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Originally Posted by icemeister Some guys on here have said they use 15% with the white flux and have good results. 45% is indeed better, but I've tried it with 15% and it will work fairly well with copper to brass, had this one a few years back, I was not running the job but looking after comississioning/start up on a market install with 2 out door racks, I wanted to put a brass 3/8 service/charging port on the main LT & MT loop on the inside on top of a walk in box and I brazed in one in with 45% and the long time install install guy who probably has been around as long as ice did the other with 5%, just to show that it works and he's done it that way for years and years! never heard of a leak onit yet, lol Mike
Originally Posted by kklobas Well did it with flux and 15. Very tricky welding the dissimilar metals had a pin hole leak that took 3 try's to finally seal up. What the hell is the trick to getting a good leak free weld with these? Sounds like you burnt the flux off. They do make a black flux that is higher temp. Heat evenly by constantly moving the flame. I get it going mostly on the copper till it takes on one side then move to the other side and quickly walk it around to fill in. I grew up on 15 and 45 gives me trouble lol
Originally Posted by kklobas Well did it with flux and 15. Very tricky welding the dissimilar metals had a pin hole leak that took 3 try's to finally seal up. What the hell is the trick to getting a good leak free weld with these? I've been using the blue "blockade" stuff! No leaks!
Well did it with flux and 15. Very tricky welding the dissimilar metals had a pin hole leak that took 3 try's to finally seal up. What the hell is the trick to getting a good leak free weld with these?
right on. thanks. i have the white flux and 15% I'll be giving it a shot. I was thinking- why dont they just sell the new rota locks with a 1 inch stub of copper already brazed on (by a copeland robot) so we would then just do a standard copper/copper joint? I guess that's to practical?
Originally Posted by icemeister CT is one of those guys I was thinking of. Howdy ice.
Originally Posted by crackertech It's all I ever use. CT is one of those guys I was thinking of.
Originally Posted by kklobas How about 15% rod and flux. I know it's ideal, but would it work? I managed to find the correct adapter to use the valve, but out of 45%. nowhere open till Monday? Anybody ever done it? Some guys on here have said they use 15% with the white flux and have good results. 45% is indeed better, but I've tried it with 15% and it will work fairly well with copper to brass, not so well (but passable) with copper to steel. I've seen the adapters come as either brass or steel. The key is to get everything clean, and when you think it's clean, then clean it again. Heat until you get it to flow well, but don't overheat it or burn it. I suggest you practice on something similar to what you have before you mess up a perfectly good compressor stub. You may want to start out doing a few copper-to-copper joints first, then progress to brass and then steel...just to get a feel for it.
Originally Posted by kklobas How about 15% rod and flux. I know it's ideal, but would it work? I managed to find the correct adapter to use the valve, but out of 45%. nowhere open till Monday? Anybody ever done it? It's all I ever use.
How about 15% rod and flux. I know it's ideal, but would it work? I managed to find the correct adapter to use the valve, but out of 45%. nowhere open till Monday? Anybody ever done it?
I got a panic call (on a Saturday) from one of my meat market customers some years ago. It seems a delivery truck backed into the condensing unit for meat cases...and nearly knocking over an entire rack of others. I got there and found the suction valve and compressor stub on a CR Copeland total crushed...among other things. So to get it back on line I unsweated the stub from the shell, cleaned it up good, brazed in a 7/8" street 90 using 45% and repiped it direct...eliminating the mangled suction valve. The vendor paid for a new unit which got installed in following week. I subsequently sold the original to a C-store for their walk-in and it's still running today.
and, in a pinch if you get a rotolok pump and needed sweat and the boss won't order a rotolok valve because it was already quoted, or there are no valves available it is possible to sweat copper into the steel nipple off the compressor. 45% and flux will work. Looks a little prettier than the pic of the k-body
Originally Posted by icemeister I have had some decent luck getting the existing Rotoloks apart using heat and reusing the adapter, but of course, if you don't have the right size Teflon seal ring to put it back together, don't bother. FWIW- I have found that if you don't have a replacement teflon O-ring, you can carefully pull the old one out with a fine pick, flip it over and use the "ungroved" surface. This has worked for me every time I have had to do it. I try to carry a supply of various sized replacements, but they are tough to find at many supply houses.
Originally Posted by itsiceman I saw the title and thought you guys might get a kick out of this one
The service valves are steel. Use flux and 45%. Yes they are kind of difficult to braze. You must sand the steel and the copper to be perfectly clean. Then apply silver brazing flux and braze with the 45%. No you definitely will not want to try to unbraze an old service valve. It may be possible, but in my experience they are usually rusted, and it is near impossible to clean it away to be good enough to braze with the 45%. In your case, if the new compressor is sweat, just direct pipe it and eliminate the service valve as Icemeister suggested, and install an access valve on the compressor service port for access. Or if the new compressor doesn't have a suction process port, install a 7/8" tee on the suction line and reduce it down to 3/8" or whatever size your access valves are.
Originally Posted by kklobas the new rota locks look like aluminum or some kind of coated material. do you know what they are made of? I'm sure flux and silver solder would work to join the dissimilar metals? i like the idea of piping direct except my lp control connection and low side gauge connection are both part of the valve. It's always something..... sounds like a swivel tee will take care of that, my preferred method for attaching pressure controls when there aren't additional ports available. I always keep one of each style in my fitting box.
Poor little buggered K-Body
Originally Posted by kklobas the new rota locks look like aluminum or some kind of coated material. do you know what they are made of? I'm sure flux and silver solder would work to join the dissimilar metals? i like the idea of piping direct except my lp control connection and low side gauge connection are both part of the valve. It's always something..... Doesn't the new compressor have a suction process stub connection? If not, just burn in a couple of access valves to the suction line. You gotta get creative.
I saw the title and thought you guys might get a kick out of this one
the new rota locks look like aluminum or some kind of coated material. do you know what they are made of? I'm sure flux and silver solder would work to join the dissimilar metals? i like the idea of piping direct except my lp control connection and low side gauge connection are both part of the valve. It's always something.....
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