Ive never seen a plumber using propress but i see HVAC guys using it.

Im also really interested to hear more about bending copper lines. Looking forward to hearing what people have to say.

Sorry i couldnt offer anything..

 

Soft copper is pretty easy to bend by hand unless you need tight radii. Your EMT tools would work just fine for that.

 

Thx for the reply but Im not a fan of soft copper for two reasons. It doesn't look as good when installed and a big part of my business is presentation presentation presentation, and it has very thin walls.

Ive never seen a plumber using propress but i see HVAC guys using it.

Ive been eyeballing it for a while and recently seen a plumber install some lines with it. It was impressivly quick and pretty simpe to use and according to him a 100% success rate with fittings and installs.

 

We use them all the time for 3/4 & 7/8 lines. They handle about 75 to 150 psi. Haven't heard of many complaints, and looks decent. Heck, it looks better than sloppy welds, and there are less joints.

Tin, in regards to the emt horshoe, I tried to bend 7/8(od)" pipe, (boneyard stuff), and it would always kink. Perhaps it's me, but I was sure hoping the horseshoe would work. Yellow jacket has a setup that works slick. I can't vouch for the thinning, but, haven't had any issues as of yet.... h.v.a.c.

 

Tin, in regards to the emt horshoe, I tried to bend 7/8(od)" pipe, (boneyard stuff), and it would always kink.

Biggest I've done is 3/4", and it worked like a champ for that. Seems odd that an extra 1/8 would kill the deal, but I have to admit that's unknown territory for me.

 

The only copper designed to be bent is soft copper, rigid copper tube has gone through an annealing process to make it rigid, bending it would weaken that process and void any warranties the manufacturer might offer.

 

In the UK all we did was bend copper. Boss preferred bends over fittings because of the cost, look and less restriction. Used to have to put as much as 10 bends into some lengths and it took me a while to learn that skill. Used benders like the one below that worked very well. I think rothenberger sell them in the US for 1/2" and 3/4" pipe sizing.

 

Pack it with sand, moistened, then try bending. The harder you pack the sand, the more uniform the pipe will be.

 

Just hire a guy with the clap. That's what we always called them.

 

pro press only has 25 year warranty on it fittings

 

pro press only has 25 year warranty on it fittings

So I guess there will be work in the future with leaking fittings .

 

I've thought about this for many years and I've come to terms with the fact that it doesn't weaken the copper enough for something structural in and of itself but when you add water, pressure, vibration, and temperature changes to that bend, it will eventually fail.

 

I've thought about this for many years and I've come to terms with the fact that it doesn't weaken the copper enough for something structural in and of itself but when you add water, pressure, vibration, and temperature changes to that bend, it will eventually fail.

I have pulled out thousands of bends and put tens of thousands in and upto this date never seen one fail. In Europe its the most common way to install copper pipe. Its also one of the first things your taught to do in the courses.

Here's the first things we done on the first week. After 2 years your able to put about 10 bends into a 12ft long piece and it all line up exactly where it needs to go.

 

After 2 years your able to put about 10 bends into a 12ft long piece and it all line up exactly where it needs to go.

Makes sense. I even see people do it on Youtube. I guess I'm just one of those people who have a hard time believing that the seat cushions on airplanes float because I've never seen anyone actually pull one out.

Maybe European copper is different in that way because bending is part of the trade culture.

 

I have pulled out thousands of bends and put tens of thousands in and upto this date never seen one fail. In Europe its the most common way to install copper pipe. Its also one of the first things your taught to do in the courses. Here's the first things we done on the first week. After 2 years your able to put about 10 bends into a 12ft long piece and it all line up exactly where it needs to go.

I really love this bending copper lines thing, if theres a type of copper sold in US that is useable for this method (besides soft rolls).

I may reconsider replumbing my house in pex to go with copper if i can do something like that

 

I really love this bending copper lines thing, if theres a type of copper sold in US that is useable for this method (besides soft rolls). I may reconsider replumbing my house in pex to go with copper if i can do something like that

Its the type m and l sold in most plumbing supplies. Theres benders for soft and semi hard and hard copper. Here's a link to the models that fit most pipe your gonna use.

Anything above 3/4" is a ***** to bend by hand. Check out the 2 bottom models. http://www.rothenbergertools.us/45-Hard_&_Soft_Copper_Hand_Benders.html

 

I bend copper tube everyday, the standard copper here we use is known as "half hard". The main advantage to a pulled bend is that it does not restrict the flow as a 90 deg elbow would, especially important on low a pressure supply.

Over here the copper is classified as table X, table Y, table Z.

Table X is soft copper
Table Y is half hard
Table Z is thin wall (can't be bent, has a red mark on it to signify it's thin wall)

 

I don't bend much copper but when I do I just use an EMT bender. Works on hard and soft copper. Type K hard copper tends to deform a bit in an EMT bender but I have had no issues with it.

http://leakdetectionwinterhaven.com

 

I use to be such a propress naysayer, but I went to it exclusively and never looked back. Such a labor saver on pipes larger than 1". Euro plumbers bend copper all the time and it's a much more efficient system. Less flow restriction and less chance for pipe turbulence. Look into the German tools for pipe bending, rothenberger or rems.

 

They aren't installing hard drawn tube in Europe, they use a tube grade I have never seen sold in the U.S. and Propress is a total fail on water lines that are subject to movement and vibration.