Amateur plumber - coupling at angle

[88guy]

I'm a self-taught "non-plumber" but I'm, generally, pretty good around the house - and our house is so screwed up that anything I do makes it better than it was... Tonight, running out of pipe, I didn't push some 1/2 inch copper all the way into a ball valve and I think that it caused the pipe and a coupling to be at a slight angle. It's my ugliest plumbing job, to date - I was replacing an ancient, corroded gate valve. But nothing leaks, and everything has lots of solder (too much). This is certainly a stupid question but I'm wondering if the slight angle, in the attached image, is any sort of issue. I've never sweat pipes, had no leaks, and ever had pipe come apart. But I'm a worrier. Would this cause any problems.

 

[voletl]

If it was me I would fix it and try not to burn that elbow anymore. But it could last forever or not I have seen both outcomes.

 

[frodo]

EWWWWWWW!!!!!!! Dingleberry's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me ask you a personal intimate question.

Do you wipe your rear end when you take a dump?

Of course you do!!!!! cause you aint finished till its wiped!!!!!

solidering copper is the same way, you aint finished till that joint is wiped!!!!!

those are called dingleberries hanging off that pipe..


your joint is in a bind, that aint good,

in the future, when you cut a pipe with cutters, if you cut to fast,to deep to soon..you get a ridge on your copper pipe.
this ridge, keeps you from pushing the pipe all the way into the fitting, slow down on your cuts.
also. when you fab up your work, if its sagging, put a 2x4 of a trash can lid,,,or a brick
what ever is handy under the pipe to support it.so it dont sag.

get them damn dingleberries off that pipe, looks like socks on a rooster

 

[88guy]

try not to burn that elbow anymore

That was like that - I didn't do the vertical pipe nor the elbow. That's old stuff.

your joint is in a bind, that aint good,

Yep - that damned thing makes me nervous. It MIGHT last forever, but, we're on a slab and a water leak is more like a house fire in terms of damage......ugh. I think I'll just redo the darned thing.

get them damn dingleberries off that pipe, looks like socks on a rooster

Haha.... yeah - I wasn't very proud of this thing..... I was tired, in a hurry, etc. Like I said - I'm just gonna do it again......get everything lined up, no bind.... THANKS for the tips. At least I don't pretend to REALLY know what da' hell I'm doin.....

 

[frodo]

take your hammer handle, knock the hell out of the pipe. if it stays together, its ok.

if it cracks and leaks.....rutroo!!!!! thats how you check them.

 

[plbgbiz]

88,
Just remember that YOU asked...

That's a freaking travesty.

You should have called a Plumber for that repair. Bury your torch and solder in the backyard and never touch them again.

 

[88guy]

88,
Just remember that YOU asked...

That's a freaking travesty.

You should have called a Plumber for that repair. Bury your torch and solder in the backyard and never touch them again.

It IS terrible....but it''s the worst mess I've ever made - I was tired, achey, and burnt out. We just don't have the money to pay a plumber. I've got a lot of respect for professional craftsmen and they're absolutely worth the money they charge - unfortunately, we just don't have the money....

 

[frodo]

practice, practice, practice....I used to have a plumber, that worked for me.hooking up fan coil units.
he was real good, his solider looked very nice. he would "flick" the dingleberries off with his finger as he soldiered.
only problem with that, He was a jokester, If you were walking by,,You WOULD get solider flicked at you
then you would hear a He He He !!!!

 

[Matt30]

I wipe them with a rag but flickin them at people sounds more fun

 

[gendow]

On one side of that elbow it looks like it is silver soldered which requires higher heat, not that it matters and as long as it is not leaking that is the main thing. As for the unevenness and coupling it just looks unprofessional but again as long as it is not leaking that is the main thing in my opinion.

 

[frodo]

On one side of that elbow it looks like it is silver soldered which requires higher heat, not that it matters and as long as it is not leaking that is the main thing. As for the unevenness and coupling it just looks unprofessional but again as long as it is not leaking that is the main thing in my opinion.

i thought the same thing, so i blowed it up.
NAH, just a nasty, fluxed solidered joint that was never wiped