Saturday was a total wash. No amount of heating could convince the stubborn solder to flow in the joint, and the flux merely turned black under the influence of the flames. And no amount of air from the compressor could adequately clear the line of the water which was obviously keeping the flame from doing its work.
Quite frustrating for a day's work. I finally gave up and moved on to other things, but none were so important as the leaky ceiling.
Then on Sunday, I redoubled my efforts, spending an inordinate amount of time setting up the compressor to blow out the water which was lying in the lower section of the crossover, and repeating the cycle several times until it seemed that there was no possibility of any water remaining in the pipe.
It was actually quite satisfying to discover that the compressor attachment - the one with the cone-shaped rubber hose which adapted to a wide range of pipe diameters - allowed me to inject the air stream directly from the bathroom sink so that it blew the water back towards the hot-water tank. It was a snug fit so that very little (if any) air pressure was lost.
And then when the torch was lit and the flame applied to the joint, it was only a few seconds before the solder started to flow and the seal began to look like it was supposed to look.
(Yes, you'll notice that there's a burn mark on the floorboard above the joint. That's what happens when one doesn't pay proper attention to the length and direction of the flame as one tries to avoid melting the solder too quickly.)
When the water supply was turned back on, it was gratifying to find that no more leak existed. The problem was solved.
At least the leak issue was resolved. There is still the matter of the hole in the ceiling.
But that's for another day.
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