Re-Plumbing an Exterior Hose Bib - Fun with Fire!

When one has a closet renovation / window install project well underway, one's imagination naturally goes to plumbing, right? In our case it does anyway. Our existing, exterior hose bib, bibb?, biiibbbb? (faucet) is located below our new window opening. It's not only too close, it's a wobbly, corroded horror. I've wanted to clean it up for a long time. Finally, it's time to attack it.

I'm going to share a heaping helping of the tips and tricks I use working with copper plumbing pipe as I work through this project. Thanks to my friends at Bernzomatic who sponsored this post, I'm also taking my new, professional-grade torch for a spin with some serious soldering action.

The old faucet is nasty alright. This gorgeous specimen features an extra-special bonus, a broken manifold assembly feeding a garden hose reel and the short chunk of hose we use to constantly refill the swimming pool as it rapidly evaporates under the blazing summertime Arizona sun.

Since I'm adding a window and removing the siding anyway, I decided to tear the plumbing assembly off and replace part of it inside the wall, rather than try to fit a new faucet against a patinaed coupling on the sliver of pipe I could access from outside. I started by taking off the cracked piece of plywood I suspected was a feeble attempt at supporting the protruding pipe. At least the ancient, rusted screw heads didn't snap off as I eased them out with an impact driver.

Char-broiled for that natural woody flavor

With the siding pulled off, serious burn-age was revealed on the wall stud as well. I found it odd that the paper backside of the drywall isn't scorched at all, yet the burn marks spread against it. There's a story there somewhere, now lost to the ages.

What were they thinking?!!

The whole line of copper tubing was bent, pitted, and heavily corroded. It wasn't secured at all. I found a rusty, twisted J-nail that must have been the original method used to attach it to the stud, but it must have failed during the House-B-Q attempt.

I think those eggshells are from the lizards that roam our yard

I decided to replace the entire thing. I'd assemble a new copper run from scratch and attach it to the straight, clean-ish point where the tubing comes up through the ground mounted 2x4 plate. So it was off to the workshop my friends!

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.

- Oscar Goldman

I'm not an expert plumber by any means, but I've done a fair amount of it over the years and picked up some cool tricks along the way. Still, every single time I sweat pipes together, I cannot shake the fear of water spewing from my freshly soldered joints. There have been plenty of occasions where I've run from the valve, though the house, only to discover the stomach dropping horror of geysers of water spraying from my fresh work, soaking things that shouldn't be soaked.

I do alright nowadays, so I'm going to share the hard won method I use. I've shamelessly stolen bits and pieces of it from countless others over the years and now claim it as my own. Therefore, I present to you...

Step 1: Plan THE work then work THE plan

I sketch out what I'm going to do and roughly dimension it. It helps build my shopping list as I draw it out. There's nothing worse than standing slack-jawed in the aisle of the hardware store, mentally trying to build the project in order to get all the parts. I also buy spare parts when I'm there. Seriously, I'm going to screw something up anyway, why not be prepared for it and save that second trip?

*It's going to be a double-header today*

Step 2(a): Cut all the pieces

I use a mini-tubing cutter to cut everything at once, assembly line style. I work piece by piece through my plan. Later, when I have the torch burning and I'm in full soldering mode, I don't want to stop and prepare more parts of the puzzle.

These cutters are easy little tools to use. You simply slip them around the pipe where you want to cut it and spin it around repeatedly, tightening the knob every few times around. It slowly runs a sharp cutting wheel through the pipe until it snaps clean and straight.

Step 2(b): Rough layout / parts check

As I make the cuts, I layout the pieces in a rough approximation of where they'll go, including the fittings. This is important, since I don't like to come up one piece short or use the wrong size piece when it's go-time.

Like I said, when I buy fittings, I always buy extras for my pack-rat collection. I never know when I'm going to screw up, damage, or lose one. A little extra money out of pocket in advance keeps me from driving to the hardware store like a chump and standing in line to buy a single copper fitting,... and maybe an impulse purchase bag of licorice.

Step 3: Ream the ends and sand the burs

Usually, I use a pair of needlenose pliers on the inside of fresh cut tubing, just spin 'em around in there a bit. They smooth out the inside burr edge so there will be less resistance to the waterflow. Of course, I had managed to misplace my favorite needlenose pliers somewhere in the house and had to resort to a pair of obliging wire strippers to do the deed. [UPDATE: Look where I found them, in the Christmas decorations]

I also like to hit the outside edge with a quick zap of sandpaper / emery cloth to knock off any little bits that could cause problems in the next step. I'm not really doing a solid final clean at this point, because I'm still screwing around with parts. They could get contaminated with skin oil and workshop debris.

Step 4: Dry Fit / Test Assembly

I build my whole contraption beforehand.

At this point of my project, I reinforced the lesson of not skipping Step 3, as I jammed a section of tubing I hadn't prepared into an elbow and could not get it back out for the life of me. I ended up bending and wrecking a piece of tubing in my futile struggle by resorting to a pair of pliers. Idiot.

I later replaced those capped ends with a factory sealed "stub-out"

Step 5: Check for fit at the final location

I carried the loose fit assembly out to the back yard, just to eyeball it in place. As they say, measure twice, solder once, right?

Step 6: Final Clean (One Section)

This step can be done with the emery cloth / sand-paper stuff, but I prefer this wire brush widget that does the job inside and out with ease. It leaves the pipe looking shiny, like a freshly minted penny. All surfaces to be mated must get the treatment.

I clean up one section at a time, usually two to three pipe ends and the corresponding fitting. When I set them down, I make sure the newly cleaned sections hang over the edge of something so they don't get contaminated with rogue bits of workbench crud.

See? Like a shiny penny right?

Step 7: Flux and Assemble (One Section)

I spread flux evenly on all surfaces of the joint to be soldered, inside and out, with one of those cheap "acid" brushes from the welding section of the hardware store. All the pieces that go together into one fitting get put in place. I like to heat a fitting and solder all the joints at one time, so I don't accidentally ruin a finished weld by re-melting cured solder.

I secure the piece, in a small portable vice. It makes it a lot easier to see and control my work since I need two hands in on the action.

Maybe it's silly, but I also take precautions to keep from engulfing my family home in a firestorm of destruction initiated by accidentally lighting my MDF topped workbench ablaze. I use a flame resistant pad and an old piece of tile to protect the benchtop (and my legs should there be a molten drip). A fire extinguisher always sits casually, smirking off to the side, like it just knows it's going to have to rescue me one of these days. Confidentially, I think it's a bit of an arrogant jerk, since it's never actually had to do its one, single job.

Group Photo (From left: AZ DIY Guy, Bernzomatic torch, Smug Fire Extinguisher)

Step 8: Kick the tires and light the fires!

The core, fire-breathing tool of this process is the torch of course. I've recently upgraded to a sweet Bernzomatic TS-4000 professional model. This a unit that allows me to use either Propane or MAP Pro gas (for a hotter flame). For this project, propane is my gas of choice.

Go time. The trick here is to heat the fitting, not the solder.

I apply heat to the backside of the fitting, moving the flame slowly back and forth, using the hottest, inner point of the flame.
When the flux, starts to sizzle like butter in a hot frying pan,...
I remove the flame and poke a bit of the solder, extended from the spool, against the joint, opposite where I applied the flame. Sometimes it melts right away, but usually I need to back off with the solder and apply a few more seconds of fire.
When conditions are good, the joint slurps the solder quickly into the crack, pulling it all the way around the pipe. Scientifically speaking, it's magic.

What I really liked about this torch was the fact that I simply twisted the knob to the "on" position and pulled it back as a trigger. That's it, no fiddling around to adjust the feed rate to get a perfect flame.

Just pull the trigger and yell, "Flame On!" at the top of your lungs. The torch lights instantly. There is another little button above the trigger that locks the unit on for an extended session, (with no additional yelling necessary).

I hit the other side of the fitting right away, while it's still hot. Usually, just a quick retouch of heat is required to get it back up to temp for melting the solder. I don't like to let a piece cool completely and reheat it later, thus putting a good joint at risk. Get the whole fitting done at once.

Step 9: The cool down

With the whole fitting section complete and the assembly looking good, I give it a quenching with a damp rag. I keep the gloves on for this, since the piece is still flaming hot for a little while. It's fairly ugly with the goop that comes out during the soldering process, but a good wipedown takes care of it easily.

I understand there's an acidic residue from the solder. It should get cleaned up so there's no chance of it degrading the copper over time, when it's buried in the wall. The damp rag does the trick.

That's the method, how I do it anyway.

I continued adding pieces to the assembly, like Tinker Toys. I followed the same steps above, each time I set up for some more soldering action.

I really liked how the Bernzomatic TS-4000 lit so easily, without any adjustment. It was completely one-handed action as I set it down, the flame going out, only to pick it up again and get an instant, perfect flame for soldering.

Complete, cleaned, and cooled, I took the finished piece to the back yard the next morning to install it and see how I did in the workshop. It looked good, but the true test is the permanent install, under live water pressure conditions. Would it leak?

A few bonus tips for installing...

BONUS TIP 1: Have everything ready!

I slipped out between loads of weekend laundry and shut off the home's water valve. I didn't want to delay weekend chores by constantly running back into the garage for parts and tools.

With the water off, I used the tubing cutter to lop off the existing, horrible faucet assembly low, where it was still straight.

BONUS TIP 2: Get the water out!

I'm sure there's a better way, but I used a straw to dip the water out. I didn't want it to cool the pipe I was trying to heat. All I would accomplish would be a poor weld and an empty propane tank.

Full disclosure:

Yeah, I did end up drinking the water level down. No photos.

BONUS TIP 3: Don't burn the house down!

Unlike the mental giant that had originally wielded his torch at this location, I do not subscribe to the theory of burning the heck out of dried wood. I'm just funny that way. I wet the area down with window cleaner. Why? Because it's an easy spray bottle, non flammable and is less likely to allow mold to grow, compared to spraying water into what will be a dark, sealed up hole.

That arrogant fire extinguisher followed me out too.

I also added a flame resistant pad in between my workpiece and the paper drywall backing. I like to be extra sure I don't burn my house down. Again, just my preference; feel free to burn your place down if that's the way you roll.

BONUS TIP 4: ... cautionary tip...

In bright sunlight, you can't see the flame of your torch.

I'm glad I did so much work in the garage, because I had a good feel for the size of the flame. It's another reason to wet down the flammable stuff in the area. Still, I manage to melt a plastic sleeve that had surrounded the copper tubing as it came though the slab. There's nothing like the pungent odor of melting plastic to get you going in the morning.

After a mad dash from the water valves in the front of the house, I was so pleased to find my new masterpiece holding water, no leaks!

Done deal!

I wrapped up the day by installing a supporting cross-piece held in place with pocket screws and strapping my assembly with two-hole straps and screws. This thing isn't going anywhere.

When I get new siding installed, I'll add a brand new hose bibb (more soldering!) on the right. The line on the left is going to feed a exciting new item, an automatic pool leveler. No more hanging a hose in the pool and flooding it when I forget and go out to dinner.

This is a sponsored post. I am a proud to be a Bernzomatic Torch Bearer, though all opinions expressed are 100% my own. I won't recommend products I don't believe in.

Perform home improvement projects at your own risk. Although I share the methods I find successful, remember, I just might be some random idiot on the internet.