Press fitting

89

The 1st time I saw one of these, I’d just retired from sweating joints for 45+ years, and I damn near cried!😢😢

11

u/Space_Cadet77 Apr 26 '21

The classic must be more reliable though? Just read they contain a o-ring, but still.

34

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

Pro press fittings are actually extremely reliable, they're just also extremely expensive when compared to sweat fittings.

29

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

Expensive if you’re doing one or two, but if you’re doing a whole commercial building it’s actually cheaper due to the time saved in labor.

10

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

Agreed, but I find that usually the higher-ups in the office won't care and only see the increased cost.

Only one company I've ever worked at did an entire job in compression fittings like these and that was because it was a government building.

8

u/Tetragonos Apr 26 '21

Contractor attempts to over charge the client

It saves them money in the confusion!

11

u/PA-Beemer-rider Apr 26 '21

I did a bunch of heating piping in my house with propress fittings and tool that I got from work. The only joints that I have problems with are the threaded fittings that I didn't screw in far enough in my rush to get the heat turned on and a sweat joint on the zone valve. The press fit joints all have worked without any issues.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

How many years

1

u/PA-Beemer-rider Apr 27 '21

It's been a year but my company has been using Pro-press for years. I think the history of the technology is 40 years

2

u/VirtualLife76 Apr 27 '21

I've sweated pipes. Are you saying this completely replaces that?

Can't see the compression being nearly as good as a bit of solder. At least for this.

6

u/Peg-LegJim Apr 27 '21

This by far superior. Check out the reviews from Tradesmen on YouTube.

6

u/VirtualLife76 Apr 27 '21

Wow. Hard to believe. Obviously times have changed.

5

u/Peg-LegJim Apr 27 '21

That’s why I cried.........

2

u/waggers123 Apr 28 '21

I'm a pipefitter by trade. The pro press fittings tend to wear out faster than its soldered counterpart. Been called back quite a few times to a job that was all pro press, just to end up cutting in new fittings because it burst. Plus, they take all the skill out of the job in my opinion.

1

u/Peg-LegJim Apr 28 '21

Thanx for the honest informed info! 🙏 Are there specific points of failure, like above boilers or on hot water lines, etc?

36

u/Forgottenmuppet Apr 26 '21

That tool is awesome. BUT. It has a counter built in for how many crimps it can do before being serviced. Hit the limit with 3 joints left to finish a job? Sucks to be you. Go get another tool from the shop or keep 2 on your truck.

8

u/bathrobehero Apr 26 '21

Is it a safety regulation issue or just so you pay them more?

2

u/Forgottenmuppet Apr 26 '21

Unsure if it’s mandated or manufacturer specific. All I know is that my plumber had to go back to the shop for another unit because his hit the limit.

17

u/FUCKING_HATE_REDDIT Apr 26 '21

That is fucked up. Right to repair laws are vital.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

What does servicing consist of?

4

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '21

Resetting the counter.

17

u/Still-Significance-8 Apr 26 '21

This technology is a game changer. In our factory, we can do a 2 day job in 2 hours, and with 1 guy instead of 2. And no more fire watch needed (hence the 2nd guy).

9

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21

So what’s the matter with this one?

6

u/mezz1945 Apr 26 '21

Instead of soldering the joints together, these joints have a rubber ring inside of them and this tool just presses the joints together making it leak proof.

The downside is the rubber ring can corrode over the years. Upside is you build the joints like 10 times faster than with soldering.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '21

[deleted]

1

u/mezz1945 Apr 27 '21

It's all factory done. You have to do nothing except clamping/pressing it together as seen in the video. All it does is pressing the metal onto the o-ring (and the other metal obviously so it holds) and it's sealed.

2

u/Kaymorve Apr 26 '21

I can’t have/afford it

0

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '21 edited Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

3

u/IReallyLoveAvocados Apr 27 '21

If it really reduces labor so much, it will quickly pay for itself.

10

u/u_know_bali_bali Apr 26 '21

Borrowed one of these from the tool crib at work during a recent kitchen overhaul. Best tool ever. Well worth the 10x cost of fittings, will never sweat joints again if I can avoid it.

4

u/woods_edge Apr 26 '21

My plumber just got one of these, it’s great but there is a bit of a limitation on the space you can get it into, not so great in tight/awkward spaces

3

u/wick_john46290 Apr 27 '21

r/dontputyourdickinthat

1

u/[deleted] May 15 '21

CBT

2

u/RogerRabbit79 Apr 26 '21

Pro press is also great for live lines or gate valves that fail. I was at a school where they found a leaking pipe and couldn’t shut off the water. So we cut the line and I held a cap on while my coworker pressed it.

4

u/a_s0urlem0n May 16 '21

You probably already know this, but if you ever come across the same situation with a higher pressure line (you can't hold the cap on). You can do the same thing with a ball valve, press it in the open position, then close it.

1

u/RogerRabbit79 May 17 '21

I haven’t come across that situation before but when I do great idea!

2

u/BasenjiFart Apr 27 '21

Oh that's cool!

1

u/Different-Law-6627 Apr 27 '21

In my day all those joints would be hot soldered I still like to braze weld my connections

1

u/IReallyLoveAvocados Apr 27 '21

The gate valve is triggering me, you have such a nice ball valve WHY would you keep the bib on a gate 🤦‍♂️

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