If you are a ‘home handyman’ and try to make repairs yourself, here’s a tip. Ruptured water pipes, especially copper, can be easily repaired. Sometimes, however, trying to sweat new piping in place becomes frustrating due to water in the remaining section of the pipe. Heating the pipe with a torch only expands the water and prevents the temperature from reaching a high enough level to melt the solder. Try rolling up a piece of bread and stuffing it into the pipe. It will prevent the water from reaching the solder area and when the job is finished simply turn the water on. The dough will disintegrate and be flushed out of the pipe. Job complete!
