Save 75% of field brazes and virtually eliminate leaks on stick copper piping
Traditional ACR type L copper and fittings are expensive, labor is intensive, and finding skilled tradesman is at a premium. Not only that, poorly installed piping leads to very costly compressor failures and potentially dangerous system leaks.
It’s getting more and more difficult to complete profitable work.
This is why Reftekk was created.
Watch the video below to see why the top contractors in America are switching to Reftekk and not looking back …
All current piping options in the U.S. market are time-consuming and require highly skilled labor.
Why?
There are two main reasons. First, standard type L copper tubing in the U.S. cannot be bent – it can shatter and create micro fractures, leading to leaks and system deficiencies down the road – Leading to an abundance of joints and fittings.
Second, when you buy a fitting in the U.S., you have to waste time heating your copper, smear brazing rod around the joint, and hope you’ve sealed the connection.
Reftekk bendable copper piping and tools are the perfect solution to eliminate up to 75% of your brazed joints, significantly reduce your labor and material costs.
With fewer brazed connections, you protect your system from additional sources of leaks. Each fitting that you avoid saves you at least two brazed joints. In an entire system, that is a huge difference.
See How Reftekk Bends are Exponentially Stronger than Fittings
The Reftekk bendable copper tubing comes in the following sizes: 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, 1-1/8”, 1-3/8”, and 1-5/8”. All copper tubing options come standard in 19-feet length to fit into 20-foot containers, and the ends are plugged to prevent dirt from getting in the tubes.
Reftekk uses half-hard tubing that meets all U.S. codes and is 14% stronger* than the hard tube offered by other manufacturers.
Reftekk is so easy to work with that virtually anyone in the team can work with, even if they have never bent tubing before.
* Maximum working pressures of ACR Type-L copper tube based on allowable strength shown in ASME B31.5 – 2016, Table 502.3.1
Can You Bend Old School ACR Pipe? NO! See Why in the Video Below
How is Reftekk H55 Copper Produced?
H55 and H58 are identical until the end of the draw down process. H58 has no limit to how many times it can be drawn down and work hardened more each time (brittle). H55 has a limit to the number of times it can be drawn down and work hardened after being annealed (softened).
After H55 has been drawn down to nearly the final dimensions, it is removed from the draw down benches, placed in annealing ovens, and heated up to the annealing temperature. It is allowed to soak and soften up. After that it is put back onto the draw down benches for the final draws thru the dies to get the final dimensions. This is how the grain structure is accurately controlled to make it H55 and bendable.
The Reftekk bending tools have bending radii that maintain a large safety factor in the allowable bends for each size. This is calculated and well known.
Digi-Bender is a special tool that makes bending Reftekk piping easy, fast, and accurate right at the job site. The tool is small, user-friendly, and you can program all the angles right on your phone through their bend designer app. Then all you need to do is pull the trigger and let the machine do the rest.
The Reftekk Digi-Bender can be used to field-bend Soft (O60) and Half-Hard (H55) ACR-L copper tubing and transforms hours of experienced labor into an effortless one-man project.
Using the Reftekk Digi-Bender provides several advantages, including fewer brazes, reduced leak potential, lower pressure drops, greater installation flexibility, and no need for expensive elbow fittings.
- Easily make accurate bends: Using the digital LED screen and scroll wheel, the Digi-Bender allows you to pre-set the desired bend angle, resulting in a precise and repeatable bend with each use. Capable of bending angles up to 190 degrees.
- Eliminate elbow fitting expenses: With the capability of field-bending tubing on the fly, store-bought elbows are no longer needed.
- Reduce risks of Leaks: Multiple bends can be made in a single stick of copper tubing, and each field-bent elbow eliminates 2 brazes associated with traditional elbow fittings. Fewer brazed joints reduces the potential for leaks.
- Proper bend radius: The bend radii of the back-formers have been designed to keep the resulting elongation of the tubing well under the minimum manufactured elongation specification of 25% for Half-Hard (H55) copper tubing.
- Bends the most common ACR type-L copper tube sizes: Included back-formers and bending-shoes sizes are 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, 1-1/8”, and 1-3/8”
- Significantly reduces pressure drop: Compared to traditional elbow fittings, the truly long radius bends have nearly negligible pressure drop.
Swagers are tools commonly used for soldering, but they are not appropriate for brazing. The six-pie shaping on the head of the swagers available in the market create a depth in the pipes that is too deep for brazing, increasing chances of leaks.
That’s why Reftekk created the Swage X, with a 9-sided head that perfectly expands the ends of any bendable copper tubing section in seconds. Even better, the machine knows when the optimal expansion is reached and stops by itself, freeing you from the responsibility of judging the correct size.
- Eliminates the need for copper fittings: when used with a proper bending tool, the Reftekk Swage Expander allows installers to create brazing sockets at the ends of any bendable quality copper tubing section, eliminating the need for elbows and couplings, which lowers material costs.
- Reduces number of brazes by up to 75%: the Reftekk Swage X, when used in conjunction with bendable quality copper tubing, allows each joint to be sealed with only a single braze rather than the two brazes associated with conventionally brazed fittings. This reduces labor and the cost of brazing material while significantly reducing leak potential in the system.
- Proper Brazing Tolerance: Creates brazing sockets with tight tolerances, resulting in better capillary action and fewer voids, reducing leak potential.
- Proper Brazing Socket Depth: The only tool in the market designed to produce the correct swage depth for brazing (per ASME B16.50-2013), leading to a more complete braze with less leak potential.
- Swages Type L Copper ACR Tube Sizes: Head sizes come in 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8” 1-1/8”,1-3/8”, and 1-5/8”.
Reftekk takes the guess work out of brazing. With Reftekk precision rings all you must do is braze the top of the socket and within seconds, you’ll see the silver covering, which is the sign that your brazing is done. No hassle and no guessing.
Reftekk saves you up to 75% of the time you would spend in brazing with products from other manufacturers. Less brazing also come with reduction in purging and heat that is applied to the system, leaving you with a much cleaner inside pipe.
- Fewer Leaks: Reftekk brazing rings provide high filler penetration in the joint, reducing the number of voids and leaks when compared to hand-fed brazing rod.
- Repeatable: The Reftekk brazed joint is visibly complete when the filler protrudes around the full circumference of the outside of the joint. This gives the operator a repeatable visual indicator of a completed brazed joint.
- Simple Brazing Process: The brazing ring is inserted inside the joint prior to heating, freeing one of the operator’s hands and eliminating the guesswork of how much brazing rod to use.
- Reduces Brazing Material: Preformed rings provide the right amount of filler material for each size connection, eliminating guesswork and material costs.
- Double Fillets: Fillets form on both the inside and outside of the brazed joint, indicating full-depth filler penetration. This results in a consistently high-quality connection as opposed to the questionable penetration depth when hand-feeding brazing rod
The Reftekk ACR Brazing Rings come in 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4”, 7/8”, 1-1/8”, 1-3/8”, and 1-5/8”.
EPDM Insulation
Piping insulation should be easy, right? I mean, what can possibly go wrong?
Well, a lot. Energy codes are getting more and more strict, and improper insulation has been leading to lawsuits and penalties.
EPDM line sets with 1” and 1-1/2” thickness is required by the IECC codes in nearly all states. EPDM is required on all hot gas lines as it is high temperature closed cell elastomeric foam and will withstand the hot VRF temperatures of 248F. Standard insulation (NBR) will fail at these temperatures.
Reftekk has the best solution in EDPM insulation for VRF/VRV.
- Specifically required by several VRF/VRV MFGs
- Exceeds VRF/VRV MFGs 248 Fahrenheit degrees operating temperature requirement
- Available in thickness to meet strict energy codes
- Available with line sets
Reftekk standard and split insulation options are safe and exist to avoid unnecessary headaches.
Reftekk supplied proper insulation elbows designed to fit the Reftekk radius of the copper tubing
- ASTM E84 (25/50) compliant: Flame-Spread index under 25 and Smoke Development Index under 50 (tested according to ASTM E84).
- Ozone Resistant: Provide ozone resistance in accordance with ASTM D 1171.
- Non-Polar: Non-Corrosive to copper and stainless steel and helps repel water vapor.
Cush-A-Therm Supports
The Reftekk Cush-A-Therm is a rigid insulating pipe support that resists compressing or crushing from active-piping system loads.
- Proper Tubing Mount: Cush-a-Therm allows the piping system to expand and contract without inducing additional stresses associated with hard-mounting.
- Fire Response: Self-extinguishing through 2-1/2″ thick per ASTM D 635.
- Water Vapor Barrier: The internal and external EPDM layer provides a water-proof and vapor-proof seal.
- UV and Weather Resistant: All components are UV and Weather resistant, requiring no protective paint.
- Prevents Condensation: The supports’ insulating properties help prevent condensation from forming on the tubing surface Metal Hanger Strap included: The properly sized Unistrut style metal hanger clamp is pre-packaged with the Cush-A-Therm for simple and easy installation.
- Easy to Install: Cush-a-Therm features a split-seal and over-lap seal with peel-off adhesives for a quick and simple installation.
Refrigerant Ball Valves
Reftekk offers refrigerant ball valves with an optional EPDM insulation jacket in sizes ranging from a 1/4” to 1-5/8”.
These ball valves swaged connections accept the same brazing rings as the pipe tubing.
There is a schrader valve built into the brass body of the refrigerant ball valve for easy access.
The valve has a maximum working pressure of 700 psig and a working temperature range from -40F to 300F (-40C to 150C).
