Girls' Guide to Soldering Copper Pipes

Let's face it-plumbing is intimidating. The thought of working with long metal pipes, the potential water leaks, and-yikes-using a torch! It's enough for anyone to throw up their hands in defeat and call in a crew. Don't fret, ladies! Soldering copper pipes sounds menacing but it's easy-trust me. I'm surprised I can even change a light bulb, but I did this, and so can you. Once you get the hang of it, soldering copper pipes is a simple task that can save you tons of money by doing it yourself. Girls can solder copper pipes too -- here's how.

What you need:
Type L Copper Pipes (Type M is for heating systems )
Pipe cutter
Solder spool
Copper fittings
Flux (lead-free soldering paste)
Torch
Round Wire Brush
Emery cloth or steel wool
Flame resistant cloth

Before you begin:
Make sure your water supply is turned off and your pipes are completely drained of any water. Dry-fit your entire setup to ensure everything will fit in place. Practice soldering by taking a few pieces of scrap copper and solder joints together. Once you have the hang of it, you're ready to start.

Step 1: Cut the pipe:
Using a plumber's pipe cutter, cut the pipe to the desired length.
Step 2: Clean the pipe fitting:
Using the wire brush, scrub the inside of the fitting. Take the emery cloth and clean the outside of the fitting. Make sure to remove any burrs from the inside or ends of the pipes.

Step 3: Brush with flux:
Apply flux to the 1-inch end of the pipe fitting. Connect the pipe fittings together, making sure they fit.

Step 4: Prepare solder wire:
Unwind about 10-12 inches of solder wire from the spool. Bend the end of the wire at a 90 degree angle.

Step 5: Hang the flame-resistant fabric to any nearby flammable material:
If you are soldering pipes near wood, hanging flame-resistant material over the area exposed to the torch's flame is a must. Otherwise you'll set the whole house on fire.

Step 6: Grab the torch & heat up the pipe:
Here's the scary part - working with fire! Position the flame at the middle of the fitting until the flux starts to bubble. Typically, you'll need to hold the flame for about 5-10 seconds.

Step 7: Use solder
Quickly turn the torch off, set it down, and grab the solder. Touch the solder against where the two pipes meet and spread solder 360 degrees around the fitting. You'll need to work quickly. The solder melts into a pretty silver color.

Step 8: Let the pipe cool
Set the pipes down and let cool. Make sure to lay on a flat surface as newly connected pipe fittings can change gravitational directions, causing you to scrap the entire pipe & start over. Speed up this process by cooling with a damp rag.

Step 9: Continue the process:
Continue soldering pipe fittings together until you have your new copper piping set up complete.

Step 10: Turn on the water and check for leaks:
Activate your water supply and feel each pipe fitting with your bare hands for leaks. If you find a leak, you'll need to restart these steps again to replace and re-fit the leaky joint.

Plumbing sounds so scary, but it really isn't. Try soldering a few pipe fittings together before tackling this task to see if you can get the hang of it (and you will, trust me!). You'll see how simple it really is! Once you're finished setting up your copper pipe system, you'll have the satisfaction (and bragging rights!) of doing it yourself.