You are correct, the side port is used to connect a hose, Typically if you are pulling a vacuum you will remove the schrader valve(restriction) to speed the process up.
You don't want any air from opening the tool to swap the valve to get into the system. Air is a non-condensible and moisture in the air will cause ice particles that can block the tiny restrictions leading into the evaporator.
Could also be used to recover refrigerant if something goes pear-shaped while swapping the core... Like if it cross threads, or if it falls out of the holder. Probably to pull a vac in the tool though, to prevent contamination.
Pulling a vacuum would be blocked by the one-way valve when present. But attaching any toolB that needs access to the pressure system makes sense even with keeping and reinserting the original valve, as this toolA will only leak just enough gas to fill the toolA internals as it unplugs the valve and closes up, forming a closed chamber connecting the installed system and toolB.
Clive. Thank you for your help via email, it's really helped me. Today I woke up and got some jobs done, I have a good meal and visited my old support worker in her new workplace. I've got past the first day, next will be the first week. It's still hurts inside but I can cope with the pain. Thank you for being awesome. ❤️🙂👍
One week before seeing the short version of this I found a leak in my car’s AC at a Schrader valve. I was wondering how I could replace it. Saw the video, bought the tool, changed the valve and topped up the freon. AC blowing cold again! Thanks!
The side port has a Schrader valve so what’s the point of removing one only to leave one in as a restriction. I remove the end after closing the valve and evacuate/charge the system directly. The side valve can be used for checking for pressure but best for fitting a vacuum gauge
I don't even do HVAC and it is one of my fav tools. It's one of those tools when you learn about it you are like "HOW DOES EVERYONE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS!?!".
Sliced bread doesn't even come close to how useful these tools are :) I started using this tool in the 80's for refrigeration. I've also used these for installing and removing liquid tire ballast (weighted fluid) in heavy equipment and farm machinery. The side port is your system access service port (fluids and gases in or out).
This is basically a tiny version of how we make taps on water mains live. How we can drill, tap and install threaded valves. I agree very cool tool. Thanks, now I want one for demonstrating
They are currently replacing the gas main at the end of my street and will do so without interrupting the supply, I imagine they will use a similar device.
@@jyvben1520 I'm not fully sure, but I think sparks wouldn't actually do any harm on gas line as I think it's way "oversaturated" in lines to create any kind of explosion. Things would change if oxygen/air is allowed in the party though 🤔
I have never touched any kind of refrigerant system and I most likely never will and I only have a theoretical understanding of them but this is a really cool tool, both in aesthetics and in function. Thank you for showing it.
Your video dragged me into two hours of hot tapping video deep dive. I now know much more about water and gas pipe hot tapping than I ever need in my life as a software engineer.
this device has saved me many hours and headaches. i use the yellow jacket ones. one in the tool bag and two in the speed-evac kit. the side port is typically used for a micron gauge while pulling a vacuum. I also have an automotive version of this with the adapters for various different ports. Highly recommended
Super cool to see how these actually work. I've seen Chris over at HVACR Videos use one of these many times and while I understood the concept of the device I was never quite sure how the isolation worked once the core was removed but before the ball valve was closed. As for the port on the top, while I'm not certain if this is what it's intended for, it can be used to speed up recovery and charging of a system since you can tap onto it while the core is removed thereby reducing the restriction caused by said core.
I've used one of those a lot. The port is for your charging guage set. The Schrader valve is a significant flow restriction and it's removal makes charging much faster.
Clive, the side valve is to safely depressure the core changer prior to removing it as it would have pressured up to system pressure during the core change. This type of manifold is quite common in the refinery industry. But in that environment, the pressures, temperatures, and the size of the manifold are tad bit larger. All the Best, Chuck
We use this tool not only for core removal but it also helps in large refrigerant charge/discharging as removes the restrictions you can then use that side port to move refrigerant in liquid form rather gas
love to see trade tools shown off, this is my favorite tool for pulling a vac down when doing a resi install. compared to leaving a schrader in i can pull down to 150 microns in 15 minutes compared to 20-30.
Similar devices are used for adding branches to pipelines operating and under pressure. Called hot tapping, it often involves welding..exciting? It gets better. Also done on natural gas collection and distribution lines. And hot repairs, where the leaking gas is often ignited on purpose. A pipe saddle installed in half sections is fully welded over corrosion holes.
Finally, a topic that I can fully understand, and appreciate. As I have said before, I generally don't understand one word in ten, but this is a really neat tool. Thanks for letting me feel a little bit smart in my old age.
I started out nearly 50 years as a time served capstan setter operator and set lathes up for mainly females to operate them as many years passed I was went on to NC lathes and maybe the first of many to be involved in CNC lathes, the concept was staggering, but now I see turned and milled parts like this are just on another level. I don't vape but often find then in the gutter and with hand protection, I take them apart to just look at the level of accuracy on the tiny parts, with threads, dovetail grooves, holes of the size I just cannot believe and the goal post just gets smaller and smaller. I suggest with gloves and pick up one of these components off the pavement and take it to bits It's just bloody insane ... Martin Green
The side port is because it is a pain to vacuum or pressurize a system with the valve in. So you can connect your vacuum pull the core and pump the system down in 20 min vs hours if it is installed.
We have a very similar very old very name branded version of this for automotive AC systems, we rarely use it but it is neat to have! It's like an airlock for AC systems!
Lemme guess.... "Snap-On", and it prolly costs $350. I'm not saying don't buy Snap-On tools, as I own many of them, but for a tool that I'll use twice in a decade, the one in the video will do just fine... 👌
@@davelowets Very likely, it hangs out in the cabinet below the R12 machine. I'm sure at the time whomever made it had a lock on the design and were the only ones making or licensing it's sale through other vendors.
I have the Yellow Jacket 18986 version of the same tool, used for evacuating mini split heat pumps. I have a micron gauge attached to the side port. Basic process: - Hook up the mini-split - Attach this tool to the service port. Pull the valve core and set it aside where you won't lose it. - Connect the vacuum pump to the end port where the valve remover goes. - Pull a vacuum until the micron gauge (on the side port) stabilizes at a sufficiently low value. - Close the valve on the tool, turn off the pump, ensure that the reading stabilizes. It'll go up a bit as more moisture and volatiles and whatever evaporate in the system, but it should stabilize - if not, you've got a leak to find. - Once you're happy with the vacuum, use this tool to reinstall the valve core and disconnect it from the heat pump. - Cross your fingers and fire up the heat pump!
There is something similar for a SCUBA regulator. It is an inline adjuster for the 2nd stage orifice. You thread the tool between the 2nd stage and hose and you can adjust the orifice under pressure. You can't remove or replace the orifice though.
Damn! I could use one of these for servicing A/C systems on automobiles... I never knew this tool existed, and the very few times I've had to change a leaky valve on a car, I've pulled and recaptured the refrigerant, changed the valve, vacuumed the system, and put new refrigerant and oil back in it. Imma get me one IMMEDIATELY.... Thanks Clive!! 👌
Refco make a far superior model. Same theory but better build quality. The 1/4” access on the side is for pressure reference if pumping down a system or if no other access points at evaporator it can be used for vacustat. Great explanation! I did 12months of trade teaching and you explained this much more efficiently then I ever did and this is part of my trade haha
Cool little tool. If someone were concerned about using silicone, they could easily use a drop of PAG oil, instead. It's available in any auto parts store.
I've renewed the vacuum in a liquid nitrogen dewer with a system like this. Instead of unscrewing a schrader valve, it was a normal cap, though. The port on the side was what was used for the vacuum connection.
I learned about these while learning air conditioning in community college in 1989, it was called a "Schrader evader" back then. I once watched a contractor "hot tap" a 12" high pressure gas line with a similar outfit. They welded a plate with a threaded nipple to the pipeline while fully pressured and gas flowing. They then screwed a valve to the nipple and then a device to drill a hole in the pipe through the ball valve. They drill the slug from the pipeline with a magnetic hole saw about 3" round and extract the slug a drill shavings through to valve they just installed. Then they connect the new pipeline to the system. Scary watching them welding a big metal plate to fully pressured pipe filled with methane.
"Hot tapping" with that tool to siphon off illicit gas and sell it. Not really a thing in developed nations. We send camera pigs through the lines that would see it.
@@mrtechie6810 The methane inside will not burn without air so as long as they don't go through the pipe there's no danger. The old pipes were probably made of cast iron, newer ones from steel, and were quite thick. The welder would not have enough power to burn through. Even with a leak (such as a cracked pipe) all they do is set fire to the escaping gas. I believe they then repair it with a similar technique, the gas to the flame passing through the valve which can then be closed to finish the repair.
Those tools are generally used for evacuation of a system and removal of the Schrader greatly speeds up the process. Removal and replacement of the Schrader under pressure is doable but very difficult due to the force required to ensure the core is installed correctly. Not an issue under vacuum however. The side port is for gauges or hoses
When removing a core under pressure, there's no need to pull the knob - the refrigerant pressure does that for you. Can be hard to push back in when the pressure is high. I did refrigeration repair for 20+ years and it's amazing how many technicians do not have one. To lube the plunger, use refrigeration oil... The side port is for pulling a vacuum on a large system which works better if you remove the core and leave the tool in place.
That is indeed a very cool tool. I feel the need to have one. It is very useful for changing out the schraders of your car tires at home, without having to use a jack or lift. But for DIY HVAC? If you need to replace a leaking schrader valve, that means, you'll also be needing a manifold set and a jug of the right refrigeration gas in order to properly refill what leaked out. Might as well call a pro. But still, I want that tool. Just fiddling with those things can keep me busy for hours. And there are household applications for that tool, too... I'd imagine fitting valve stems to some cola bottle caps. And getting a small jug of CO2. With that, I could keep my half empty cola bottles pressurized so the fizziness will always be at the same level as that of a freshly opened cola bottle. Of course I need to be able to change a schrader valve without spoiling any fizziness.
Clive: One procedural thing you must do, is to purge the air from the tool. Just after you loosen the Schrader valve, refrigerant can now leak around it's thread seal, you want to loosen the threaded nut holding the sliding valve core tool just a tiny bit to let that air out, then tighten it again, and continue removing the Schrader valve, and then close the isolation 1/4 turn valve. Then insert the new Schrader valve, on the tool, and thread the sliding shaft nut back on, but leave it slightly loose, then open the 1/4 turn valve just a crack to again purge air from the chamber in the tool. Then tighten the nut on the sliding Schrader valve driver, fully open the 1/4 turn isolation valve, and insert the Schrader valve back in the machines threaded seat. You need to always think about purging air as this is a non condensable gas, as well when the outdoor relative humidity is high in the ambient air, you want to purge that out as well.
When you're drawing a deep vacuum on a system, you attach one of these to both the high and low side ports and withdraw the Schrader valves to open up the lines and pull a faster vacuum including hoses that don't have the depressors in the end. Also, you never know when a piece of crap might stick a Schrader valve open and won't seal after the gauges are removed so it's a good idea to have one handy along with a thin glove. There are keyed safety caps required by code to keep the huffers out of AC and heat pumps but the brass flare caps are a minimum to keep the system tight. They have these tools for some automotive ports and they're not very expensive, but a lot of automotive ports don't use Schrader valves.
Can't comment on the use of silicone lubricant in refrigeration lines but any grease in, or near, an oxygen line is a no-no. It's possible for a leaking oxygen line / valve to cause the grease that a worker can get on their overalls to combust.
It appears to be constructed entirely from standard fittings aside from the rear cap and plunger. Easier to design, produce, modify, and repair. Very good!
Once you remove the valve, you have the full pressure on the refrigerant behind it, so placing the new valve takes a bit of effort. Fortunately, this is a very infrequently needed tool. Usually, it's the fault of a heavy handed torch user, not protecting the valve from heat, that causes the valve to fail. They are capped except for service, so dirt should never be an issue.
Holeeeee crap, that is EXACTLY the sort of tool I could have used a good while back!! I needed a way to evacuate and seal off a Bourdon tube assembly (long story), but make it reusable (otherwise I would have pinched off the tube). Ended up making basically this tool that could seal on to a little connector on the Bourdon tube. Zero need for one now, but I've gone and ordered one of these anyway just to remind me!
Looks like decent quality brass, with decent "workmanship" - I put that in quotes because more and more devices like that are turned out by the thousands using CNC machines. But they still may have to be assembled - hopefully without errors or omissions - by manual labor. I didn't see any mention of the price, but with the rampant inflation in progress, I guess the price would be valid for only a few months before it would be obsolete. Thanks, Clive.
Thinking about this, it's a bit like the battery pack they plug into your car's diagnostic port when they replace your battery. It supplies enough power to prevent your radio and other stuff from losing their settings and having a "help! I'm being stolen!" fit when the battery is disconnected and reconnected.
In a large system, techs will remove the core to speed up evacuation or charging. The side port can be used for this, but so can the plunger end. Sometimes a gauge is connected to the side port.
I use these almost every day. If you are filling a system the core can freeze and never seal up again apart from the restriction it causes both when evacuating and filling. I use the side port to fit a vacuum gauge that needs to be removed before filling, because any pressure will ruin them.
There are two thing, one the extra fitting they sent you probably is for 5/16 which typically is on ductless split systems so you can just use regular non 410a hoses. Secondly the best function of this tool as some already stated is removing the s header and using the side port to speed up charging or evacuation.
Reminds me of hot tapping on a pipeline. Weld a new stub pipe on the original one, put a valve on the added stub, add another piece of pipe with a drillbit. With the valve open drill through the original pipe, retract drillbit, close valve, remove drillbit, and now you can add pipe as you wish.
Reminds me of a "hot tap" at the gas plant were I work. They weld a pipe on to a live line (keeping gas flow to keep weld from burning through, norm. 900 psi @ app 30 mmcf) Bolt a new valve on, bolt a drill on with an isolated chamber. Drill pipe and back up bit, close valve and remove drill. They do it so we don't have to go down to tap new lins in or blow down the whole system
We have things like that over here in Germany to change heating radiator valves under pressure. So you dont need to drain the heating system. It is called "Schleuse"... sluice... Same thing, but a bit bigger.
Yep - search for "Ventilschleuse" and you'll find a number of videos showing these things being used... Someone had to do this for our bedroom several years ago after the valve failed. Sleeping in a 34°C room is really not recommended...
I served in the US Army with a guy who often said, upon parting, "Keep a cool tool, and don't let your meat loaf." Of course I had to watch this video.
These would generally be immediately lubricated in service, as the refrigerant carries a charge of oil as a well-distributed aerosol in operating condition. It takes quite some time, on the order of weeks or months of inactivity, for the oil to fully settle out.
Schrader valves are used in car AC systems and tend to become leaky over time, the system has to evacuated to change them, I imagine that this is tool is intended for changing those without the need to evacuate and refill.
Sadly this tool is too small for those valves - they are bigger and there is two sizes. And not all systems use the same valves / couplers just to make it extra fun.
As Mike pointed out, the side port is for connecting the hose from a refrigeration manifold gauge set to read the system pressure while the core changer is still attached.
NB. You wouldn't ever use a Schrader valve to hold a vacuum. They're basically a one way valve which will let gas in but not out. Kinda the total opposite of what you'd want in order to hold a vacuum.
Appion by far makes the the best one. Yellow jacket used to make a thermometer that could be used for direct refrigerant temps although it's useless for obvious reasons. If your core does not come out it's because your seal is compressed and is decreasing the diameter inside. Just loosen it a little on the access fitting and try again. Instead of silicone we will use vacuum pump oil or mineral oil.
If you ever watch a new tyre being filled you will see that they don't put the valve in until afterwards, they only lose a very small amount of air. Changing the valve only takes seconds, it wouldn't be worth the effort of fitting the tool. Unless you've been conned into having your tyres filled with very expensive nitrogen.
Wish these were more commonly available for the home radiators. My radiator in the livingroom has a valve that is sticky and gets worse every year. These tools are available but wicked expensive. Need to get the technician to come out and replace it. Can't depressurize the system because it's an appartment.
You are correct, the side port is used to connect a hose, Typically if you are pulling a vacuum you will remove the schrader valve(restriction) to speed the process up.
The other use is to purge the tool of air, with refrigerant from the system.
You don't want any air from opening the tool to swap the valve to get into the system. Air is a non-condensible and moisture in the air will cause ice particles that can block the tiny restrictions leading into the evaporator.
Could also be used to recover refrigerant if something goes pear-shaped while swapping the core... Like if it cross threads, or if it falls out of the holder. Probably to pull a vac in the tool though, to prevent contamination.
It can also be used to attach probes as well as hoses.
Pulling a vacuum would be blocked by the one-way valve when present. But attaching any toolB that needs access to the pressure system makes sense even with keeping and reinserting the original valve, as this toolA will only leak just enough gas to fill the toolA internals as it unplugs the valve and closes up, forming a closed chamber connecting the installed system and toolB.
That's brilliant! I have no use for it at the moment, but I feel I need one.
You stole my comment! The need/want conundrum is a technical concept, difficult to explain to Mrs Banana, I then point to her stash of shoes.
Same here😊
Yes same here
Yes, a must have! Better to have it and not need it. Than need it and not have it, kind of thing.
The fact is if you don't buy it you'll inevitably later discover that you need one.
Clive.
Thank you for your help via email, it's really helped me.
Today I woke up and got some jobs done, I have a good meal and visited my old support worker in her new workplace.
I've got past the first day, next will be the first week.
It's still hurts inside but I can cope with the pain.
Thank you for being awesome. ❤️🙂👍
Glad things are looking up. It will take a while to get back to normal, but each day will be easier.
Man, do I love specialized tools that solve incredibly specific problems, but do so in an equally incredibly creative way.... Thanks for sharing!
So weird seeing these on here having used them so frequently at work haha, glad someone else finds them interesting!
One week before seeing the short version of this I found a leak in my car’s AC at a Schrader valve. I was wondering how I could replace it. Saw the video, bought the tool, changed the valve and topped up the freon. AC blowing cold again! Thanks!
The side port has a Schrader valve so what’s the point of removing one only to leave one in as a restriction. I remove the end after closing the valve and evacuate/charge the system directly. The side valve can be used for checking for pressure but best for fitting a vacuum gauge
That’s fantastic. I’ve never had to replace a schrader valve at work or on any car, but I’m glad there is an easy means to do so.
This is mostly used in domestic hvac. And not neciasarily for changing the core just removing and replacing it during service work.
I don't even do HVAC and it is one of my fav tools. It's one of those tools when you learn about it you are like "HOW DOES EVERYONE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS!?!".
Sliced bread doesn't even come close to how useful these tools are :) I started using this tool in the 80's for refrigeration. I've also used these for installing and removing liquid tire ballast (weighted fluid) in heavy equipment and farm machinery. The side port is your system access service port (fluids and gases in or out).
Clive, you can also use PAG oil from the system you are working on.
This is basically a tiny version of how we make taps on water mains live. How we can drill, tap and install threaded valves. I agree very cool tool. Thanks, now I want one for demonstrating
They are currently replacing the gas main at the end of my street and will do so without interrupting the supply, I imagine they will use a similar device.
@@chrishartley1210 the non sparking version i hope ...
@@jyvben1520 I'm not fully sure, but I think sparks wouldn't actually do any harm on gas line as I think it's way "oversaturated" in lines to create any kind of explosion. Things would change if oxygen/air is allowed in the party though 🤔
I have never touched any kind of refrigerant system and I most likely never will and I only have a theoretical understanding of them but this is a really cool tool, both in aesthetics and in function. Thank you for showing it.
Your video dragged me into two hours of hot tapping video deep dive. I now know much more about water and gas pipe hot tapping than I ever need in my life as a software engineer.
this device has saved me many hours and headaches. i use the yellow jacket ones. one in the tool bag and two in the speed-evac kit. the side port is typically used for a micron gauge while pulling a vacuum. I also have an automotive version of this with the adapters for various different ports. Highly recommended
Super cool to see how these actually work. I've seen Chris over at HVACR Videos use one of these many times and while I understood the concept of the device I was never quite sure how the isolation worked once the core was removed but before the ball valve was closed.
As for the port on the top, while I'm not certain if this is what it's intended for, it can be used to speed up recovery and charging of a system since you can tap onto it while the core is removed thereby reducing the restriction caused by said core.
I was just making a similar comment, they both do such good work, no?
Same here! Seen it used a number of times.. Its magic isn't it?!
Hey!!!! I own a hvac company that specializes in ductless mini splits and use one like that every day
I've used one of those a lot.
The port is for your charging guage set.
The Schrader valve is a significant flow restriction and it's removal makes charging much faster.
Clive, the side valve is to safely depressure the core changer prior to removing it as it would have pressured up to system pressure during the core change. This type of manifold is quite common in the refinery industry. But in that environment, the pressures, temperatures, and the size of the manifold are tad bit larger.
All the Best, Chuck
It's also to allow evacuation of the line set without the shrader installed for faster vacuum.
That's actually an unintended benefit of its real use, to pull a vacuum, as Nick said.
"Tad bit bigger" LOL, everything is relative! HAHA
"tight but not too tight" - the secret to aluminum wheel lug torquing, chrader valves, and compression fittings.
We use this tool not only for core removal but it also helps in large refrigerant charge/discharging as removes the restrictions you can then use that side port to move refrigerant in liquid form rather gas
love to see trade tools shown off, this is my favorite tool for pulling a vac down when doing a resi install. compared to leaving a schrader in i can pull down to 150 microns in 15 minutes compared to 20-30.
These have been around for years. I had an extra one and gave it to my mechanic, he had never seen one. Very handy to have.
I learned of Shrader valves in 1968. They have lasted the test of time. Nothing can replace it.
Amazing that the Schrader valve has been so universally adopted. Great device.
Similar devices are used for adding branches to pipelines operating and under pressure. Called hot tapping, it often involves welding..exciting? It gets better. Also done on natural gas collection and distribution lines. And hot repairs, where the leaking gas is often ignited on purpose. A pipe saddle installed in half sections is fully welded over corrosion holes.
The CorePickingLawyer 😉
The SchräderPickingScotsman
Finally, a topic that I can fully understand, and appreciate. As I have said before, I generally don't understand one word in ten, but this is a really neat tool. Thanks for letting me feel a little bit smart in my old age.
"How 'bout it , Hank? Should I let you go?"
"My name is HVAC Schrader"
Came here for this exactly! I knew somebody would've made this joke.
@@static_motion Same.
I started out nearly 50 years as a time served capstan setter operator and set lathes up for mainly females to operate them as many years passed I was went on to NC lathes and maybe the first of many to be involved in CNC lathes, the concept was staggering, but now I see turned and milled parts like this are just on another level. I don't vape but often find then in the gutter and with hand protection, I take them apart to just look at the level of accuracy on the tiny parts, with threads, dovetail grooves, holes of the size I just cannot believe and the goal post just gets smaller and smaller. I suggest with gloves and pick up one of these components off the pavement and take it to bits It's just bloody insane ... Martin Green
No point in losing fingers to frostbite without one. I have a couple spares if you ever need another one. Cheers! Good luck! 👍
Getting a serious sense of Deja Vu watching this video...
The side port is because it is a pain to vacuum or pressurize a system with the valve in. So you can connect your vacuum pull the core and pump the system down in 20 min vs hours if it is installed.
I have six they are great the second port is for a vacuum pump line we pull the Schroeder valve out to evacuate the system
We have a very similar very old very name branded version of this for automotive AC systems, we rarely use it but it is neat to have! It's like an airlock for AC systems!
Lemme guess.... "Snap-On", and it prolly costs $350.
I'm not saying don't buy Snap-On tools, as I own many of them, but for a tool that I'll use twice in a decade, the one in the video will do just fine... 👌
@@davelowets Not sure, might be Mac or a boutique brand but it's got fittings for R12 if that tells you how old it is!
@@huzudra Probably 1995 or earlier..
@@davelowets Very likely, it hangs out in the cabinet below the R12 machine. I'm sure at the time whomever made it had a lock on the design and were the only ones making or licensing it's sale through other vendors.
I have the Yellow Jacket 18986 version of the same tool, used for evacuating mini split heat pumps. I have a micron gauge attached to the side port.
Basic process:
- Hook up the mini-split
- Attach this tool to the service port. Pull the valve core and set it aside where you won't lose it.
- Connect the vacuum pump to the end port where the valve remover goes.
- Pull a vacuum until the micron gauge (on the side port) stabilizes at a sufficiently low value.
- Close the valve on the tool, turn off the pump, ensure that the reading stabilizes. It'll go up a bit as more moisture and volatiles and whatever evaporate in the system, but it should stabilize - if not, you've got a leak to find.
- Once you're happy with the vacuum, use this tool to reinstall the valve core and disconnect it from the heat pump.
- Cross your fingers and fire up the heat pump!
There is something similar for a SCUBA regulator. It is an inline adjuster for the 2nd stage orifice. You thread the tool between the 2nd stage and hose and you can adjust the orifice under pressure. You can't remove or replace the orifice though.
Damn! I could use one of these for servicing A/C systems on automobiles...
I never knew this tool existed, and the very few times I've had to change a leaky valve on a car, I've pulled and recaptured the refrigerant, changed the valve, vacuumed the system, and put new refrigerant and oil back in it. Imma get me one IMMEDIATELY....
Thanks Clive!! 👌
It was so sad when HVAC Schrader died in breaking bad, thank you for making this video in memorial. Truly heartbreaking.
Refco make a far superior model. Same theory but better build quality. The 1/4” access on the side is for pressure reference if pumping down a system or if no other access points at evaporator it can be used for vacustat.
Great explanation!
I did 12months of trade teaching and you explained this much more efficiently then I ever did and this is part of my trade haha
Cool little tool. If someone were concerned about using silicone, they could easily use a drop of PAG oil, instead. It's available in any auto parts store.
Ohh that's cool. Saw the thumbnail and thought "Oh can you swap the core under pressure?"
This would be good for working on my bus's ac units. Thanks, Clive.
I've renewed the vacuum in a liquid nitrogen dewer with a system like this. Instead of unscrewing a schrader valve, it was a normal cap, though. The port on the side was what was used for the vacuum connection.
I learned about these while learning air conditioning in community college in 1989, it was called a "Schrader evader" back then.
I once watched a contractor "hot tap" a 12" high pressure gas line with a similar outfit. They welded a plate with a threaded nipple to the pipeline while fully pressured and gas flowing. They then screwed a valve to the nipple and then a device to drill a hole in the pipe through the ball valve. They drill the slug from the pipeline with a magnetic hole saw about 3" round and extract the slug a drill shavings through to valve they just installed. Then they connect the new pipeline to the system. Scary watching them welding a big metal plate to fully pressured pipe filled with methane.
"Hot tapping" with that tool to siphon off illicit gas and sell it. Not really a thing in developed nations. We send camera pigs through the lines that would see it.
Even scarier these days, considering the pipes are made of plastic.😳
How do they do it safely?
@@mrtechie6810 The methane inside will not burn without air so as long as they don't go through the pipe there's no danger. The old pipes were probably made of cast iron, newer ones from steel, and were quite thick. The welder would not have enough power to burn through.
Even with a leak (such as a cracked pipe) all they do is set fire to the escaping gas. I believe they then repair it with a similar technique, the gas to the flame passing through the valve which can then be closed to finish the repair.
Nice Clive!
I use the Appion 1/4 and 5/16 units……even nicer “ kit”😎
Those tools are generally used for evacuation of a system and removal of the Schrader greatly speeds up the process. Removal and replacement of the Schrader under pressure is doable but very difficult due to the force required to ensure the core is installed correctly. Not an issue under vacuum however. The side port is for gauges or hoses
When removing a core under pressure, there's no need to pull the knob - the refrigerant pressure does that for you. Can be hard to push back in when the pressure is high. I did refrigeration repair for 20+ years and it's amazing how many technicians do not have one. To lube the plunger, use refrigeration oil... The side port is for pulling a vacuum on a large system which works better if you remove the core and leave the tool in place.
That is indeed a very cool tool. I feel the need to have one. It is very useful for changing out the schraders of your car tires at home, without having to use a jack or lift.
But for DIY HVAC? If you need to replace a leaking schrader valve, that means, you'll also be needing a manifold set and a jug of the right refrigeration gas in order to properly refill what leaked out. Might as well call a pro.
But still, I want that tool. Just fiddling with those things can keep me busy for hours.
And there are household applications for that tool, too...
I'd imagine fitting valve stems to some cola bottle caps. And getting a small jug of CO2. With that, I could keep my half empty cola bottles pressurized so the fizziness will always be at the same level as that of a freshly opened cola bottle. Of course I need to be able to change a schrader valve without spoiling any fizziness.
I use these to evacuate systems quickly and to manage fill rate and add my Bluetooth psi sensors. Super handy time saver
Those bluetooth sensors are great.
Clive: One procedural thing you must do, is to purge the air from the tool. Just after you loosen the Schrader valve, refrigerant can now leak around it's thread seal, you want to loosen the threaded nut holding the sliding valve core tool just a tiny bit to let that air out, then tighten it again, and continue removing the Schrader valve, and then close the isolation 1/4 turn valve. Then insert the new Schrader valve, on the tool, and thread the sliding shaft nut back on, but leave it slightly loose, then open the 1/4 turn valve just a crack to again purge air from the chamber in the tool. Then tighten the nut on the sliding Schrader valve driver, fully open the 1/4 turn isolation valve, and insert the Schrader valve back in the machines threaded seat.
You need to always think about purging air as this is a non condensable gas, as well when the outdoor relative humidity is high in the ambient air, you want to purge that out as well.
When you're drawing a deep vacuum on a system, you attach one of these to both the high and low side ports and withdraw the Schrader valves to open up the lines and pull a faster vacuum including hoses that don't have the depressors in the end. Also, you never know when a piece of crap might stick a Schrader valve open and won't seal after the gauges are removed so it's a good idea to have one handy along with a thin glove. There are keyed safety caps required by code to keep the huffers out of AC and heat pumps but the brass flare caps are a minimum to keep the system tight. They have these tools for some automotive ports and they're not very expensive, but a lot of automotive ports don't use Schrader valves.
I'm glad you made a proper video of this type of device, with more explanation too :)
Can't comment on the use of silicone lubricant in refrigeration lines but any grease in, or near, an oxygen line is a no-no. It's possible for a leaking oxygen line / valve to cause the grease that a worker can get on their overalls to combust.
It appears to be constructed entirely from standard fittings aside from the rear cap and plunger.
Easier to design, produce, modify, and repair. Very good!
Once you remove the valve, you have the full pressure on the refrigerant behind it, so placing the new valve takes a bit of effort. Fortunately, this is a very infrequently needed tool. Usually, it's the fault of a heavy handed torch user, not protecting the valve from heat, that causes the valve to fail. They are capped except for service, so dirt should never be an issue.
Not removing the valve core before brazing is unthinkable! 😏
@@markhonea2461 😆 We've ALL done it....
@@davelowets yeah. Yep. Sure have. 👍
You didn't mention it, but the backside of the valve cap is also a valve removal tool.
can you pinpoint the time in the video where that is visible ?
@@jyvben1520 From about 1:30 until the end of the video. Sitting on the table, cap end up.
@@NusaCat thanks for the info, sadly not really moved so impossible to see how it would work.
Holeeeee crap, that is EXACTLY the sort of tool I could have used a good while back!! I needed a way to evacuate and seal off a Bourdon tube assembly (long story), but make it reusable (otherwise I would have pinched off the tube). Ended up making basically this tool that could seal on to a little connector on the Bourdon tube. Zero need for one now, but I've gone and ordered one of these anyway just to remind me!
Thanks for putting this version up - I don't watch shorts.
Thanks for showing the proper use of this tool Clive. The side connector seems to be used for Refrigerant filling and Vacuuming the system.
Looks like decent quality brass, with decent "workmanship" - I put that in quotes because more and more devices like that are turned out by the thousands using CNC machines. But they still may have to be assembled - hopefully without errors or omissions - by manual labor.
I didn't see any mention of the price, but with the rampant inflation in progress, I guess the price would be valid for only a few months before it would be obsolete.
Thanks, Clive.
Thinking about this, it's a bit like the battery pack they plug into your car's diagnostic port when they replace your battery. It supplies enough power to prevent your radio and other stuff from losing their settings and having a "help! I'm being stolen!" fit when the battery is disconnected and reconnected.
In a large system, techs will remove the core to speed up evacuation or charging. The side port can be used for this, but so can the plunger end. Sometimes a gauge is connected to the side port.
I use these almost every day. If you are filling a system the core can freeze and never seal up again apart from the restriction it causes both when evacuating and filling. I use the side port to fit a vacuum gauge that needs to be removed before filling, because any pressure will ruin them.
If there was a vacuum behind the Schrader valve, it would instantly pull in ambient air. Unless the valve is backwards.
That is ingenious! Learned something useful today, hopefully will never need to use it.
I have to agree, that is a cool tool. Probably never need one, but as I love tools I might have to get one.
This is the extended view! Thanks Clive! 🤩😝🙂
There are two thing, one the extra fitting they sent you probably is for 5/16 which typically is on ductless split systems so you can just use regular non 410a hoses. Secondly the best function of this tool as some already stated is removing the s header and using the side port to speed up charging or evacuation.
Reminds me of hot tapping on a pipeline. Weld a new stub pipe on the original one, put a valve on the added stub, add another piece of pipe with a drillbit. With the valve open drill through the original pipe, retract drillbit, close valve, remove drillbit, and now you can add pipe as you wish.
And Big Clive shows that, yet again, he can work under pressure.
Reminds me of a "hot tap" at the gas plant were I work.
They weld a pipe on to a live line (keeping gas flow to keep weld from burning through, norm. 900 psi @ app 30 mmcf)
Bolt a new valve on, bolt a drill on with an isolated chamber. Drill pipe and back up bit, close valve and remove drill.
They do it so we don't have to go down to tap new lins in or blow down the whole system
Very cool tool indeed. Almost want to get one to change tire valve cores as a party trick!
Neat, yeah, I could see how you put a gauge on the side port to see if its leaking while changing.
A HVACR channel I watch uses them, so I've seen them before. Fun to see it in simplest parts though.
I use mine about once every two weeks. A tech's must have.
We have things like that over here in Germany to change heating radiator valves under pressure. So you dont need to drain the heating system. It is called "Schleuse"... sluice...
Same thing, but a bit bigger.
Yep - search for "Ventilschleuse" and you'll find a number of videos showing these things being used... Someone had to do this for our bedroom several years ago after the valve failed. Sleeping in a 34°C room is really not recommended...
A little airlock for AC valves, very cool.
I served in the US Army with a guy who often said, upon parting, "Keep a cool tool, and don't let your meat loaf." Of course I had to watch this video.
Reminds me of a tool I use on my truck to remove the valve core to deflate tires more quickly.
These would generally be immediately lubricated in service, as the refrigerant carries a charge of oil as a well-distributed aerosol in operating condition. It takes quite some time, on the order of weeks or months of inactivity, for the oil to fully settle out.
Schrader valves are used in car AC systems and tend to become leaky over time, the system has to evacuated to change them, I imagine that this is tool is intended for changing those without the need to evacuate and refill.
Sadly this tool is too small for those valves - they are bigger and there is two sizes. And not all systems use the same valves / couplers just to make it extra fun.
@@zaprodk Shame, pre-emptively changing them before they leak would've been nice.
Thats genius. Definately worth getting for future use when these things will become rarer. Hmm. I must have one.
It is always gratifying to play with a cool tool! ;)
Just bought these for R134A thanks clive!
I have a similar tool for servicing my second stage scuba regulator. It allows me to balance it while under intermediate pressure (10 bar).
As Mike pointed out, the side port is for connecting the hose from a refrigeration manifold gauge set to read the system pressure while the core changer is still attached.
i think the side port is for you to keep a vacuum or add gas to compensate for the volume inside the tool
Also very cool how you say “cool tool”! Yeah. Oh, and I’m sold!
NB. You wouldn't ever use a Schrader valve to hold a vacuum. They're basically a one way valve which will let gas in but not out. Kinda the total opposite of what you'd want in order to hold a vacuum.
HVAC techs use these to pull and hold a vacuum with the Schrader cores removed because it's faster.
A very neat device. It would be great to see more videos like this one 🤗
Appion by far makes the the best one.
Yellow jacket used to make a thermometer that could be used for direct refrigerant temps although it's useless for obvious reasons.
If your core does not come out it's because your seal is compressed and is decreasing the diameter inside. Just loosen it a little on the access fitting and try again.
Instead of silicone we will use vacuum pump oil or mineral oil.
Have you tried Nylog? Handy stuff, nice and thick
On to it
a variation of that would work on wheels/tyres- the thread seems coarser than tyre valve
Now that is a cool tool.thanks for sharing that.
yes, bought one of these, worked perfectly...
4x4 enthusiasts use a similar tool that's also a pressure gauge - for removing the core to deflate tyres faster.
deflate to drive on rocky "roads" then inflate for road/highway ?
I have seen this used many times in following my TH-cam HVAC techs. 👍
There are many excellent HVAC channels.
Ha! I was just thinking about this video this morning. Amazing timing.
we use something similar to change the cores of Thermostatic valves in heating systems
My boss has one. Domestic water main lateral valve tapping is even cooler to watch.
Great to have for automotive use so you don't loose all the air in a tire because of a leaky valve
If you ever watch a new tyre being filled you will see that they don't put the valve in until afterwards, they only lose a very small amount of air. Changing the valve only takes seconds, it wouldn't be worth the effort of fitting the tool. Unless you've been conned into having your tyres filled with very expensive nitrogen.
Wish these were more commonly available for the home radiators. My radiator in the livingroom has a valve that is sticky and gets worse every year. These tools are available but wicked expensive. Need to get the technician to come out and replace it.
Can't depressurize the system because it's an appartment.
They do versions for some radiator valves.
Might also be useful for changing leaky valves in large tyres in agricultural or industrial machinery.