Hey guys welcome back to the channel, i just had a question a few days ago and basically, what they were asking is. They had checked out our guide and i had mentioned you know, making sure your contractor is doing good, brazing techniques. So if they're brazing, your copper line, sets make sure they're using good techniques and basically the homeowner was asking well, how do i know? How do i know if they're using good techniques, i'm just going to go through a few things that you could watch out for as a homeowner? It's a shame that you would even have to worry about looking at for some of this stuff, but unfortunately a lot of guys in our trade. They give us all a bad name, but they don't do things like they should.

I have actually hired guys to help us. They had worked at other companies for a long long time and they go to braze something and we talk about flowing nitrogen and they didn't even know what we were talking about so here here they were with all this experience and they didn't even know probably the Most important thing when you are brazing, so let's just go through a few real quick. The first is flowing in inert gas flowing nitrogen when you are brazing, there's all kinds of videos on youtube. Just on this one topic, where they braise one copper line set with nitrogen flowing through it, and then they braze another one with no nitrogen flowing through it, and the black scaly mess that oxidizes on the inside of that copper pipe.

All of that is a big problem for heating and air systems, especially when we're talking about opening and closing of metering devices. You've got this compressor. That's meant to just pump good, clean refrigerant, but now you've put a bunch of crap in there, and so you just want to make sure if you've hired someone to do work on your heating and air system if they are doing brazing that they are flowing, that Nitrogen through there, the next one would be making sure that when they are brazing because we're talking about a really high heat, you know that torch is really putting off some really high temperatures that they are protecting all of the components around that. So if they're brazing copper line sets to a new unit outside they're, protecting the service ports right there and what i mean by protecting it - is they're wrapping wet rags around that they're keeping it cool.

There are products on the market like cool, gel and and other products like that that help keep components cool. In my opinion - and i know i'll - probably get some guff for this, but i personally don't think any of those products are as good as a wet rag. Wrapped around those components. Why? Because if that wet rag starts to get drier, i can always throw a little more water on it.

Pull that component back down and it's not a big deal but regardless of whatever they use, making sure that that technician is taking a moment to protect those components. There's rubber seals in there and you just don't want them to overheat. But there's also other parts of the system that they could possibly be brazing when you're talking about the indoor unit, there's electrical components that could be in there. You've got your metering device, usually a txv or an exv or eev, there's different verbiages, but basically the metering device in there.

They need to be protecting that and basically they need to be protecting anything and everything that heat would be a problem for when you're talking about the copper line itself, i usually like to wrap a wet rag around that just to keep the heat from going down. Further down the line, especially if it's an insulated suction line, but ultimately i have seen guys in our trade just get in there with a torch and they start brazing stuff and they don't even take care of the components around it. So that would be the two main things when we're talking about brazing. Just to piggyback off of that, i would want to see a pressure test done after that.

I know there's other techniques out there, but to me pumping that system up with hundreds of pounds of nitrogen and making sure it's going to hold pressure, go around check. My joints wrap my hand around that joint make sure. I'm not hearing any air make sure. I'm not seeing any bubbles if i shoot any leak: fine liquid on there and just making sure that that system is going to hold pressure and then finally pulling a really good vacuum, using a micron gauge and making sure that they're pulling that good vacuum after brazing.

That system another little pet peeve of mine is, i always like to introduce virgin clean brand new refrigerant into that system. Every time i've laid hands on it. Does that cost you as the homeowner a little bit more? Yes, but it's well worth it in the long run, because, if you're re putting this refrigerant, that could possibly be compromised from bad brazing techniques before or it could just be moisture. That's in there.

I want to get all that out of there. I want to pull a good vacuum and introduce good, clean, new refrigerant into that system. All that said, there are products on the market that they have come out with that you may not see them brazing with what are those products? Well, one product would be. There is a pro press type tool out there.

I know zoom lock is one brand, but there's they're coming out with all kinds of stuff, but ultimately, instead of having braised copper joints, you would have crimped copper joints almost like you would see in plumbing and they're rated for higher pressures. I think those are good, especially if you're doing work in, say a hospital or a factory where they make like food, that folks are going to consume things like that anywhere, where you would not want to create those fumes when you're brazing. Another thing we're seeing especially on mini split systems, is they flare, the copper, so instead of brazing it, you would actually flare the end of that copper line and then use a compression nut to seal it. But now, as time goes on during the making of this video, we're also seeing line sets being made of other materials, so they're, not even copper at all, i'm not going to get into.

Are they as good as copper or not? But ultimately, you as the homeowner should know that these products are coming out and you're gon na see less brazing, less copper. As time goes on. I would imagine there could come a day, possibly where you don't see as much copper on the market. It's not getting any cheaper and they are making these other products now.

So i hope that helps if you have any comments or questions, please put them down below, but if you're in the market for a new heating and air system before you spend thousands check out. My website new hvac, guide, dot com and this website is as if i wrote a book. My whole goal is to help you as the homeowner to avoid some of the headaches and problems that a lot of other homeowners have to deal with a lot of the information i've put on this website heating and air contractors and manufacturers. Don't even want you to know, i've got a whole page called no nose.

I've got a whole page for good and bad heating and air brands so before you spend thousands, definitely check out that website. Thanks for watching hit that subscribe button, we'll see you next time.