The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Plumbing Repairs And Utilities
5. Do not overheat the copper; too much heat burns the sal ammoniac which then forms a hard surface over the copper and prevents a good joint. Note. Other recommended fluxes are rosin and chloride of zinc.
(b) Galvanized iron. When soldering galvanized iron, use a very hot iron, even though that may make frequent redlining necessary. Insufficient heat may cause pipe coating to peel off. Use same soldering flux as for copper.
(c) Aluminum. For aluminum, use solder of the following composition: 25 parts zinc, 5 parts bismuth, and 70 parts tin ; or 6 parts bismuth and 94 parts tin. Use ready-made aluminum solder if available. Stearine is recommended as a flux.
e. MAINTAINING FAUCETS AND VALVES. (I) Compression type faucets. Compression type faucets with disk washers and solid or removable seats require frequent attention to maintain a tight closure against water pressure.
(a) To replace disk washer, remove cap, nut, and spindle from valve body, then remove brass screw holding washer to bottom of spindle. Replace washer with a new one which is flat on one side and slightly rounded on the other so washer can get both horizontal and vertical pressure and provide a firmer seat. Use a good quality hard-composition washer because leather or soft washers do not give long service, particularly in hot-water lines. If brass screw is in poor condition, replace it with a new one.
(b) Examine valve seat and repair it if necessary before replacing spindle. If this is not done, new washer may not provide adequate service. Reface or ream solid type seats with a standard reseating tool consisting of a cutter, stem, and handle. Rotate tool with cutter centered and held firmly on worn or broken seat. Solid type seats can be replaced with renewable type seats by tapping a standard thread into the old solid seat and inserting a renewable type scat. Remove renewable seats with a regular seat-removing tool or square screw driver. WI on seat is frozen to body, apply a little kerosene to loosen it. Piping built into walls or permanently attached to fixtures should not need to be removed to tap, reseat, or replace faucet seats.
(2) Ground-key faucets. Ground-key faucets have a tapered cylindrical plunger or plug which fits snugly into a sleeve bored vertically through body of faucet. Plunger is rotated by an attached handle. When handle is parallel to faucet, plunger slot coincides with a similarly shaped horizontal opening in faucet body. A short turn of handle to right or left throws openings out of line and cuts off flow of water. Eliminate leaks by polishing adjoin- (c) surfaces.
