# pic from the job



## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

4" pro press


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## billy_awesome (Dec 19, 2011)

A salesman was trying to push us to try that pro press on a job. My boss wasnt confident enough to make the switch. I get it that it's cheaper in time and labor. But it's hard to trust a o-ring for 30+ years when you are so confident a solder joint done properly will last forever.

Anyways, nice work, looks great!


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Much faster than soldering. Your apprentice forgot to strap the pipe to the uni-strut.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

billy_awesome said:


> A salesman was trying to push us to try that pro press on a job. My boss wasnt confident enough to make the switch. I get it that it's cheaper in time and labor. But it's hard to trust a o-ring for 30+ years when you are so confident a solder joint done properly will last forever.
> 
> Anyways, nice work, looks great!


When I tried it for the first time, I had the same concerned. Until I pressed that joint, then I had that feeling nothing was going to go wrong with it. Try it, it will change you mind. If I did more light commercial, or commercial I would buy one. For the time I rent it. Many other joints and devices rely on a o-ring, and hold for a long, long time.


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## Plumbersteve (Jan 25, 2011)

we've been told by Viega that the o-ring isn't even necessary. They say the torque of the compression is enough. maybe i'll try it one day. 

also, been using propress for 5 years now. 99% of our work is residential and 90% of the copper work we do is in finished areas. It's just peace of mind to avoid the flame sometimes. 

solder my union halves in the truck bring in a few couplings. press press done outta here


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## justin (May 14, 2010)

Plumbersteve said:


> we've been told by Viega that the o-ring isn't even necessary. They say the torque of the compression is enough. maybe i'll try it one day.
> 
> also, been using propress for 5 years now. 99% of our work is residential and 90% of the copper work we do is in finished areas. It's just peace of mind to avoid the flame sometimes.
> 
> solder my union halves in the truck bring in a few couplings. press press done outta here


They are wrong! I had one with a cut oring . Cut it on pipe when putting together. Leaked.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I've been burning the flame for 24+ years without issue... 


trying to figure out how and why all of sudden we're afraid of tried and true methods.


However, there's a inner beauty of pipe joining without having to deal with the fight of dry pipe needs in an existing structure/piping system. 


I just don't have $1500 for the toy tool or the budget to keep those overpriced copper fittings on the truck. 

I thought pex was better than copper, right? :blink:


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

I was skeptical about pro press , i was attached to my b-tank , and tips at the hip. The more i work with press, the more i start to understand its place, in the industry.
Cant replace a soldered or brazed joint, but as a plumber i embrace technology,.and can see the upside.
times the only true test.


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Tommy plumber said:


> Much faster than soldering. Your apprentice forgot to strap the pipe to the uni-strut.


He forgets the sugar at coffee time.
:/ . Hydra-zorb straps coming the supply house sent galvi straps.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> He forgets the sugar at coffee time.
> :/ . Hydra-zorb straps coming the supply house sent galvi straps.


Insulation !!!


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## stecar (Mar 18, 2012)

Hey union bro, was a local guy here in NJ. Propress on 4" I think takes 7 seconds. I would still be prepping fitting. Its crazy how fast it goes when you are doing long runs.


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Speed brother..is a definite plus.l..some of my union bros think it takes work from us since it speeds jobs up
.but it makes us more efficient.quicker inspections.walls get closed quicker..jobs get done..happy gc's will keep work coming... keeps us working


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Insulation !!!


As a cover up? Out of sight out of mind...?


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

What is the piping for. ? I guessed no clamps until after insulation !!


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## stecar (Mar 18, 2012)

Its NYC, that is done another day lol


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

stecar said:


> Its NYC, that is done another day lol


I know that. Here we strap after insulation is done especially on chill water because the strap directly on pipe will sweat when it comes out of insulation and allow it to sweat on the pipe inside insulation we also have Glass foam under pipe where strut is cause it wont be crushed by the pipe!!


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Risers..,.
clamps, then the insulators job


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> Risers..,.
> clamps, then the insulators job


What's the pipe carry. Dom water ?? 4 pipe hydronic system??


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> I know that. Here we strap after insulation is done especially on chill water because the strap directly on pipe will sweat when it comes out of insulation and allow it to sweat on the pipe inside insulation we also have Glass foam under pipe where strut is cause it wont be crushed by the pipe!!


Hydra-zorb , straps with the rubber sleeve, then i let pros insulate


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

48 floors hotel domestic water , hw, cw, splits further down ,for seperate towers,


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> Hydra-zorb , straps with the rubber sleeve, then i let pros insulate


Gotcha. Those are great straps. Was pro press in specs. Do you press on all your jobs??


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> 48 floors hotel domestic water , hw, cw, splits further down ,for seperate towers,


48?? Lol the tallest we have where I live is 20 floors!! I'm jealous


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## Qball415 (Nov 20, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> 48?? Lol the tallest we have where I live is 20 floors!! I'm jealous


20 floors is cake walk here. 40 and above is average project.


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Gotcha. Those are great straps. Was pro press in specs. Do you press on all your jobs??


Those are great straps usually come o.d so just add an 1/8"
1/2" is 5/8 , 3/4" is 7/8" so on.... press was in the specs, we have to deliver 2 floors a week, seems my contractor is favoring pro press, the last 4 big jobs were all press...but we still put the fire to it...On many jobs


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Qball415 said:


> 20 floors is cake walk here. 40 and above is average project.


Q where u at


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## Qball415 (Nov 20, 2010)

union brother 1 said:


> Q where u at


SF Bay Area California.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Abilene tx. In west tx. 120000 population


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Oops. Read it wrong


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Nyc, new york population 10,000,000 probably more like 19,000,000...


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> Nyc, new york population 10,000,000 probably more like 19,000,000...


Lot of people on a little piece of land !!


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Yay. Insulation


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

union brother 1 said:


> Risers..,.
> clamps, *then the insulators job*


 






For those who don't know, on the larger commercial jobs, a separate trade does just the insulating. I was speaking with an insulator and he was telling me that he did like a (4) year apprenticeship.....:laughing: ...LOL. He was union. Out of Fort Lauderdale, FL. I don't think there is much work for those guys nowadays.




I don't want that job, all the insulation material has fiberglass in it.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

They make it look good, I hate insulating pipe.


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

Tommy plumber said:


> For those who don't know, on the larger commercial jobs, a separate trade does just the insulating. I was speaking with an insulator and he was telling me that he did like a (4) year apprenticeship.....:laughing: ...LOL. He was union. Out of Fort Lauderdale, FL. I don't think there is much work for those guys nowadays.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
http://aol.careerbuilder.com/JobSee...?siteid=cbaoltle1&Job_DID=JHR1J06BL7LW2RVK323

Those guys make good money.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

A good insulator is your best bud. A bad one your worst enemy !!!


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Tommy plumber said:


> For those who don't know, on the larger commercial jobs, a separate trade does just the insulating. I was speaking with an insulator and he was telling me that he did like a (4) year apprenticeship.....:laughing: ...LOL. He was union. Out of Fort Lauderdale, FL. I don't think there is much work for those guys nowadays.
> 
> I don't want that job, all the insulation material has fiberglass in it.


 your right a separate union owns that here , and they can have it ,cant stand fiberglass,..


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

union brother 1 said:


> your right a separate union owns that here , and they can have it ,cant stand fiberglass,..


 






What I thought was funny is the guy said they had to do like a (4) year apprenticeship. To insulate pipes?.....:blink: Can't you learn that in a few months?........:laughing:


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## Qball415 (Nov 20, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> What I thought was funny is the guy said they had to do like a (4) year apprenticeship. To insulate pipes?.....:blink: Can't you learn that in a few months?........:laughing:


Same here yo would think a few months, but indeed it is a full apprnticeship they serve. They not only insulate pipes, they insulate walls and other things. They also make top dollar here something close to 35$ an hour.


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## PunkRockPlumber (Mar 26, 2012)

Insulators Union. Ugh. I've had it out with those guys quite a bit. Boss tells me to insulate pipe and then their BA shows up yelling at me for doing so. Saying they gotta keep their guys working. Hey if I don't do what my boss was telling me I would be sitting out too. Sorry, i'm not worried about the insulators sitting on the bench when I've got 3 kids to provide for. So glad I'm done with the Union soon.


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Tommy plumber said:


> What I thought was funny is the guy said they had to do like a (4) year apprenticeship. To insulate pipes?.....:blink: Can't you learn that in a few months?........:laughing:


 Thats just retarted.... Some of these unions......Are just a joke....


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

MikeBKNY78 said:


> Insulators Union. Ugh. I've had it out with those guys quite a bit. Boss tells me to insulate pipe and then their BA shows up yelling at me for doing so. Saying they gotta keep their guys working. Hey if I don't do what my boss was telling me I would be sitting out too. Sorry, i'm not worried about the insulators sitting on the bench when I've got 3 kids to provide for. So glad I'm done with the Union soon.


Brother i had a few run ins myself..so i understand. you do what you must do for your family...Bottom line.


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## NYC Plumber (May 4, 2011)

union brother 1 said:


> 48 floors hotel domestic water , hw, cw, splits further down ,for seperate towers,


What job? What boro?


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## NYC Plumber (May 4, 2011)

I havent seen pro press really used too much yet, and not on highrise at all.
Do you know the engineer by chance?


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## red_devil (Mar 23, 2011)

Thats gotta be costly in propress. How is the price compared to using vic? I do lots of large copper and its all vic. Quick vic to be exact and t drilled joints.


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## NYC Plumber (May 4, 2011)

red_devil said:


> Thats gotta be costly in propress. How is the price compared to using vic? I do lots of large copper and its all vic. Quick vic to be exact and t drilled joints.


Us too 2-1/2" and up we use vic 95percent of the time, tdrill if the engineer approves, some engineers still want everything brazed though, brazing 8" on one job right now..


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

NYC Plumber said:


> What job? What boro?


midtown


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## red_devil (Mar 23, 2011)

Never had the issue with having to braze every joint but if needed, would not be an issue


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

im all for propress used it on towers and in mechanical rooms for 3" what it costs in materials it more then saves in time, plus Viega will warrenty leaks. As a forman i can pull a first year apprentice off the bench give him a 30 minute lesson and let him run 2", try doing that with solder. i do prefer Vic for heating and around heating equipment as it makes for easier service, also because you can't solder easily next to a press'd fitting. the other complaint is its not easy to make tight turns as it is with a normal soldered fitting. 

personally im all for insulation being a seperate trade they can make it look good especially when its a Canvas wrap, looks very sexy when its done.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

DUNBAR PLUMBING said:


> I've been burning the flame for 24+ years without issue...
> 
> 
> trying to figure out how and why all of sudden we're afraid of tried and true methods.
> ...


I don't get why you would use propressed copper. Seams like it has all the downsides of both systems.


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## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

Plumbersteve said:


> we've been told by Viega that the o-ring isn't even necessary. They say the torque of the compression is enough. maybe i'll try it one day.
> 
> also, been using propress for 5 years now. 99% of our work is residential and 90% of the copper work we do is in finished areas. It's just peace of mind to avoid the flame sometimes.
> 
> solder my union halves in the truck bring in a few couplings. press press done outta here


Don't trust that for a second. We had an apprentice accidentally press a 4" fitting without the O-ring. It held, under pressure for 4 months. Then 2 weeks before the school was going to open, after lockers, carpet, drywall. etc.... It blew, and cost us about 350,000 in insurance claims.


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## union brother 1 (Feb 25, 2012)

Flyout95 said:


> Don't trust that for a second. We had an apprentice accidentally press a 4" fitting without the O-ring. It held, under pressure for 4 months. Then 2 weeks before the school was going to open, after lockers, carpet, drywall. etc.... It blew, and cost us about 350,000 in insurance claims.


 Suxx, but, didnt you check the system prior to closing walls?.when i hear a press fitting blew it usually wasnt inserted properly...no rubber its gona show....a sharpy goes a long way.....school inspectors requier, high pressure test..... 150#s....4" fittings should be checked for damage.missing rings..by apprentices..isnt it part of learning to be thorough....all after the fact.....sh*t happens, to the best of us....


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## Piper34 (Oct 10, 2011)

There is a time and place for pro press I own one and use it for service or large pipe with lots of fittings .laundramats with many 2" tees was done in less than 1/2 the time . The fittings are very !!! Expensive in service old dirty copper with a water still present is a great place . Or tying new into existing piping .great tool need a good job to pay for it or help .very good again with large piping joints done quicker than you can clean fittings much less heat enough for solder / brazing


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## pilot light (Apr 21, 2012)

propress! nice work ! the responses sums it up!:thumbup:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

pilot light said:


> propress! nice work ! the responses sums it up!:thumbup:


Why don't you go fix your intro...


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Why don't you go fix your intro...


 Yeah, really... and DON'T pm me again til you've done the proper intro...


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

rjbphd said:


> Yeah, really... and DON'T pm me again til you've done the proper intro...


 Redwood... last message was direct at pilot light... not you..sorry if you thought that way.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

rjbphd said:


> Redwood... last message was direct at pilot light... not you..sorry if you thought that way.


No I got it! :laughing:

Prolly some Pakistani infiltrating his islam into the forum... :laughing:


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## rjbphd (Feb 5, 2010)

Redwood said:


> No I got it! :laughing:
> 
> Prolly some Pakistani infiltrating his islam into the forum... :laughing:


He said he's from Canada, Old School's neighbor?


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