boiler piping

copper kip

When we pipe up the boiler piping (Primary, secondary, inderect water heater,ect.)we pipe everything with copper pipe and fittings. We have been installing some bigger systems lately that require 2" pipe and larger. My question is with the price of the larger pipe and fittings and the labor to solder all of these joints is a tee puller the way to go. I have never seen one these tools or used one. I would like some feedback from people who have. Do they save time and money? Can you do a professional looking job with them? Who manufacters them?
Thanks for the help.

Shelby

Tee's

The company is T-Drill. The drill is a little pricey to start with, so I would recommend buying one used. They will save you time and money but you have to braze the connections. There are companies that build 2" copper manifolds. This may be an alternate to buying the machine. Unless you are doing high quantities of product the start-up cost may not be worth it to buy the machine. I have seen them sell for 300 - 600 dollars on E-bay. They have a few bits, the dimpling machine , the drill, and the other parts required. Hope this helped.

Robert O'Connor_7

Tee Puller?

I've purchased two so far and if you use them for large projects like I do they can save big $$$. I'm not so sure the savings will be recognized with only a couple of fitting to do for a small boiler. But alot of guys use them and I see them being used in ways that just don't justify the cost (they are a bit pricey) and you should braze the secondary piping to the main (this takes time to). I use them in commercial buildings to (like a dog) mark my territory by running my mains. You can sling alot of pipe together and finish running your mains before any other trades get there, then I go back after the coordination meetings (or changes) and pull my tees. I don't know how many tees you need to justify cost but get a price on one then figure how much a tee costs (with preparation) and you do the math.....Robert O'Connor/NJ

Weezbo

I have small business ,so some things i dont have...

for decades i have entertained the idea of buying one second hand.. over time i have also found many manifolds that leak right at these connections .who knows the reason..maybe bad braze, may be hard water, using the header to support pumps, not wishing to cut in a union when changing zone valves ,whatever.. however , i think there are certain times that i still consider the advantages would out weigh the costs.

jim f

manifolds

heres some pictures of manifolds we installed..

jose

Headers

Jim, nice work on the headers. I work for a decent sized plumbing shop in the lower Fairfield county (CT), and this is very similiar to the work we do with the exceptions of a few things.
My Question to you is, I dont see any ball valves after the flow valves. Is there a reason for it or is it just cuz you could'nt fit them in the pic???
We try and isolate before and after the circs. and flow valves so we dont ave to drain the whole loop in case of service.

steve_38

Great Manifolds

Jim F. one thing though, that looks like a heck of a lot of
teflon tape. whatever happened to lampwik. I find a lot of manifolds piped up with teflon and dope start to leak and corrode. useing lampwik and dope seems to never leak and corrode. just curious about that...

Billy_3

tees

Iused to d oa lot of work in a 20 story building that used one on all of the water piping and i was there about three times a month cutting them out because they would leak. the building is only about 10-12 years old and the joints were brazed.

Justin Gavin

Please Enlighten

Steve,

What is "lampwik" is that a trade name. I always was taught to use Teflon and Dope. Always willing to try something that works better.

Thanks,
Justin

steve_38

Lampwik

may have the spelling wrong, lol but it's usually used on high pressure steam systems... just go to a plumbing and heating supply and ask them for a role of lampwik. it's a role of very thin string and you rap it around the threads of the pipe. I like to put the dope on first and then rap the lampwik around the thread, but it's to do it the other way too. I swear on it. No Leak At All... i'm an oil burner tech and i've seen the good and bad and learned alot and still learning. i'm A scale, but always updating and i've been fortunate, i was hired from a company a few years ago as a B mechanic and the manager took me under his wing, and has taken me very far into the field... i do use teflon too though, but i only use it on certain aplications of the boiler example i'll teflon and dope the little things like the extrol tank, the relief valve, the tridacator... i'll tell this if the boiler has a tankless coil, i always lampwik and dope the aquastat well. i've noticed with teflon on that seems to cut easy... and you might see a small drip on it when pressurizing the system... but that's just the way i've learned and liked to do it... i've seen from the company i work for passed installations that are good but found the hard pipped manifolds with teflon and dope seems to not hold up after a few years or so. And point it out to the corroded pipes out to the customer, and repair it with lampwik and dope and also no charge. reason why it's no charge they're are a contract customer and it's pretty new equipment that doesn't need to get like that. and they appreciate what i've done, and stay with us as a happy customer... "ANOTHER JOB WELL DONE"

Shelby

Leaky manifolds?

Hey Weezbo, you said that you have found many T-drill manifold over time. That they leaked right at the connection. Who manufatured these? Where they done in the feild or were they a purchased product?

hr

T-drill leaks

are often seen when they were soldered with regular soft solder! I know i tried it once thinking low pressure hydronics would not need the silverbraze, Wrong

You might check the REMS extractor. Less $$, a bit slower and limited sizes, but generally plenty for the residential contractor.

This model will also expand tube for making couplings, etc.

hot rod

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Justin Gavin

Thanks

Thanks I appreciate it.

Justin

Weezbo

hot rod,

You seem to have alot of rems tools I like them:) took alot of hard work to buy yet they must have save countless hours of running to the supply houses. There is undoubtedly a bit of a learning curve to them. experiential realizations ,probably things you take as second nature now, are seldom written about in books.ihave used some copper pump coupler tools and a bendy tool and i like them i would like to thank you for sharing the selection you have presented over the last few months i am encouraged to buy them just from the way that thier proper use qualifies the work. did you show us a picture of a accu press recently with ridgid heads for pro press? i seem to think that might fly with me also. thank you once again.

Victor H Plank

> When we pipe up the boiler piping (Primary,

> secondary, inderect water heater,ect.)we pipe

> everything with copper pipe and fittings. We have

> been installing some bigger systems lately that

> require 2" pipe and larger. My question is with

> the price of the larger pipe and fittings and the

> labor to solder all of these joints is a tee

> puller the way to go. I have never seen one these

> tools or used one. I would like some feedback

> from people who have. Do they save time and

> money? Can you do a professional looking job

> with them? Who manufacters them? Thanks for the

> help.




Have you ever see the sprinkler guys with a sorta drill press drill out there sch 10 to accept a victualic tee adapter? Its a tee drill chains on the pipe and has level vials on it.

I have used the same device with proper size hole saws to branch off from as large as 4" L copper to the proper size
(as small as 1/2") branch biggest was a 3" on a 4". I then just braze the joint and there you go. I have made 3" manifolds 48" Long with 24 3/4 ftg x3/4 fem adapters in about one hour..

The brazing does soften the pipe so if you are making an horizontal manifold plenty of support is needed. And the braze joint does oxidize the copper so grit cloth is required after brazing...but not before.

Vic Plank
Lancaster PA
Scorched air by choice
Son of a Steamhead

Rudy

did you check the instructionss on the flow checks? They should be 12" from the circs. or they can rattle.

jim f_3

just inststalled a nice header mnfg from earthlee in rocky point ny. was perfect for our application. 7' 2" header w/ 14 1" taps. couldn't get any nicer. i wish i had pics. will show in another post. they do a great job and promt.

Nick W

Reverse return

I have a building I'm bidding on. The building is about 560' long. The boiler plant will be in the center of the building with 2 gas fired boilers.There are 40 rooms that will have a baseboard loop and a seperate becon/Morris loop in the bathrooms. My question is should I pipe the mains using a reverse return? Should I use Monoflow tee's,Circ pumps and flow valves for each zone?? The original set up did not have the reverse flow or the bathroom heaters but did have a single supply and return with a circ pump and zone valve. Any advise???