Photo Courtesy Ridgid
By Fred Lopez, Editor
Plumbers have always seen the world a little differently then most. Where a carpenter would see an excellent location for a built in, a plumber would see an excellent opportunity to amend a revent to help the vent system breathe just a bit easier. A carpenter's eye is usually more concerned with detail and aesthetics, while a plumber's eye is less concerned with appearance and more concerned with function. Running supply lines and installing DWV(that's drain, wastes and vent) systems is the core of what plumbers do day in and day out. For years, the plumber's arsenal of tools included pipe wrenches, chain vises, reciprocating saws and, of course, the plumber's torch. The torch, usually a propane or MAPP gas unit, allowed the plumber to 'sweat' copper water supply line joints by heating up a flux coated pipe and applying solder to permanently join the copper pieces. This method is still widely used by plumbers and is by no means in no danger of fading away as plumbers are a tool-loyal lot. They will incorporate a new tool into their inventory, but you'll be hard pressed to see a plumber part with a tool he started with as an apprentice. We all know an old plumber that's still a master lead wiper. Plumbers are reluctant to change-unless that change can both speed up a job and deliver quality results.
One of the main limiting factors of the plumber's torch is the flame itself. Not so much a factor when installing a copper supply lines above a water heater near concrete basement walls, torch use does become a concern when getting into tighter spaces like under a vanity or in between joists. Of course, you can utilize a flame blanket, but this is limited in its protection unless you have more than one and are willing to constantly realign them as you cycle the flame between the joints. Clearly, a need existed to eliminate the flame hazard of the torch and increase the speed of fitting installation. Enter the Ridgid RP-330 press tool. The Ridgid RP-330 is an 18 volt cordless press tool which mechanically presses special fittings onto tubing to create a permanent, water-tight seal. The specialty fittings used on the tubing (you can't use standard NIBCO-type copper fittings) employ an o-ring that forms the heart of the water-tight seal after a few thousand pounds of pressing force is delivered. When the switch on the RP is activated, the lithium ion battery energizes the motor which then forces hydraulic pump to actuate the tool's jaws. Its at this point that the force is applied to set the o-ring in place, thus creating the water-tight joint. The entire pressing process takes some five seconds. We tested an RP-330 equipped with a 3/4" jaw set to join 3/4" Viega fittings to copper tubing.
The RP-330 arrived in massive carrying case that feels like
it could withstand an assault from a Javelin missile. Note the jaw set in the image on the right.
