HowTo28: EASILY Replace a Reversing Valve + Tips & Tricks :)

[@chrisgrantham7654]

No joke on the knee pad stuff. I spent too much of my career working harder, not smarter. Ruined my knees, worked in horrible conditions because I thought I was tough or something. HVAC/R is tough work, but it is important to make it as easy on your body as possible. 27 years in and still loving it. Great content - keep it up!

[@dmvhvactech]

Nice work on the rv install. I've done two in my career, 1st one on a carrier that took me two tries and then got it 1st go on a goodman. If I had to do one again, I would be tempted to try out these brazing rings I saw. I think they may have a spot in the torch kit, but I've never used them myself.

[@dmvhvactech]

@@HVACLife From what I see you can press the rings flush into the fitting side and they hold in

[@wolfhvac943]

This is going save future me some grief. Another great video!

[@wolfhvac943]

Yup September is always good for a breather haha all good here, just getting loose ends wrapped up. Have you ever looked into jewelers torch’s? I have one and it’s nice for these things. It’s smaller but light weight and much more flexible. Works nice with a rosebud.

[@wolfhvac943]

@@HVACLife smith quick braze is what I’m running.

[@vincentgelles3805]

I’ve changed many reversing valves and that’s exactly how I do it. I cut at least two of the larger pipes with straight snips as close to the valve as possible, un-braze the discharge and true suction, then just un-braze the two stubs. It makes it so much easier then trying to find a place to cut with a small tubing cutter and then having to swage or coupling everything back together. I’m in heat pump country (Eastern North Carolina) and 99 percent of what I work on is heat pumps so I replace a lot of reversing valves inevitably, whether they are not shifting properly or leaking refrigerant.

[@vincentgelles3805]

I also like that you used a rosebud tip. I always use a rosebud on reversing valves and I’ve gotten to where I use it on 90 percent of my brazing. I still use a number 2 tip sometimes but if you know how to control your heat, you can use a rosebud for everything even smaller tubing.

[@matth.4932]

Thank you so much for such a detailed video. I can tell you take pride in your work. Keep up the great work! You earned my subscription and like.

[@HVACLife]

Thank you my friend! Be sure to check out our discord as well. It's free no bullshit ads or anything (that I know of at least) basically just a forum. Shoot me a DM if you join. How many RVs have you done. They really are a PITA.

[@HVACLife]

discord.gg/BUN4jkRz

[@rustygragg6317]

i have worked in this field for over 20 years but never did this until a couple of years ago and it saves so much headache. also, it doesn't apply to this style of trane, but on a unit with the valve inside i started unsweating the condensor coil so i can get eye level with everthing. you can have most coils out in ten minutes but it saves an hour of bending over trying to braze

[@HVACLife]

Right on! Yes removing coil is normally not too bad 👍

[@MariosACandRefrigeration]

nice work.

[@Christopher-li7uc]

Job Well done broski

[@Sakyn4]

Brother, you're a genius. I had such a terrible time on a Ruud R-Valve. If I did what you did, I could've turned a 4-5 hour situation into a 2 hour one. Damn pipe wouldn't budge on the outlet sides and putting in a new one was nightmarish as well.

[@HVACLife]

Thanks buddy! 👍

[@pochikyanharutyun4511]

Very helpful Thank you

[@ccthepope]

Great tips!!

[@johnerway7255]

Lots of great information here. Thanks for sharing. Great job.

[@HVACLife]

Thank you my friend!

[@victork3397]

Love the knee pad. I’ve been using the same one for about a year.

[@HVACLife]

Yeah too many people in the trades don’t take care of their knees 👍

[@kc00]

You made that look easy.

[@nadjibmahmoud9472]

great tips thank you for your great content that you share with us.

[@HVACLife]

You’re welcome! Thank you for being a part of this community 😊👍

[@dantoubiana3286]

Great ripe thank you

[@mwdub02]

Lol it’s always the helper 😂😂

[@NROhvac]

Good job

[@freespirit1975]

I'm a caretaker for an empty house 150 miles away with a Lennox heat pump and I can only go there and caretake about once every couple of months. Last week, house was not hot or cold, about 72 degrees and thermostat was set to 75 on cool. Changing it for winter so I switched from COOL to OFF and moved the thermostat to about 63, then switched to HEAT. I didn't hear the reversing valve moving like I have before when I have switched it between seasons but I never paid much attention to the house temp at those times so maybe before, it was not in a sweet spot between 75 and 63 and the unit reacted. Does the RV only move when the thermostat calls for heat (or cool) the first time? Or, should I have heard the RV move as soon as I switched the switch even though it wasn't cold enough to call for heat? I've checked the power company KW usage online and it is using more power when it gets a little cold there ( about 41 degrees) and less when it is warmer, so something is happening. I am worried though that the RV might be either stuck or the solenoid is OL and the unit is not working and is just heating with the emergency heat strips. I either need to relax and assume it is heating normally, or otherwise I need to arrange to meet an HVAC tech there. Anyone got advice? I already have enough to worry about.

[@HVACLife]

It’s hard to know for sure, but if it was stuck in cooling I’d expect the power bill to be very high. The RV normally doesn’t make noise unless it switches while the unit is running. Some stats also hold the RV in cool mode until the stat makes it first call for heat after being placed in heat mode. What you experienced does sound unusual to me 👍

[@MarkJones-no2zf]

Why can't they design a reversing valve with flares or roto locks so you don't have to braze them in save time and cost to the customers

[@phillipjoy1305]

That rosebud tip works great 😊 good job

[@makswell6993]

Are you not worried about metal shavings from using the tin snips?

[@HVACLife]

Good question! Not at all, when tin snips are used properly (ie the point never plunges into the material) there are no shavings only shearing. The cable cutter also shears, it doesn’t produce shavings either 👍

[@sterlingarcher46]

If only i could find a bloody rosebud tip ! Bloody Nora and most of the brazing I do is on larger diameters too , yet when i mention it they look at me like I'm from another planet or something ... And very true about the knees , i always wear knee pad inserts that go directly inside the trousers, this way I never kneel directly on the floor 😎

[@sterlingarcher46]

@@HVACLife They're a joke in my opinion unfortunately. We don't even get Nylog man !

[@ride856]

@ 4:05 did you purposly dump water into the lineset?

[@ride856]

would you attempt that with a turbo torch, the rosebud really seems to come in handy in them tight applications?!@@HVACLife

[@noahbrowning4293]

Heard your comment about knee pads, never used them when I first started and now I’m 22 and my knees pop when I stand up😂😅.

[@HVACLife]

Yeah buddy take care of those knees lol 😅🍻

[@Raulachu]

Yep, those steps are it.

[@jlsrr2577]

Stabrite 8?

[@HVACLife]

I'm a huge fan of Stabrite 8! In this case my preference is braze, but stabrite is certainly easy to underestimate!

[@nickcampbell8096]

It took me 5 years to start using a knee pad. 🤦‍♂️

[@nathanhurst5155]

I love using a rosebud. I’ve had people tell me I’m gonna burn shit up by using it. Jokes on them tho cuz those guys ruin stuff on the regular. Yet have I ruined anything since I started using one.

[@pappykwabee5296]

Wear gloves next time.Good job

[@HVACLife]

I was adding some callus layers to my skin gloves 😅