Silver Bearing Lead-Free is fine to use. Make sure you clean all fittings and use flux. If installing a new tank, make sure to solder the brass tank connectors to 12″ pieces of copper first. Then tighten the tank connectors onto the inlet and outlet using teflon tape.
Can I use silver solder for plumbing?
Oatey® Silver Lead Free Plumbing Wire Solder is a silver bearing wire solder designed for plumbing and potable water line applications. Safe Flo Silver Lead Free Solder is also effective on stainless steel, brass alloys, chrome alloys, galvanized steel and cast iron piping.
Is lead-free solder safe for water pipes?
Since the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986 the use of lead-containing solders in potable water systems has effectively been banned nationwide.
Is silver solder better than lead solder?
Silver solder usually refers to a stronger solder used for mechanical joins (compared to lead solder which is soft and relatively weak). However, silver solder has a higher melting temperature, which means the parts have to be heated to a higher temperature to make it work.
What solder should you use on water pipes?
Lead-free plumbing solders are required for use on pipes carrying drinking water, also known as potable water lines. Leaded solders are available for applications that will not come into contact with potable water, such as sheet metal repair or copper drain lines.
Why do plumbers use lead free solder?
Lead free solder reduces your working range.
Hence with lead free solder you need to get it hot very fast and get the solder into place almost instantly so that it can flow over the flux rather than arrive where the flux has already burned off and left an oxidized copper surface that the solder will not stick to.
How strong is lead free solder?
A: Lead-free solder has a higher melting point, which makes it harder to work with – it’s 217C for lead-free compared to 183C for lead alloys. This also impacts on thermal bounce – the speed at which the iron regains working temperature.
Can you silver solder copper pipe?
When you’re soldering you should always use flux.
Only flux the outside of the copper tubing that you’re joining. Don’t even use flux on the fitting (the edge). If you’re using silver solder – that is, solder with 45 percent silver or higher – to connect copper to steel you must always use an acid-based flux.
Can I use lead solder for plumbing?
Since the 1930s, copper pipe has been used for residential plumbing. Until 1986, however, lead-based solder was used widely to join copper pipes. Lead-free solder and lead-free materials are now required by federal law for use in new household plumbing and for plumbing repairs.
What is lead free plumbing solder made of?
Lead-free solder can be made from different compositions (% weight) of metals, such as Tin (usually the main element), Silver, Copper, Antimony, Bismuth, Cobalt, Nickel, Indium, Zinc, Germanium, and rare earth elements.
What is silver bearing solder used for?
It is great for electronics, wiring, connectors, and circuit boards. Silver bearing solder paste repairs copper, brass, bronze, nickel, platinum, chrome, coated steel, cast iron and steel.
Is lead-free solder better than lead solder?
Lead-free solder has a negative joint reliability impact. From a mechanical influence point of view, lead-free solder is stronger than leaded solder. Furthermore, lead-free solder forms surface oxides, flux impurity, and alloy deposits that can cause poor contact resistance performance.
Is silver solder real silver?
Silver Solder Alloys
Silver solder has other metals, besides silver, alloyed into it. The alloy is primarily silver but the additional metals provide sought-after characteristics for the purpose of bonding. Copper (Cu) is soft and a great heat conductor plus it’s resistant to corrosion.
Does silver solder require flux?
If you tried to butt the two pieces of metal together, there simply wouldn’t be enough surface area touching to achieve a strong joint. Silver Solder is used with a Flux, which chemically cleans the metal and keeps it clean during the Silver Soldering process.
What is the melting temperature of silver solder?
A manufacturer can solder a component or components using, for example a high Lead (Pb) solder alloy. These alloys melt in the 300° range. He can then do a secondary solder using a Tin Silver solder (SnAg), which melts in the 220° range.
What kind of flux do you use with silver solder?
Handy Flux is used for easy and medium soldering (solder that melts at a lower temperature) of gold and silver. It can also be diluted with distilled water if it’s too thick. You can buy this from Amazon in 7 oz, 1/2 lb, and 1 lb jars.
Is silver solder stronger than brazing?
Soldering, in addition to having a lower processing temperature, typically results in a lower-strength joint than a brazed joint. For many applications, this is suitable and even desirable. The shear strength of brazed joints typically exceeds that of soldered joints by a factor of five.
What metals can be silver soldered?
It’s a silver alloy with some other metals added in, which makes it stronger and able to take more punishment than typical aluminum or copper soldering wire. Silver solder typically contains silver, zinc, lead, tin, and copper as its primary ingredients.
