Can I solder brass tubes?

[AT0MAC]

I am building a new gaming rig as you might know by now.

For that Im soon reaching the part where I make the tubing, out of brass tubes and very nice fittings.
The thing is, despite both tubes and fittings being the same brand and size, they feel rather loose and Im worried I might have a tube popping off due to over pressure.

 

Comparing it to cobber pipes and house heating in older homes, could I solder the fittings and tubes together?
Should not be difficult to do at all and still being easy enough to screw on the outer part of the fittings.

 

I have the system setup with drain and fill port so no real need to dismount anything.

 

 

What do you think, could it work or is it normal that the pipes feel little loose in its fitting?
I have never worked with hard tubes before, let alone brass tubes.

[VVoltor]

Yes, you can solder brass. There is a few caveats though, like it's best to use silver solder. For more detailed instructions just Google 'how to solder brass' and plenty of info will come up. 

 

I'm not sure if it's a great idea though.

Firstly, the solder will be a different colour. Also, you'll be heating up the joints quite a bit (silver solder requires more heat), and I can imagine that's not great for the rubber rings inside.

 

Also consider, if something goes wrong, like a blockage somewhere in your system, there are other points of failure.

No to mention doing this will make maintenance a lot harder, and I think a lack of maintenance is probably the most common cause for problems in a loop.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Soft solder is plenty strong for use in such a low pressure water system. Silvering soldering runs the risk of melting the brass.

[W-L]

3 hours ago, AT0MAC said:

-SNIP-

While you can solder brass tubing you wouldn't be able to install it once the fittings are soldered on. I would check with a pair of calipers the OD of the tubing to see if it's within the specified tolerance, the tube can have a little side to side play but shouldn't pop off easily once the lock collar is installed and proper seated all the way down to the bottom of the fitting. 

[Tsuki]

1 hour ago, W-L said:

While you can solder brass tubing you wouldn't be able to install it once the fittings are soldered on. I would check with a pair of calipers the OD of the tubing to see if it's within the specified tolerance, the tube can have a little side to side play but shouldn't pop off easily once the lock collar is installed and proper seated all the way down to the bottom of the fitting. 

another option, though not 100% safe, its to braze them once they are already installed.

[W-L]

37 minutes ago, Tsuki said:

another option, though not 100% safe, its to braze them once they are already installed.

It's going to heat up the surrounding way too much to the point where the orings and any plastic like acetal or acrylic will melt.

[Tsuki]

12 minutes ago, W-L said:

It's going to heat up the surrounding way too much to the point where the orings and any plastic like acetal or acrylic will melt.

who needs o-rings when its fuzed together?

[AT0MAC]

well i found another way, just tried with a thin layer of thread sealing tape and who knew, thats all that was needed, now its a real tight fit like a glove. Thanks for the ideas maybe I will try some in another build

[SolarNova]

yea plumbers tape will do the trick.

 

ofc you could also use a flaring tool to slightly increase the diamiter of the pipe to fit more snuglly.

[W-L]

18 hours ago, Tsuki said:

who needs o-rings when its fuzed together?

It would melt the blocks around it not the orings in the fittings.

 

1 hour ago, AT0MAC said:

well i found another way, just tried with a thin layer of thread sealing tape and who knew, thats all that was needed, now its a real tight fit like a glove. Thanks for the ideas maybe I will try some in another build

Just make sure it's still sealing well as your adding an extra layer between it and the oring.