More plumbing work this time as the supply shutoffs for the washing machine were leaking just a bit. I noticed a bit of dampness behind the washer, on the new concrete around the edge of the basement slab. The cold supply was slowly dripping water and the fittings looked rather corroded so I decided to swap out both faucets with new fixtures.
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| Old leaky. |
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| New shutoffs. |
I started by cutting off the old fittings with a pipe cutter after turning off the water and draining the lines. Then, using a wire brush, cleaned the outside of the pipe and inside of the new fitting. This helps prepare both surfaces for bonding and removes any debris that may weaken the joint.
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| Neat tool for cleaning pipe. |
After applying flux I heated the fittings with the torch to solder the connections. I made sure to keep the valves open while I did this so I would lessen the chance of melting the rubber gasket that is inside. After soldering I poured water over the brass fittings to cool them enough so I could close the faucets without that rubber gasket melting.
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| Fluxed the outside of the pipe and inside of the fitting. |
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| Soldered on. |
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| Steel braided supply lines attached. |
I took this opportunity to upgrade the supply lines to steel braided hose instead of the regular rubber hoses. This should help them last longer as they won't dry out and crack over time. The only thing I think I would have done differently here is to put in some elbows like the original fittings had to bring the rear shutoff away from the wall to make it easier to use. It is fine as it is though since I don't expect to have to shut off the washing machine all that often.
