Soldered Joints
- Thread starter sterose
- Start date
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As an expert in badly soldered joints I can confirm that if it isn't done properly it will leak - under mains pressure. It certainly won't blow apart. You'd have be talking in terms of 10s of bar or 100s of psi for something to fail as catastrophically as that. Look at it another way, anything that is high pressure e.g. steam, has to be certified, mains pressure (relatively low) doesn't, which means that it isn't as dangerous. I'm still alive to tell the tale after putting a nail through a water pipe hidden in the plasterwork in my old house many years ago. There was a loud explosion but that was my wife and that's another story.
Water under pressure doesn't hold much stored energy in water pipe volumes, unlike steam which is a compressed gas and hold loads of stored energy. However, back to your unvented cylinder. Pressure between 2 bar and 4 bar depending on make and model, but despite the low pressure with a volume of 100 plus litres and a temperature, this has the potential to store loads of energy. If the protection devices fail, (unlikely) the pressure could be 3 bar say, at this pressure water doesn't boil until 150 deg C. If the pressure is released the water will flash to steam, and the resulting explosion is quite capable of taking down the building. That's why operators and fitters have to be certified.
Have seen plenty of joints blow apart, though only ones where the solder hadn't penetrated into the joint. More common with endfeed fittings. The joints which had blown apart all had a ring of solder on the outside so they looked OK.
"Yorkshire" joints are safer!
"Yorkshire" joints are safer!
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I'd love to know what youre on about, oilman. 
I always use yorkshire fittings, because there a lot easier than a*seing around end feed.
I've done a fair bit of plumbing and never had a leak with soldered joints, but I'm just keen to find out if its possible.
For example, if the joint was duff, would it blow apart straight away or could it take time...
What's the story with gas pipes, would there be more risk of blowing apart, or less?
I always use yorkshire fittings, because there a lot easier than a*seing around end feed.
I've done a fair bit of plumbing and never had a leak with soldered joints, but I'm just keen to find out if its possible.
For example, if the joint was duff, would it blow apart straight away or could it take time...
What's the story with gas pipes, would there be more risk of blowing apart, or less?
Sterose wrote:
Read the post by IanDB, then read mine.
IanDB wrote
If you have a certificate you will understand my post, if you haven't, you will see I pointed out that there are circumstances where connections to water at mains pressure has to be certified, because it's potentially dangerous. I also gave the technical information to illustrate the point.
Read the post by IanDB, then read mine.
IanDB wrote
If you have a certificate you will understand my post, if you haven't, you will see I pointed out that there are circumstances where connections to water at mains pressure has to be certified, because it's potentially dangerous. I also gave the technical information to illustrate the point.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" Excuse me, but what does IanDB's psot have to do with mine.
And i dont need lectures that i havent got a certificate.
As i say, im perfectly competent.
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God save the Queen, a fascist regime "
Sterose - why do you ask for advise then rant 'n' rave, ridicule peoples replies? I've read a lot of oilman's contributions and the advise he has given is always concise to the point and backed up with technical facts.
Like you I class myself as competent at plumbing, put a few central heating systems in over the years but that's the point, I'm competent in my eyes, not qualified. I've learnt all I know by reading books but above all by listening to people who demonstrate a sound knowledge of their subject, especially if they are willing to take the time to share it for free as in this forum.
So oilman and others, thanks for your contributions - they are very much appreciated.
" Excuse me, but what does IanDB's psot have to do with mine.
And i dont need lectures that i havent got a certificate.
As i say, im perfectly competent.
__________________
-------------------------------------------
God save the Queen, a fascist regime "
Sterose - why do you ask for advise then rant 'n' rave, ridicule peoples replies? I've read a lot of oilman's contributions and the advise he has given is always concise to the point and backed up with technical facts.
Like you I class myself as competent at plumbing, put a few central heating systems in over the years but that's the point, I'm competent in my eyes, not qualified. I've learnt all I know by reading books but above all by listening to people who demonstrate a sound knowledge of their subject, especially if they are willing to take the time to share it for free as in this forum.
So oilman and others, thanks for your contributions - they are very much appreciated.
yaeh, a competent prat!
Listen you, theres no need to get nasty.
I wasnt ridiculing soilman, sorry..., oilman.
I also was not questioning oilman's value to this forum.
All I was saying is that his reply had nothing to do with my question.
And just to clarify, I understood oilmans first post, but it had no relation to my question. e.g. "However, back to your unvented cylinder"
I never mentioned an unvented cylinder.
And like I say, pros know all the stuff in theory, but when it comes to practical, you can get alot of cowboys.
And the simple fact of the matter is that my work proves that I am competent, as does yours.
After all, im competent at wiping my a*se, but not 'qualified'. But every day, I clean myself up, and sure enough, it is done properly.
I wasnt ridiculing soilman, sorry..., oilman.
I also was not questioning oilman's value to this forum.
All I was saying is that his reply had nothing to do with my question.
And just to clarify, I understood oilmans first post, but it had no relation to my question. e.g. "However, back to your unvented cylinder"
I never mentioned an unvented cylinder.
And like I say, pros know all the stuff in theory, but when it comes to practical, you can get alot of cowboys.
And the simple fact of the matter is that my work proves that I am competent, as does yours.
After all, im competent at wiping my a*se, but not 'qualified'. But every day, I clean myself up, and sure enough, it is done properly.
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