He must have found them in his truck from another job and figured I can get rid of these. Lol I should have rebuilt the whole thing with fewer fittings but unfortunately I didn’t.
I don’t hat pro press if I did more pluming I would get the tool. If they had just used threaded ball valves it would have been an easy repair. I also should have used threaded ball valves but I can heat mine off. It’s no wonder the plumbing company that did the work is out of business.
Pro press fittings need to be spaced twice the pipe diameter. They need to be sanded with empty cloth and reamed. The less fittings you use, the less pressure you lose, the less points of connection you have for leaks. Sweating or pressing, build it, and press or sweat it all together at once.
Technically they don’t need to be sanded… spacing is definitely important though. There’s a vid of a guy that presses a coupling without the o-rings in…. It didn’t leak, until he started beating on it😂 if the pipes not dirty, I don’t sand em..
It wouldn't surprise me if that's what they did, I have had a number of fixes in that building and the company that did the work is no longer in business.
Propress has been installed in at least tens of thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands or millions of buildings for years now. If you use quality name-brand fittings and quality pipe and you clean/debur your pipe, align everything properly, and install with a quality tool, it doesn’t leak. I am not a plumber, but I have seen plumbers install copper plumbing in entire houses with propress, and I haven’t seen the stuff leak. I had to remodel part of my home after a natural disaster (long story). I saw the crew use propress on the copper plumbing, and it has held up. I DIY small plumbing jobs myself, and I solder copper fittings for simple runs. I would generally prefer soldering (if done by myself or a plumber who solders cleanly) over propress where there’s good access and when it’s ok to leave water off for an extended period of time. For certain tight spots or fixes that need to be done quickly in certain cases, I think propress would make sense. If I had to connect brass valves, I would probably use threaded or solder fittings at the valves and then propress copper-to-copper connections a few inches from the valves if I were going to connect brass valves to existing plumbing with propress. But that’s just my opinion as a non-plumber guy who does various kinds of DIY construction and has seen pros do various kinda of plumbing.
I think part of the contributing factor to the leak is we had a freeze up in the building about 5 years ago but why it took that long for a leak to develop is beyond me. If I did more plumbing repairs and I could justify the cost to my boss I would buy the propress tool and use that for all of the plumbing repairs. There are press fittings in other locations and they have had no issues but the problem I had was probably more to do with all of the fittings were pressed so to replace just the ball valves I had to remove so many fittings and pipe and put in new fittings and pipe. I should have rebuilt it better but I wasn't thinking about making it a better design I was just trying to get water back on ready for the next group.
@@LifeofaCampRangerI convinced the owner of the buildings I look after to buy me the press tool. It paid for itself within a few years in labor savings. It's 100% worth the cost.
@@okgroomer1966 I really only make a few copper repairs a year, this was an unusual repair for me. Maybe in a year or two I will try and put it in my budget but for now I need other tools more.
I’m a home owner and love Propress. I’ve done a couple of projects which involved installing whole house water filter, PRV, external bibbs and replacing a bunch of gate valves with ball valves. No issues at all. Super easy and clean, I don’t have to worry about fire and fumes. I just rent the tool when I need it.
I don't hate propress but repairing poorly installed things by "professionals". I never thought to rent the tool, next time I'm at the rental place I will see what there price is.
its not just the plastic, never solder to close to any threaded connection unless you're using teflon tape. the pipe dope just melts out of the threads when heated.
I don't have a 1" press tool for pex so that wasn't an option but I probably would have spent the same amount to get the tool as I did on copper fittings.
@@LifeofaCampRanger PEX + Sharkbite makes life soooo easy. I was hesitant on Sharkbite's for a while when they were new and hadn't proven how long they last, but I know folks who used them on projects from 20+ years ago without issue. I still won't use them anywhere that I can't access without having to cut drywall, but seems like they would be great for this project.
I didn't do the original install and the "Plumber" that did the original work went out of business shortly after they finished this job. I'm just a guy that had to fix it on a time crunch.
dang, that is a lot of pro press fittings everywhere in the beginning but in the aftermath, it looks good. The prep work must have taken the most time.
There just wasn't enough pipe for me to solder in any new fittings so I had to remove way more than I would have liked. I cut out so much of the prep work but it payed off when it came to putting it in.
I added washing machine braided stainless lines to each side of my home whole water filter. I made a steel ring that the filter unit goes into at the ceiling level to hold it. When I want to change a filter with the braided flexible lines I can bring it to the basement floor making it easier to loosen the filter canister.. The unit has been it place 10 years w/o problems.
I have never been a fan of press fittings and when I saw them I can see why! All those dents and marks on the fittings look so untidy compared with soldered fittings - and they leaked! If they had originally been soldered the leaking joints could have been undone, cleaned and remade. Much less work than making the whole pipe section again!! I did sympathise with you when you melted the plastic fitting!
It wouldn't be a project at camp if something didn't go wrong. Pro press has its place and if the tool wasn't so expensive I would probably have one to make quick repairs but I might start doing more repairs with pex as it is much more forgiving in freezing temps.
the leak is probably from tightening too much on the initial install, you have to be careful when mechanical fittings are that close to threaded joints because they can cause warps if theyre wrenched in too hard.
I still have the pipe so maybe I should cut it open and see if I notice anything obvious as to he cause. Wish they had used threaded ball valves which would have made a much easier repair for me.
@@LifeofaCampRanger yep crimping is actually a science, its meant to form a uniform seat all the way around the pipe/fitting, and if its warped even just a little bit its going to drip cuz of an uneven seal. it looks like he wrenched that bad boy all the way in there which is almost never necessary in plumbing. most guys live by one turn past hand tight, i live by something like that
I do not use pro press valves. I will only use threaded ball valves..so i or anyone after me can replace or repair easily atound the valve. A mixture of soldering and propress is perfect in my opinion.
That would have been a great idea, if I have to replace it again I will change the valves to threaded. Actually if I need to have it repaired again I'm just going to call a plumber!
@@Maven401I’m just curious, trying to visualize the setup and how a threaded valve is easier to remove if needed when you have to unscrew both male threads attached to the rest of the pipe, I’m DIY and trying to figuring out optimal setup
pro tip, if you arent going to support the verticals make sure youre heating the pipe a tad so that it expands with teh fitting, i usually just use spare copper pipe to support
I got a 1" stupid expensive threaded NPT BV laying around. I think i might convert it form water heater. That would be a nice hole for all that crap to dump out of.
I’ve never had that many problems with it, and I use it regularly ( almost daily in commercial applications). If it’s the Viega brand contact them and send them the fittings that leaked and they will investigate.
There were only two leaks one on each of the ball valves, I think they were caused by a freeze up from a few years back but I'm not sure why they took so long to show up. I had to replace so many fitting due to the lack of space to add solder fittings.
Ok so im with you 100% Pro-press sucks and it's garage. What's the reason for using press again. You should have installed a bypass for the filter. Also you used alot of unnecessary fitting to put everything together.
I didn't use propress again I soldered everything new that I put in. That would have been a good idea but unfortunately I was to focused on replacing what was there exactly the way it was originally installed I didn't think about improving it.
I’m in Calif Coast and Sierra Mountains. I never had any trouble with propress and Pex A …. Pex A is good in extreme temps cause of expansion abilities. I use Vega brand….
@@LifeofaCampRanger you can justify it only if you do service plumbing for a living, I am planning on buying one pretty soon I have a PEX one and I still do my copper repairs with sweat
Same I have a $7k pro press , but prefer solder on big jobs, unless I have a small window of time I need to finish or I’m being lazy I pull out the pro press, If theirs a leak on pro press some times you have to replace a lot of fitting like this situation, not the same on solder you can head it up and remove old pipe
I do not do service plumbing just small repairs around a summer camp so definitely not worth it. I’d rather spend that kind of money on tools or equipment that I would use regularly.
That’s partly what I did the repair my self and I didn’t call a plumber because the only thing they seem to use is pro press. If I have another leak there I want to be able to just replace the fitting that is leaking and not most of the fittings.
You're either using too much flux or over heating the fittings and letting the flux run, use minimum flux and control your heat. You're on your way to doing great things. Sincerely, Muhambi
It definitely be could be a simpler set up but I was on a time crunch so I copied what was already there. I might go back and replace it with pex one day.
I got a question for all y'all plumbers: if he is using the blue pipe dope (which correct me if I'm wrong acts as a sealer for the threads), y does he need to use plumbers tape? Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't using plumbers tape kinda like the equivalent to using a precut gasket for a car's oil pan vs. Pipe dope would be like using liquid gasket maker, right?Using both would b a little overkill?
Yes the blue pipe dope is a sealer, it might be over kill but I was told by a plumber that the tape is more of a threat lubricant so it threads on easier. I’d rather use both even if it’s a bit of an over kill but I don’t have a leak than just use one and have a leak.
True. I guess Like the saying goes better safe than sorry. I couldn't imagine how frustrating it would be to diagnose it if it did leak again since naturally u'd rule this out from being a possibility.
Well I can tell you right now whoever installed the pro press didn't prep any of the pipe that's exactly why it leaked. I see it all the time. Lazy plumbers or new generation plumber who take to many short cuts.
I'm curious. Why did you run the waterline up higher than the filter, then back down instead of just putting in a 90 at the height of the filter intake and then a horizontal piece into the filter?
I like to make things more complicated than they need to be. lol I unfortunately copied what the "plumber" did originally instead of rebuilding it completely like I should have.
Improperly crimped fitting. Looked like there wasn't enough room on that valve for a good crimp. Viega always suggests crimping brass fittings twice. Brass is harder than the copper. With as many fittings that weren't pressed right either the make up wasn't right or the battery was low and or the press needs to be repaired.
You failed propress job is due entirely to your using them wrong. Propress has limitations and that being tight spaces. You can't use propress on tight twisty pipe trains.
It’s not surprising that I had to repair it with in 5 years. The plumbing company that did the install went out of business which doesn’t surprise me after all the issues I’ve had.
@LifeofaCampRanger ah, makes sense, can never leave things entirely to someone else, or company. I learned that lesson the hard way with medical industry, it has failed me more than once with lifelong consequences.
Because that would have been to easy and I don't like the easy way lol. Honestly I was to focused on copying what was there so it would fit in the same space to think about modifying it to be a simpler install. Next time I will take longer to figure out the install and not just copy what was already there.
The original instal was done by a “licensed plumber” but they went out of business so that’s not surprising. I have definitely gain some knowledge from people’s comments so in the future if I have to make repairs I hopefully won’t repeat any of my mistakes.
Too many joints. Fill up the pipe with dry sand and compress. Close with a wood plug in the ends. Anneal where you want to bend, and bend. Or, use prisol, soft pipe, but use sand.
It can because if a soldered fitting was leaking you can heat it up and and replace it while re using the pipe but with pro press you can’t re sure the pipe or easily remove the broken fitting.
@@LifeofaCampRanger I get it you can sweat fittings off, but just soldering with runny lines even a small drip makes it very difficult. Both have advantages
I’m no plumber but at the 1:20 mark, seeing that monstrosity of propress system no wonder it leaked. Fewer is better. Clean up your angles. Damn! 😂 To add. I love propress for what I’ve used it for so far. But jeez, that set up gives propress a bad name.
If I had the time to rebuild the whole thing I would have but I was in a rush so the easier thing for me was to just copy the disaster that was already there. I don't hate prepress the tool is just to expensive for non plumbers and if its done improperly it sucks to fix.
Whatever that is coming out of the floor looks to have some kind of rubber adapter on it. (2 spiral band clamps securing it) You screw on a sweat fitting with tape and dope THEN you're going to apply the heat needed for 1 1/4 copper? Quit now guy...you have not a clue what you are doing. I don't like Pro press either but for a different reason. Plumbing isn't your thing clearly.
The pipe coming out of the ground is polyurethane water line which at that thickness can take the heat without leaking. Im going to keep plumbing to get better at it, I may not be great at plumbing but I did a better job fixing what the "plumber" did. If we don't try to better ourself whats the point.
I am not a plumber. I am curious though. Was switching it over to PEX not an option? At least the new one has metal threads. Great work though!!!! Looks amazing!
Pex in that size is a lot harder to find, that’s 1&1/4 pipe. None of the big box stores carry it so I have to go to supply houses to get it. I also would have to buy a clamping tool which I don’t have. It looks like I almost know what I’m doing lol.
We use pro press all the time and works flawlessly every time. But it can fail if you don’t install it correctly with pro press it’s not just slide the fitting on and press you have to clean the pipe with sand paper deburr the pipe and mark the fittings to make sure the pipe is inserted all the way and the fittings didn’t shift before pressing.
@@Leep18200 I don't know if it was installed correctly or not but the contractor that installed it went out of business a few years ago. We also had a freeze up in the building 4 years ago so that probably had something to do with it but I don't know why it took so long to show up. If I had money in my budget I would use propress but I don't do enough plumbing to justify it.
I admire his effort despite knowing little about plumbing, but I would be embarrassed to make such an atrocious video and posting it for the world to see. Most video’s of this type are made to educate a DIY individual on how to correctly fix or install something. Perhaps the video should have been named “How Not To Fix A Plumbing Problem”
If I had the tool I would use it but I don’t do enough plumbing to justify the cost plus when things break the amount of copper that has to be replace is excessive!
You will if you're in an enclosed tight space in a commercial building surrounded by very flammable insulation and all your overhead pipe has a branch shut-off more than 50ft away.
Dude, that's an abortion. TERRIBLE sweating on the copper, and 1" pro press joint less than an inch apart?. Yeah seems like the problem is the plumber and not the tools or equipment.
I don’t hate pro-press I’m just fixing what a “plumber” did. They are not longer in business. I should have rebuilt the whole thing but I just copies what was there unfortunately.
Didn't watch video.but yes, press Fittings suck. I will not use them, I will not use them in a box with a fox, I do not like them, sam I am. I would rather use sharkbite. Sweating copper has been a very well-known and used process and is proven. Just because someone sucks at sweating.
Pro press has its place just like shark bits, if the tool didn't cost so much I would use it for repairs instead of shark bits or soldering because it's quicker and most of my plumbing repairs are in 3 season buildings. But when it's used improperly like it was it its a nightmare!
Nope those are water lines I’m replacing. If it was a gas line I wouldn’t touch it due to the state laws and I would have a certified gas fitter do it.
