Brazing Is For Cavemen. THIS Is The Future Of HVAC Copper Connections. -RLS Crimping Tool-

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After almost 30 years in HVAC and plumbing, I can tell you never to rely on o-rings. They break down. You will eventually have leaks

Been doing HVAC for 20 years and after watching that video I would say that seems like more trouble then it's worth in most applications.

Brazing is an art, most satisfying part of the job.

As an HVAC guy myself, I could see this being useful in certain situations where using a torch might not be an issue. But for just normal everyday line connection, I think I will stick with a torch.

Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) youtube.com/post/UgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVy… . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.

I’m an industrial pipefitter and I cant tell you how many of those things I have had to cut out and solder standard copper fittings back because the pipe froze and the fitting got pushed off because of the pressure of the expansion of the ice .

Thank you for creating future work for us HVAC professionals! Even though I would NEVER use those, I hope thousands of people do. 😂

I started working in the plumbing and heating field in 1971. In the summer of 1989 an employee contacted me. Bob told me they could not solder the gas side connection at the condensing unit. I told him I could do it in less than a minute and that the drive of about 25 minutes was a waste of my time. I asked if he wanted to bet me (I could silver solder an "unsolder able" connection in less than a minute. He would not bet me. I did it in less than one minute. Soldering is a piece of cake. No need for anything else. Just get proficient at it and you will be just fine.

I have worked in the hvac industry for 25+ years and I would not recommend using press fittings for refrigeration work you are going to have leaks down the road even if you pass a pressure test during installation I have used press fittings for chilled water and heating water systems and make fittings for gas work also . I would be real careful using that for refrigeration work. I don’t think a building inspector would pass that job here in North country

Reminds me of space shuttle solid rocket booster O-rings. Remember the demo during congress Challenger investigation committee of clamped O-ring in ice water.

The amount of leaks that will have one day is going to be insane lol. Gotta love it when you see an installer use them on a massive commercial system with a like set so long you can’t even imagine, and the line set is run through multiple floors/ceilings.

silver solder never fails. never!

I had RLS in my office the other day pitching it. I explained that's great for a hurry-up emergency, or for residential/refrigeration outfits. We're a commercial union shop. We don't do small residential, and it only goes up to roughly 2". I think us union-trained professional tradesmen (Caveman) will stick to best practices and leave that potential leak to other outfits without getting laughed off a job by an inspector, GC etc.

Staybrite solder with 5 to 8 percent silver works fantastic. No need for nitrogen purge as temps are lower than 700 degrees. Can use a hand held propane fuel torch so no dragging around an oxi/acetylene rig. As far as pressure holding ability, that's not ever going to see anywhere near its capability so no worries there. I can see possibly using the crimp fittings in some situations but for line set hookups, I will stay with the Staybrite

The little grooves mostly if not entirely go away if you lubricate the tubing before bending. A little high pressure grease works ideally, however in a pinch Vaseline or even dish detergent and water work well enough.

Brazing is my favorite part of every job. This looks handy for areas you can't get a torch into, but a well brazed connection is your best bet for longevity. Seals degrade over time, especially with the temperature extremes you find at the end of your line sets. Cool tool though!

Lots of guys are having problems with zoomlock on valves. The length of tubing after you cut off the flare is JUST shy in most cases to get a good fit. Manufacturers are working on it. Pressfit is the way to go. Never do it twice! Even with pex crimping the fittings have a little spring to them, leave the crimper on for a few seconds to allow the molecules to settle

I could have brazed all my fittings and started my vacuum in the amount of time you did 1 or 2 of those and I'm sure none of mine will leak ever. And I wouldn't have had to unscrew the service valve and flip the unit over to get the tools in place.

It looks fantastic - for the only guy on the block with all the expensive tools needed to perform this. It's an O- ring world these days, everything uses perfect fits with O-rings. It's also a ' last long enough to get it out the door ' world as well.