said:
Yep - they did a nice job with the paint. Good news on the light-shade front - replacement has been ordered and was only $10.

Medicine cabinet is next up along with something on that knee-wall. Wife is pushing me to put a wood top on it to get it done quickly. I want a custom-made marble top to match the floor, but matching tiles to slabs is near impossible.
Click to expand...

I like the stone idea... why not add some colour to the room and find a nice slab of granite or marble... might even find a end-of-slab that will work... don't try to match the floor... go 180 degrees... call it a feature piece to sell it to her :)
 
We'll see. It needs to be custom cut with a little notch in it and I want it profiled. I found a place to go for it - just need to get back in there and find the right piece of marble.
 
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