Silfos rings...

[fitzyfitta]

Was at my local Trane branch today and noticed they are selling Silfos 15% rings. The rings came in a package of 10 i believe and started at 1/2" or 3/8 in size. Has anyboby brazed a fitting with these? Was looking for some feed back.

[Workin4TheMan]

I have seen these in Harris' catalogue, but never seen them at any supply house. They are the exact amount of alloy needed to properly fill the joint they are sized for. As long as you are following standard brazing procedures the only difference you'd see is you have one empty hand......and no waste.

Are they priced the same as rod?

[chillerout1]

I have seen them at johnstone here havent tried them yet though

[fitzyfitta]

Didn't check the price. I'd bet their good to have when brazing in tight/blind spots were the torch tip is tough to maneuver.

[fitzyfitta]

And you have limited space to work the rod...

[Tech Rob]

I've used them, and they're definitely the preferred method for me from now on. You get a clean, professional looking joint with no leaks and no waste of materials very quickly. Even if they are more expensive than the sticks, the real savings are in labor. They work great on joints where you would normally have to rely on capillary action to draw the solder into the fitting against the force of gravity. They are also great for joints where you have limited access, sensitive components nearby, and/or limited visibility. No more overheating valves, either. When you see the solder start to peek out of the fitting, the joint is done and you can remove the heat.

[flange]

manufacturers have used them for a long time.

[dswilliams]

I guess I'm old school, but I wouldn't recommend using them. I know factories that won't use them. If you can catch your fingernail on your new joint then you haven't properly 'capped' your brazed joint. This won't occur with rings without the stick. I've seen pretty welds that leak due to imperfect brazing penetration. The capping gives that insurance when the pipe contracts and expands with temperature changes.

[valdelocc]

I guess I'm old school, but I wouldn't recommend using them. I know factories that won't use them. If you can catch your fingernail on your new joint then you haven't properly 'capped' your brazed joint. This won't occur with rings without the stick. I've seen pretty welds that leak due to imperfect brazing penetration. The capping gives that insurance when the pipe contracts and expands with temperature changes.

I agree with you. seem like we are getting bombarded with all kind of useless gizmos, pretty soon we are going to need two service trucks.

[Cold shot]

Tried to get guys to use this at our company, they were too OLD SCHOOL. I think these rings eliminate using too much Silfos on joints (a lot of techs do this to make sure no leaks). Also works very good on tight spaces & can free up that other hand...no the other one!

[klove]

What eliminates using too much brazing rod on a joint is to learn to braze properly and paying attention to what you're doing.