Big thanks to craig from ac service tech and acservicetech.com for coming down and shooting this series of videos with us. This video specifically, is about flaring and swedging, but if you want to learn more about the entire range of processes and procedures for our industry, go to acservicetech.com or subscribe to his youtube channel at ac service tech hope you enjoy this video swedging and flaring. That's what we're going to talk about? Is it switching or switching? Oh swaging? Oh there we go okay, swaging and flaring. I don't know i don't know or is it? Is it expanding because now they're calling it expanding now tubing expanders, they don't even say swage.

Yes, right there's a lot of the tools that are expanding tools, so you know you can call it whatever you want and i have the same problem with ol on the multimeter every single time i designate ol, meaning something when i'm testing resistance open loop. No, it's open line. You know. Oh, it's open line.

No, it's it's over limit over the limit of resistance in in which is in the circuit. You know it doesn't matter, no matter what you say, it's going to be something else. Instead, but hey it all works. So, which do you say, do you say swage or swedge? I say swage swage.

I think i started you saying swedge and everybody kept busting, my chops, so much about it that, and that was one of those youtube growth things where i think i and i'm not to say that that was the correct decision on that one. But i now call it swage because of so many people who said i grew up, calling it swage and that's how you're supposed to say it and da da i'm like fine, fine, fine, it's swage um, i say swedge, so hey! Well. That helps me, then makes you feel better about your early content right, good, good, good um! That's what i'm here for i'll, be your emotional support animal from now on. Let's start with flaring what is, let's just go right to the, because people sometimes get frustrated when you talk around, i think we'll start with your favorite and my favorite flaring method and then we'll go into why and some of the options.

So it's just person. So it's caveat. This is personal preference right when we do this and i'm okay we're gon na we're, i'm okay with you mentioning a brand. If you want, if you don't want because of your channel, that's fine, but i'm going to mention brands, i'm just going to say it! So you go first.

What is your favorite method for flaring currently? Well, let's just get this out of the way. A lot of the yellow jacket uniweld, you know, that's fine, but um. I usually use a round reamer and i often get this question. You know how do you ream or the burr? Sorry yeah, because that's the other thing.

That's the other thing you can get corrected. You get dreamed about that. Yes, if you say the wrong thing, yep, so you're deburring, a copper tube, and you want to do that with the opening upside down and i get asked well, how do you deburr a tube? That's that's upright and is fixed well a lot of times the tubes that you're flaring are smaller, so you can bend them downwards and then bend them back up. Make sure that you're not bending near a brace joint that you're accidentally going to crack.

But when it's upright there, you don't really have that much of an option. You know you kind of have to just use the flaring tool and flare it out without deburring it and try to make it as large as possible. You know i don't know, do you have any anything to any wisdom there yeah a lot. A lot of people will make goofy uh they'll say like well, you can take some electrical tape and you can roll it up.

You can stick it. No! I i don't want you doing that right again, there's different levels of technicians. There are technicians who have done things like rolling up a piece of something and put it in there for years and years and they're good at it, and they know what they're doing fine. Like, but don't tell me about it like because all i can think of is my three year - technician: who's gon na drop, something in the line and leave it in there in terms of flaring.

The burning is pretty important like it is. It is pretty important. It makes a it makes a better flare, but depending on the tool you're using there are tools that are more uh, forgiving forgiving yeah in terms of burr, and then there are tools - and this is actually something that i would be very careful with. There are tools that will deburr in the process of using them and that bur can still go into the pipe, absolutely um.

So i would be careful with that and again this comes we're gon na keep saying the same thing. Uh, like you, know your tools and if you know your tools and you know how to use them properly, then you'll do fine. Probably, but i mean i i, like most people started off flaring with the basic you know: imperial block the old school block where you take the handle and you're using it to tighten and untighten and all that stuff. It worked fine as long as you did it right, but to the question and the table here.

It's important, but what's more important, is not getting copper shavings on the line. If you only have two options, then i would say: don't deburr in order to not get copper shavings on the line, that's my stance on it. Okay. That was a really long answer.

No i'm glad you said it. It just kind of you know makes me feel better, you know, but that's what i tell everybody so in reference to the tools that i use, i usually use a round reamer anytime, that or around the brewing tool. Any time that i am deburring getting ready for. Flaring and the reason for that is i i personally, i don't use a stick - the brewing tool.

I know i know you like to use that in the classroom a lot of times what i've seen is, at least, if you're not comfortable with using it. You know and if you're not using it all the time, what tends to happen is you end up accidentally scraping the inside surface of where you're going the flare at right and then then you go and put that copper tube in the flare block you you, you Flare, it and you end up with still some type of a scratch surface of some sort. So you just got ta whatever the burring tool that you use. You got to be familiar with it and it should have a good angle on it, but not touch the insides of the of the copper tube and then i i like the eccentric flaring tools.

I, like the ones that don't have a guide, stop, although a guide stop, makes it easy and quick and fast for making multiple swages. But i like to be able to manually put my copper tube in a block and i like the eccentric flaring tools, where it's only applying the the force on the copper tube in one spot at a time. It's not the entire cone pressed up against the copper tube with friction, and so it makes the least amount of surface contact with the copper tube, and that tends to make what i feel is the best copper tube flare. Of course, you put a little bit of refrigerant wheel to help it glide and a little bit of protection because - and you hit the point earlier - where hey? Maybe you can't deburr, but then you have your copper tube actually may, depending on the head.

That's on the tool that you're using might cut into that head a little bit. It just depends on what tool you're using, but i like eccentric, flaring tools round reaming tool round reaming tool. I i just haven't practiced enough of them. It's an example where, when i started in the trade, i always had the little it's just one of those things.

It's like it's the tool. You grew up using or started off using and you get used to using it into your point. They have the the um. The blade uh deburring tool has that rounded tip that's supposed to go in there and rub up again, so it doesn't cut into it.

But i see it all the time either damaging the inside surface or over reaming, where you thin out the edge and now it splits on the edge after it's done, flaring, which ultimately comes down to like and and i'm again jumping way ahead here. But at the end, when you're done with the flare check it and make sure it's a good flare right like it's, not that okay, it's not that complicated, it should be round it should um have a very smooth surface on the inside. It shouldn't be cracked around the edges and it should be large enough that it covers the entire uh flare. You know and it should fit uh snugly into your uh into your flare knot, uh and also remember, to put the flare knot on first.

So that's that's a big one. Yes, my favorite currently - and this is a cheat and i know i'm going to get it from everybody, but the the new navac battery powered nte11 or whatever it is um. It's not the nt11. I don't remember what it is um.

I like it not necessarily for myself, because i don't need it um, but it does it so quickly. I mean it's just it's just you know makes the flare back it off and it really they really are pretty darn good quality flares and for our techs in the field, who are doing a lot of ductless systems, because we do a lot of ductless uh it Just takes the guesswork out of it and it's what it's what i hand the technicians, um and a lot of people will think when i say these things like oh well, they're a sponsor, so you were paid to say that no, i just used it and i Really like it um the nefli, which is the previous version. Um was also great. It's just a little bit more pricey.

So that's my favorite. Currently, as you know, i use the i use the blade tool, but really you can make a good flare with almost any available tool. I mean the old imperials uh, because when i talk about the process, people will always push back well, look we've made good floors for years. We didn't need all this.

Well, there are a couple factors. One of the factors is uh with higher pressure systems. Um, the flare does become a little bit more critical, but i wanted you to talk a little bit about because you had mentioned this about getting sort of the maximum, because you said you don't like the stop and i i actually tend to agree. I would probably make them a little bit larger than some manufacturers would specify um, but why is that talk through that? A little bit you had hit it on the head when you were talking about the the deburring or the reaming at the end of the copper tube, and if you do that too much you're going to basically ruin that amount of surface area on the flare.

If you make the flare big enough and to where it just barely fits in the flare nut and by the way, make sure you're, always using the manufacturer's flare nut, not not the ones that are maybe cheap and smaller one that comes with the line set yeah Because i've seen a lot crack out there in the field and that's a problem. I, like the flares that are so big to where you're actually almost screwing the flare knot over top of the flare and not hard screwing but like by the time it gets down into the area of the flare nut where it's supposed to be resting. It it swivels freely the knot swivels just freely and you have the maximum amount of surface contact with the flare face of on the adapter a flare. You don't want to have the flare, the exact size as the adapter, because a lot of times, the part where you're deburring is on an angle and you're, really not using the maximum amount of surface on the flare.

I mean. That is a huge thing. I even see it coming from manufacturers with txvs or whatever these tiny little flares yeah it doesn't. Even it doesn't even fit over the flare adapter.

What's going on here, you're only using half of the surface area, it doesn't make any sense. You know for these higher pressure systems. You want to make sure you know to visually, inspect your flare and make it a little bit bigger. You know it.

Doesn't you don't have to thread the flare nut on right, but take the entire area within the flare nut to your advantage? Key thing, as you mentioned there is, is that you know look at the size of the flare compared to the flare adapter compared to the male part of the flare. Do they butt up against each other completely? Does it cover completely? If it doesn't, then you're not using you're, not getting the full advantage right, a lot of people will focus a lot on the degree of angle of the flare. What are your thoughts on that? Well, there's some tools that that make a say, incorrect angle on purpose and then, when you tighten it in it then tightens it to the exact angle in which it's needed. The reality is, if you get it close with your 45 degree flare, you know it's going to mesh up to that flare face no matter, no matter what it's copper right, you know and uh you know so i i tend to use a little bit of refrigeration Technologies nylog on the flare uh face and i've had a lot of people say.

Well, you put it on the threads and i say no because then you're making that slick and and you're going to accidentally over, tighten the flare but yeah. I put a little bit just right on the flare face not enough to where it's going to get inside. The tubing right, but just on the flare, face itself and uh, but yeah it's just the surface area. You want to make sure that it makes nice contact and a 45 degree flaring tool.

I mean that's what we use and it'll form fit right onto that flare. Face yeah either way either way so, for example, the spin flare tool they they talk about how they you know under uh, make it a little lower degree and it does work fine and it's not it's not a problem either way. I think it's one of those things that maybe some you know reps got their hands on and used it as a selling point, and i really think it's kind of a non-issue, but people will say that they'll say: oh well. Your old flaring tool won't work with the newer flares.

It's like that's funny, because i've done it plenty. The one thing that does tend to be the problem would be just the the face area: the size of the flare matters more than it used to um, because it is a press fit fitting. It's not a, and this is a mistake, a lot of people make because i you know i'll be honest. We we use dialogue on a lot of threaded fittings and you're right.

It does affect the torque spec, but it's not the threads that hold uh. That's the key thing here: it's not the threads that hold uh. If it's a you know a chat, lift or an air quick fitting. You know it's it's some sort of a seal.

If it's a flare fitting, then it's just literally press fit exactly it's all about getting maximum surface area appropriate force pressure face to face and having as few inclusions or gaps cracks. Anything in that face, as you can possibly have, and i mean that's it. It's really not any more complicated than that absolutely and i think in well across the united states. You know what i what i hear a lot of times and uh.

Of course it's the whole world is that people sometimes really don't like many split systems, because it has flare fittings and you know and of course, there's ways to get around that. You know, and you can flow nitrogen and breeze depending on you, know the manufacturer, but it all has to do with the flare fittings and the technician being able to make a good flare fitting and you and you hit it on the head in reference to the Higher pressures that that we're using now, you know it's not just on the low side of the system, it's it's now. You know on a heat pump and i just said you know during the middle of my sentence, you didn't call me out. I know i was.

I wasn't paying attention. I was busy thinking about lunch, so yeah yeah, but you have to make that flare as good as possible and it's just like anything else once you say master or subject or a process. You know it may take you longer in the beginning, but once you get it down, you can do that real rapidly and and everybody has confidence in you doing that job and and that's what's most important about everything that we do in the hvacr field. In this case, it don't leak at the end of the day you win.

If it doesn't speak now and later, both it shouldn't leak all right. So let's talk about uh, swaging swedging or a tube expanding whichever you prefer. Let's go straight to again the uh. The conclusion: what is your preferred process so uh? I will tell you i'll back up a little bit, because when i started out, i just used the hammer switches.

That's what everybody used in the company in which i started with, i mean there's a lot of different methods. I i prefer having something that's going to take up the entire area inside the swage. I don't absolutely 100 percent love the expansion tools that that leave a little kind of gap. They spread open, they work and that's great and they, and certainly they work for the larger tube uh.

But then you know people say: oh well, you should heat it up beforehand, but then, if you heat it up, are you you know creating a problem with oxidation inside the tubing prior to even hooking this thing up, but but you can use you know, an expanding Tool on a room temperature piece of copper too, but there's also tools out there, that that spin, like you, said the spin swage and that you can put right in there, our drill swage. You know, and you are you're putting that into the copper, tube and you're, causing it to friction and and heat and you're expanding the copper tube as well you're cleaning, the inside of the copper tube. So i like that, for for some applications, you got to make sure that that tube is faced downwards. If you have an upwards facing tube, i'm not going to use a drill swage because of the little tiny.

The dust you know needs to fall out of the tube. You may not notice it, but it there is going to be some dust and i don't want that to fall inside the tube in the classroom. I've taught up a bunch of different methods. The the expanding heads, the uh, the hammer, swages, the the old school just standard block and you're just you're, just tightening it right in i don't know if i have a uh a favor i will.

I will be honest with that and that's why i've done some videos where i'm not saying it's, my favorite, i'm just showing you hey. This is how you use each of these tools yeah. So i don't think i have a favorite. I don't know, i don't think yeah and i think you've hit on some really good points in terms of using an expanding tool.

Um. The key thing is that you have to release and turn it as you go like you. Have you can't just expand it? One time i mean most cases you're going to split it, and it's going to be quite obvious, but even if you don't split it you're weakening it um. I do not suggest using a tubing expander anywhere near the compressor, especially on the discharge line on a suction line.

That's away from the compressor where there's less vibration, an example would be in real life, a lot of times, you'll go to a system and your suction line at the condenser and air handler don't match, and you have to kind of like make them fit. And so sometimes you use a different piece of copper, but even then it won't fit right exactly right, and so sometimes, if you take a tube expander and you just expand it just a little bit in order to make that fit tighter, that's a good application for It and then sometimes it's just a matter of you - know: you're, making you're trying to reduce fittings and so you're going to expand on a suction line or even on a liquid line where there's not as much vibration. But if we were, in you know, say a grocery environment, a more mission, critical, higher charge environment definitely wouldn't use a uh, an expander, that's going to potentially weaken uh the joint and then from there. What are your options? I think that i think the spin swage is a really nice tool.

I think it works great again. You pointed out that you got to prevent any shards of copper, whether they're tight either big or small. From getting into that line. I will add that if you ever do know that you drop something in the line and you can't recover it, i think that is a good application for pipe wiper.

You know to run that pig through and blow it out again. If you find yourself in that position, but not a not a good position to be in so try to prevent that and then, like you said, you got the old school hammer swedge or the block swedge um. When you get into those zones a lot of times, you may be just as easy to use the fitting you know, but so there are cases where a fitting is the right choice. Um, for example, if you are working very near a compressor in in a discharge line, i would not suggest um, probably swedging in that application, because again you are taking one size and you are making it bigger.

You are thinning it out. So i think, just knowing knowing your situation that probably dictates the the best process there yeah there's a lot of times where i have just used fittings and and the objective of having your swaging tools is to make a swage quickly without without needing absolutely needing to Have a coupling or a reducing coupling and you're reducing the amount of joints in which you need to braise, so it's less chance for leaks, but once you get good at brazing, usually that's not where the problem ends up being right. You know it's somewhere else and you tend to put more breeze on than than probably what's needed, even though you're trying to get in and out. You know this way, you're, not beholden to having the exact coupling that you need on the service truck.

So you really want to have a bunch of your swaging tools for different applications and so from old school to new school. You know you want to have something in there in your truck to uh to rely on. I think that's it remind people how they can find out more about you and what you, what you got going on your books, your website, all that stuff yeah, so we're always making new videos on you on youtube at youtube.com, ac service tech channel, and we have A bunch of articles and quick tips and calculators, quizzes, and also our book over at our website, at ac service tech, dot com. And then you also have our our air conditioning book, which is the refrigerant charging and service procedures for air conditioning.

And it's always so long. You have a hard time saying it is slurring, it always always multiple takes but uh. But anyway we have the full outline there at ac service tech, dot com, slash ac book, so you can check out. You know if you're asking or wondering what is in there, just look at the full outline it's right there and we have some sample pages there as well.

We have a thousand question. Workbook we've got quick reference cards, we've got posters and i'd love to see these things used in technical schools across the country uh in other countries we have posters on mini splits. We've also got powerpoints that teachers can use. We have a bunch of resources there and we also have our physical products over at amazon as well.

We have our ebook on our website and google play and itunes nice. It's a lot of stuff yeah. We almost have as much stuff going on as i do. I don't think i don't think as much.

Maybe i don't know i've just got you beat on kids, so that's kidnapping. That is true. That's that is true. That is where i am.

That is where i win yeah all right. Thank you. Man, thanks for watching our video, if you enjoyed it and got something out of it, if you wouldn't mind hitting the thumbs up button to like the video subscribe to the channel and click, the notifications bell to be notified when new videos come out, hvac school is Far more than a youtube channel, you can find out more by going to hvacrschool.com, which is our website and hub for all of our content, including tech tips, videos, podcasts and so much more. You can also subscribe to the podcast on any podcast app of your choosing.

You can also join our facebook group if you want to weigh in on the conversation yourself thanks again for watching.