If I use plumbers solder, 40-60 tin/lead composition on a circuit board, will it hold? ?

Question

Years ago, I was told I should use 60-40 rosin core solder for electronics components. I had this circuit board to do today and I used 40-60 and it worked! Why did they tell me it would not work? Will my joint fail to conduct later becaues there is so much lead in it?

Answer 1

It will hold, the plumber solder has a higher melting point than electrical solder, hence more chance of damage to the components while doing the work. Also the different flux compounds make a difference, rosin core will not etch the components, the old style acid flux was needed to etch the pipes when soldering. It will eat the circuit board. The newer non acid flux is not in my experience. Do not use silver solder on electronics, the melting point is very high and you may destroy many components.  The higher melting point solders are stronger, but the damage to the components is the problem.  Clean the board with a electronic solvent flux remover.  Good Luck.

Answer 2

The type of core is more important when soldering wires. Plumbers solder is usually acid core. Wiring solder is usually rosin core. Acid core solder is corrosive to your wires and board and will eventually fail.

Answer 3

Plumbers solder has a acid core, it does not have a ROSIN core which let's it melt at a lower temp and keeps the tip of the soldering iron free from the burned solder.  If you do much electronic work you MUST use Rosin Core solder... failure to do that will eventually result in the destruction of the circuit board.  Just one use won't matter, but if you make a habit of using the WRONG solder to solder components... you will be building in troubles.

Also... as long as there is no MECHANICAL fatigue on the soldered area, you should still be OK, but Plumbers Solder is MORE BRITTLE than Electronic Solder.  I remember years ago having to use plumber's solder on some wiring and it cracked when there was some stress applied to it.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

Just to set matters straight, in the U.S. we plumbers cannot use solder with lead in it on potable water systems. That came about in the late '80's.

It has to be lead free. Solder with lead in it is not even availabe at a wholesale house, so when we need to do non potable work, like soldering a brass flange on a lead bend, we have to go to a hardware store to find lead solder large enough to work with.

Also, I've plumbed in two states and when we could use lead solder, 50\50 was what was common. 95\5 was common for industrial plumbing.

There is no acid in our solder. We use a separate flux.

When I worked as as electrician at a bus plant, we used rosin core solder on electrical and electronic joints.

Anyway, what you did should be just fine as long as you got it to flow.

Answer 5

electrical solder is a specific amalgam and flux  designed  just for that purpose. Plumbers solder and flux is for plumbers and over time will cause problems- guaranteed.

Answer 6

The acid will corrode the circuit eventually unless it's washed thoroughly, silver solder is best for circuit boards I believe.