# I Love Copper



## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

Got a call late last night. Well this makes #6 at this home in Osprey, Fl, a the new year is here, so is this huge repipe job. Finally the homeowner has had enough..


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Thats amazing all the problems you guys have with copper down there.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

And type L to boot.

Pex baby, everyone on here needs to switch to Pex


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

Ron The Plumber said:


> And type L to boot.
> 
> Pex baby, everyone on here needs to switch to Pex


It's not code approved here, and we don't have the pure crap they call water in FL.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Everyone except KTS :laughing:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Ron The Plumber said:


> And type L to boot.
> 
> Pex baby, everyone on here needs to switch to Pex


Sounds like you need to go to Las Vegas and do a few thousand homes....:laughing:


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Redwood said:


> Sounds like you need to go to Las Vegas and do a few thousand homes....:laughing:


I'd do it, yes I would. :thumbsup:


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Pex does have a place I'm not to keen on flow restriction with the fittings. I've only been around it for a couple years.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

ironandfire said:


> Pex does have a place I'm not to keen on flow restriction with the fittings. I've only been around it for a couple years.



That's why you should only use sharkbite fittings on pex. They go over the pipe, and do not restrict flow.:thumbsup:


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Does it work on pex?


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

If people didnt think they need one pound of flux per joint we would probably be ok with copper down here.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

I have found that on the average 3 bedroom ranch pex works very well. 

Now, get into say a 2 or 3 story home with fixtures on the top floor, or someone wants a recirc system installed well then.............


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## mssp (Dec 15, 2009)

I have never plumbed outside of the KC area. We always use K copper for our service lines. I have never seen anything like this. It looks like from the picture that something had punched through the side of that. You all say that it is due to the water in Florida. What is the deal. Just courious.


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

That is one huge pin hole. I've repaired hundreds of them, 99.9% being type M. Water quality here is excellent, L copper will last a lifetime or two. Type M typically lasts 30-60 years.

Do you guys in Florida have town/city water or is it mostly well water?


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

mssp said:


> I have never plumbed outside of the KC area. We always use K copper for our service lines. I have never seen anything like this. It looks like from the picture that something had punched through the side of that. You all say that it is due to the water in Florida. What is the deal. Just courious.


Look at the last 2 pictures and you'll see the glob of flux.


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

Did you know that only about 10 % of Earth's copper ore has been mined? They say there is plenty of it to last for eons. I say we develope better water quality and buy more copper and throw our pex tools in the trash. Get back to REAL plumbing.
I'm just saying.


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

Looking at the pics, didn't see any patina inside the copper, interesting. If pex's reduced diameter is an issue, just up size the pipe. To make transitions to 1/2" copper use a reducer coupling 3/4x1/2 and a pex 3/4 street copper X pex fitting. Same inside diameters between 3/4 pex and 1/2 copper. Roughly.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

In central Florida, PEX has now been TIME PROVEN to last longer than copper.


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## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

House Plumber, it is not flux. It is mostly due to the county water


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## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

I get to take a look at leak number 7 in the morning.. Just got that call.


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## drtyhands (Aug 16, 2008)

ESPinc said:


> I get to take a look at leak number 7 in the morning.. Just got that call.


What'd you do disembowel the regulator
:icon_evil:


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## mssp (Dec 15, 2009)

house plumber said:


> If people didnt think they need one pound of flux per joint we would probably be ok with copper down here.


 I dont think that is due from flux. IMO it looks like that is uderground and it doesnt look like it is any where near a fitting to me?


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## jeffreyplumber (Dec 7, 2009)

*leak #7*

WOW How much is this guy spending? No repipe? Is it the water or the unprotected pipe buried causing this? Keep us posted!!


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

mssp said:


> I dont think that is due from flux. IMO it looks like that is uderground and it doesnt look like it is any where near a fitting to me?


 
ok whatever you say. :thumbsup:


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Down in Az. I found and I **** you not a joint maybe 5 yrs. old not fvcking soldered. I'm sure it was La-co. That stuff is nothing but nasty.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I will have to respectfully disagree. Just because there isn't a fitting near by doesn't mean it's not flux. Oil based flux in some cases can be blown away if it was originally put on in a thick blob and that blob can be redeposited somewhere else in the system. In one of the pics you can actually see a spot where the green slime is still brown on the right side. Looks like flux to me. If it isn't flux, then what is it?



mssp said:


> I dont think that is due from flux. IMO it looks like that is uderground and it doesnt look like it is any where near a fitting to me?


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

I use to use laco flux. In the summer we would water test our water lines with a hydrostatic pump. Then cut the lines and flushed the system and never had problems with leaks. In the winter time we would air test the system with air and would not flush the system. When we would turn the water back on in the final we would have a bunch of pinhole leaks. We finally diagnosed it as the laco eating through the pipe. We changed flux and it stopped doing it. Looking at the picture I see a very bright green spot which is common with laco. My assummption that that is what caused the problem.


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Nokrode for me.


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## jeffreyplumber (Dec 7, 2009)

opened a wall to do remodel job found 25 yearold unsoldered joint on a 2 inch water header serving a battery of water closets it was seeping water looked nasty! but no damage insidewall!


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