That week I flooded my basement with a bad solder joint

Last Tuesday I was sweating copper pipes in my laundry room and thought I had a solid connection on the hot water line. Turned the main back on and heard water spraying inside the wall, ended up with about 2 inches of water on the concrete floor. Took me 3 tries to get the joint right and had to rent a wet vac from Home Depot for $45. Has anyone else had a small plumbing mistake turn into a whole day of cleanup?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper6d ago

$45 for a Home Depot wet vac? They're like $35 to rent. Maybe your store jacks up the prices. Anyway, you gotta let the joint cool completely before turning the water back on. I always wait 10 minutes minimum. Did you use flux? That's the main thing people skip.

amyh126d ago

This one guy I used to know tried soldering a pipe without flux and ended up with water spraying everywhere. He said he let it cool off for like 5 minutes and that was definitely not enough, the joint was still hot to the touch. Idk maybe it's just me but I always use flux, it makes a huge difference.

green.noah6d ago

Wait, he tried soldering a pipe without flux? That's like trying to bake a cake without flour!