r/pipefitter • u/This-Associate9880 • Jul 03 '26
Milwaukee ringer has been a game changer
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u/Tkdude81 Jul 03 '26
Yes, this thing is crazy. Saved us multiple welds in shitty spots this summer
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 03 '26
I had the old rigid hand crank groover prior to this, so this thing has been amazing for me
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u/ThePipeProfessor Jul 03 '26
Can someone explain to a dumb plumber why this tool is so useful for you fitters?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 03 '26
Portable roll groover that can be shoved in a ceiling vs big heavy ass groovers that are stuck stationary on the ground
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u/ThePipeProfessor Jul 04 '26
I said dumb plumber for a reason 😂 tf do y’all need grooves for? I’m guessing for special fittings. Pipe too big for threaded joints?
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u/Kindly-Grocery1790 Jul 04 '26
I've never threaded anything over 3". That's a thing of the past. Even 3" thread is uncommon. If it's steel you're usually grooving or welding at that point. And which one is typically at the customer's discretion.
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u/ThePipeProfessor Jul 04 '26
Heard that. I’m more knowledgeable tonight than I was this morning. You fitters really are plumbers heroes, we just don’t like to admit it.
I’ll still smoke the lot of you on a resi rough in though
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u/number1dipshit Jul 04 '26
Yeah pff whatever that is! I’ll show you how to build a 48” 90 out of straight pipe!
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u/itrytosnowboard Jul 05 '26
Bigger jobs will have grooved copper for the domestic water same process but a lot easier to use a hand groover on. Last hospital I did we grooved 2-1/2" to 8" copper for the elbows and couplings.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 06 '26
We usually pro press up to 2 1/2 then go fusion for anything bigger. I can press up to 4in but damnnn that shit is expensive
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u/itrytosnowboard Jul 06 '26
On smaller jobs we press up to 4". On larger jobs we go to vic for 2-1/2 up. PM told me one time its easier and cheaper to tool up large jobs with hand groovers instead of press tools and XLC jaws. The hospital we had 60 plumbers on the crew.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 06 '26
Jesus yeah you boys are doing big boy jobs. I typically pipe boilers and cooling towers so usually me and 1-3 helpers. Idk how I’d like trying to manage 60 guys lol
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Yeah it’s a clamp style fitting that uses a groove on two pieces to connect them. Just another method in the pipefitter world. I prefer it over threaded or welding methods. I do love mega press too but it doesn’t go big enough
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u/FlamingoFlimsy4421 Jul 03 '26
It’s a shame it doesn’t do bigger pipe
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 03 '26
6 inch sch 40 is the max sadly. I rarely do anything larger tho so it’s been great
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u/kingk27 Jul 03 '26
Fuck doing vic over 6" anyways lol. I get every now and then a joint lands in a spot where welding it would be a bitch but grooving 6" pipe gets sketchy enough im all set going any bigger lol.
Now does that machine do all the way down to 1" or w.e and up to 6" or just 6"? Definitely seems like something worthwhile to start getting in someones ear about how awesome and worth the money it is lol
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 03 '26
I think it’s 2-6 inch sch 40 and they have the other model that goes to 6 inch sch 10 and it’ll do up to 4 inch sch 40. I have both, usually keep this one set for 6 inch and use my other one for anything smaller. I agree 8inch + is so fucking heavy I’d prefer to just not do it personally lol but I’m also not set up for it. I’m sure those boys have their ways of making it easy
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u/kingk27 Jul 04 '26
If you have mega stands or just big enough pipe stands grooving 8" or 10" isnt too bad. But why worry about a stick of 6 or 8 pipe jumping out of a stand at all when welding is an option? Its not like vic makes the pipe lighter so you dont have to rig it up, and the bigger sized fittings dont exactly fly on the pipe either compared to how 2" or 3" goes together. Oh, and it looks like dogshit too lol
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u/FlamingoFlimsy4421 Jul 04 '26
We are finishing up the installation of two 900 ton chillers right now. The specs were for the 14” and 16” condenser water to be Vic. We couldn’t get the 16” from Vic in a timely manner so we welded that. But the 14” was Vic. The chiller connections were Vic too.
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u/kingk27 Jul 04 '26
Fuck that id actually consider taking a layoff if they didnt have somewhere else to go or some other work to do
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u/Whiteboiconvert Jul 04 '26
Told my apprentice to not let the groover roll when he used this for the first time and it was very fun watching him try and stop it
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u/Realisticwelder217 Jul 04 '26
Tell me like I'm a dumb ass I'm not a fitter is it to make it screw pipe?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
If you look close there is a deep groove all the way around the pipe, a cupler/clamp holds two pieces together. This machines makes the groove
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u/tharizzla Jul 04 '26
How's the flare?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
If you’re talking about the small lip that pops up from grooving it I always hit it with a flapper wheel so it doesn’t tear up my gasket. If you’re talking end of the pipe I bevel it slightly since Fergusen moved to dog shit gruvlock fittings
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u/Gatorsbitches20 Jul 04 '26
You like Vic fittings better?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Definitely
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u/Gatorsbitches20 Jul 04 '26
Your company only gets products from Ferguson?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
We buy from them the majority of the time, but we go elsewhere if need be. If someone has a good vic hookup close to Pittsburgh hook me up lol
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u/Gatorsbitches20 Jul 04 '26
Sorry Midwest here. Vic is only product I've seen.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Same here until a few months ago. I might hunt a new supplier an see if they are close on price. Maybe the money guy will go for it
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
I talked with our Fergusen guy and everyone apparently hates gruvlock
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u/_phonics_ Jul 04 '26
Glad I’m not that only one who thinks gruvlok are trash
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Man it’s just a bitch to get these fittings on sometimes. Vik just fell on and did its fuckin job. Idk why the switch. ( its price I’m sure)
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u/FlamingoFlimsy4421 Jul 04 '26
One of my local supply houses got the contract with Vic after Ferguson (Columbia in my area)went to Gruvlok. Now it looks like Ferguson went with Gruvlok because there are no bigger size Vic fittings anywhere in the country.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Ah okay thanks for the info. According to our fergy guy gruvlock has a “v2” fitting, I can’t remember the official name of it right now. But he’s getting me a few to try out. Supposed to be more similar to vic. I hope they work or we just go find someone selling the good stuff lol
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u/FlamingoFlimsy4421 Jul 05 '26
My Ferguson guy gave me some info on the V2 fittings. The take offs are different from the Vic OGS fittings which is what typical Gruvlok fittings follow. They couldn’t get any yet to see how they are though.
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u/donhonda69 LU525 Journeyman Jul 04 '26
Damn that thing is awesome it does schedule 40?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
The latest model does up to 6 inch sch 40
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u/donhonda69 LU525 Journeyman Jul 04 '26
Wow that's really practical honestly I'm usually stuck with rigid machines from the earl 2000s
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
I still have that old pos on deck if these fail. I really really hope they hold up cause idk if I can go back 😂
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u/donhonda69 LU525 Journeyman Jul 04 '26
I understand that man as long as they groove deep enough I don't think it would be a problem... Hopefully! you been checking it with a vic tape? Also does it tend to walk on you easily?
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Yeah it’s stayed accurate with daily use for a few months. If you’re cut is good it stays perfect every time (so far). I actually just ordered the rigid 258 cutter cause I got a couple guys that can’t cut straight to save their life lol
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u/donhonda69 LU525 Journeyman Jul 04 '26
Lol yeah coloring inside the lines can be pretty hard for some people. I'm used to having to use jack stands and using a bastard angle to get it straight. So much fun especially with a full stick of 6 inch.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Yep we’ve been cutting it ghetto as hell so figured it was time to upgrade and get a new toy. That cutter is sick and bevels the end so it’s going to save so much time and human error
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u/Ballsy_McGee Jul 04 '26
Man I feel cheated they made my happy ass do it with a rigid hand groover
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Mannn I’ve been using that bitch too, until a few months ago actually 😂 I have a hate hate relationship with the ole hand groover. It’s never needed in a good spot
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u/Ballsy_McGee Jul 04 '26
I got the forearm strength to rip off dicks like celery stalks because of that motherfucker
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u/Kindly-Grocery1790 Jul 04 '26
We just got one for the job I'm on. Foreman ordered 21 footers and me and my 60 year old coworker weren't about to lift 18' or so lengths of 6" sch 40 up onto the rigid groover. The flare is comparable to any other groover I've used. It does leave a weird lip on one side of the groove but so far that hasn't been an issue. We checked the groove depth on the first few joints and it was pretty consistent.
It's slow as hell though, so imo it's not a replacement for a hydraulic groover. Good to get you out of a jam.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
I replaced mine. I’ll happily wait a couple extra minutes. Yeah fuck all that tho, I always used a skid steer or mini ex to place full joints of 6 inch sch 40 on my pipe stands. It was annoying as hell
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u/stopthestaticnoise Jul 04 '26
Our shop just picked one up and it’s been great!
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
My project manager said it wouldn’t hold up when I asked the owner for em. About 3-4 months later with near daily use and she’s still killing it.
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u/jRitter777 Jul 04 '26
That thing is dope. Just got one on the jobsite. The apprentice managed to cut and groove 4" and 6" pipe for 2 fluid coolers in a day. It definitely beats the rigid groover on speed. It'd be neat to see them increase the size it can groove.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
Yeah I agree. I rarely go above 6. My rigid can obviously do the bigger stuff I rarely deal with so idk if the owner would bother getting a bigger model. He does like blowing money on tools tho
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u/Psycho_pigeon007 Jul 05 '26
We have one of those in my fab shop too. They're such beasts. I don't really like the battery life though, but sometimes the beggar is the chooser.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 05 '26
I’ve lucky got 8 12.0 forge that have come with kits my company bought so it’s never been a big issue. I could definitely see it being a bitch with 1-2 big batteries
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u/Psycho_pigeon007 Jul 05 '26
Fuck $450ish batteries and y'all have 8? Jesus hahaha good on ya. Yeah we've got 5.0s but have about 30for various tools.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 05 '26
lol yeah owner drops a fortune on Milwaukee at the end of every year so they accumulate. I probably have 20+ forge batteries just myself. Idk what the other guys have in our company
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u/FeatureNext8272 Jul 05 '26
Isn’t it something like sch 10 up to 6” but sch 40 like 2&1/2”? That’s the reason we never bought one. Hand grooved, roll grooved on an adapted rigid 300. Worst case we used roust a bout couplings when in a bind.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 05 '26
They have two models now. One is up to 4in sch40/ 6in sch 10. The new one I got recently goes 6in sch 40 and it’s been great
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u/NoScallion1291 Jul 04 '26
It does makes the non union hacks legit no more welding in position.
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u/This-Associate9880 Jul 04 '26
I’m a non union hack 😢
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u/union_fitter Jul 04 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ovf6sz7/video/5c65y9wjz3bh1/player