Vacuum rig

[jtrammel]

Has anybody ever used copper and flare fittings to build their own vaccum rig? It would be cheaper than buying all the hoses ect. I don't see why it wouldn't work other than over time the soft copper getting more ridgid and more difficult to bend than hoses. I have everything on my truck to build it on my truck and I've already dropped some serious coin the last few months on new equipment. Tge appion 1/2 or 3/8 hoses are $50-75 a piece and the vac gauge coupling is ~20. I know I'll still have to get appion crts at ~$50 a pop but I can probably swing that and add hoses later. I guess I can just use my 1/4" hoses for the time being until I can aquire the larger diameter hoses. Thanks for listening to me think out loud, opinions appreciated.

[itsiceman]

There are guys and posts with pics going back several years of guys doing the exact same thing. Go for it. The bigger dia and shorter the length will be best just like the hoses.

[hvac5646]

nothing wrong with copper tube either. That goes back to pre 1920 service techniques, so you have been using a time honored method.

[SCtech33]

I support your idea other than the difficultly of set up. In my opinion I would build some sort of tee fitting that you can thread into your pump and buy the large hose and the core removal tools. I bought 2 appion megaflow basic kits for a little over 100 a piece and I feel they were very well worth the price. However if your willing to take the time to use the soft copper then more power to you, I can knock ya just for doing something im not crazy about because it is still a better method than pulling through 1/4 hoses. Good luck on the rig!

[dijit]

Copper tubing isn't permeable like hoses are to some degree. I've seen this done by an old timer on a large system. Said it was quicker than hoses.