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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The Reftekk Cush-A-Therm is a rigid insulating pipe support that resists compressing or crushing from active-piping system loads.
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).