# expander grease?



## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

Anyone got a special grease for copper expanders? Mine are getting a bit creaky and I would prefer to put the right stuff on them. One of the blokes I work with puts excavator ram grease on his and I think it's hilarious when his pick up every bit of dirt on the ground haha Ive got some oil that's for a large mechanical poly pipe scraper Whadaya reckon? Thanks for your time


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

No ones lubes up their expanders? For shame


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Can't say as I do much uponor, but I did a job a while ago that spec'd it. The uponor gun came with it's own greyish-black grease and when it ran out, the guys just used the hilti hammer drill grease. Not sure if it was a good idea or not but we built a 54 story hotel with it and the dies never failed. Batteries were pieces of $hit, and the gun was bulky as hell, bur it sure beats expanding 1" and larger by hand.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

Why expand copper, just use couplings.


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

U.A.til.I.die said:


> Can't say as I do much uponor, but I did a job a while ago that spec'd it. The uponor gun came with it's own greyish-black grease and when it ran out, the guys just used the hilti hammer drill grease. Not sure if it was a good idea or not but we built a 54 story hotel with it and the dies never failed. Batteries were pieces of $hit, and the gun was bulky as hell, bur it sure beats expanding 1" and larger by hand.


Exactly the same experience here. The Hilti grease seems to work just fine....


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Hey PrecisePlumbing,

This is going to be another one of those things you do in Australia that we don't do here. Please school us on this to... :thumbup:


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

So when you guys join copper you buy couplings? No one uses copper expanders to join tube? If I used a copper socket here I would be laughed out if the trade haha how much are joiners worth for inch and a half and 2 inch copper? I'm adapting to imperial slowly haha


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

Redwood said:


> Hey PrecisePlumbing,
> 
> This is going to be another one of those things you do in Australia that we don't do here. Please school us on this to... :thumbup:


Pics also please...Thanks in advance...


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

PrecisePlumbing said:


> So when you guys join copper you buy couplings? No one uses copper expanders to join tube? If I used a copper socket here I would be laughed out if the trade haha how much are joiners worth for inch and a half and 2 inch copper? I'm adapting to imperial slowly haha


 I still use a Rems hand expander for soft copper -- Mine looks similar to the Uponor ProPex hand expander and will do up to 1" soft copper.

We were looking into buying a hydraulic expander several years ago that would do up to 2-1/2" soft copper but nixed the idea when we switched over to ProPex.


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

These are copper expanders I thought they were a universal tool? I simply anneal the copper up to 1 1/2 and expand one end and slide the other end in ; ) Ive got a Christmas tree copper expander that does up to 4 inch. If i'm doing long runs of copper these are invaluable


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Ridgid catalog numbers 30032 & 34152. Also many different size heads available


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

plbgbiz said:


> Ridgid catalog numbers 30032 & 34152. Also many different size heads available


 These are great for brazing/silver solder jobs.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

A/C and refridgeration guys, use the expanders around here. I guess most plumbers use couplings, probably alot of Pro Press too.


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

Why have two joins to be soldered when you can have one? And not have to spend more money on fittings?


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

When I did AC, I would use new vacuum pump oil as it was readily accessable. Brazing and soldering are 2 different things and swaging really does make more sense in the HVAC field.


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## PrecisePlumbing (Jan 31, 2011)

Cheers mate Vacuum pump oil sounds like a good choice. So your saying if you have to run multiple lengths of copper you use couplings?


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## BROOKLYN\PLUMB (May 21, 2010)

PrecisePlumbing said:


> Cheers mate Vacuum pump oil sounds like a good choice. So your saying if you have to run multiple lengths of copper you use couplings?


Yes and I also use elbows instead of a bender like sparky does

Sent from my EVO 4G using Plumbing Zone


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