New plans added on 11/04: Click here for 2,561 plans for homemade tools.
I am a bit skeptical of that design. I am curious how they work after the fitting has been in real service for an extended period. Those fittings are helpful in a lot of situations, but can be very difficult to work with if you ever have to remove them after an extended period. I see them used a lot of times on hot water tank replacements. Then 10 years later, you cannot get them apart again due to corrosion inside the fitting.
That tool does not really grip the pipe securely and would tend to "squish" it out of round. The tighter the pipe is stuck in the fitting the harder you have to squeeze to open the joint. The gripper being so close to the fitting, seems the squish would jamb the pipe in the fitting. It also applies pressure to only one side of the fitting, causing it to tilt, adding to the load required to separate the parts.
I have never used one before, never saw one before this, so my comments are purely speculative. But they are based on quite a bit of experience with those push-on fittings. They become very permanent after a very short time in service.
Frank S (Feb 25, 2022)
I agree with hemmjo, 100%. First off the design of the plier is backwards, they should grip the fitting and force the grip release collar into the fitting and have a 3rd gripping jaw to assist in pushing the now compressed fitting assembly off not simply grip the tube to push on the collar.
I don't particularly like these fittings, but they do have their place especially in repairs where it is not entirely safe or feasible to make a proper sweat soldered connection without having to do a more extensive tear out or when making a change over to plex tubing.
Never try to tell me it can't be done
When I have to paint I use KBS products
Ralphxyz (Feb 25, 2022)
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