Search the forum,

Discuss Socket former in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mushybees

Has anyone here used one of these monument socket formers?
15mm & 22mm Combination Socket Former - Monument available at Plumbworld

Is the socket formed by whacking it into the tube end like a swaging tool?
What are the results like? I've used a tube expanding set but never one of these and was curious how they compare.

At under a tenner it's quite cheap. So cheap i'm dubious it will be able to do what it says so don't want to waste my cash.

Cheers.
 
Hi mate , yeah you kind of whack it in the end, though be carefull.. HOLD the pipe and dont put it on a table make sure pipe is not too short etc as not to ruin the pipe use a lump hammer no need to hit TOO hard, works fine :)
 
ive owned one for around two years and only used it a handful of times. work fine aslong as you dont hammer it in to far, but much less hassel and time to use a socket.
 
Thanks chaps.
I think I might pick one up, only a tenner and it'll save a small fortune in fittings.

Cheers.
 
I admit i'm a bit of a gadget freak and in danger of collecting every tool going :)
Guess i'm getting a bit caught up in trying every new bit of kit I find.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
always handy if you run out of couplings saves a trip to the merchants
 
I was informed on a recent visit to my old plumbing training school (where these tools are what you used to use in your first few weeks for making joints to be soldered) that they are no longer "recognised for use in the industry" as they can cause micro fractures in the expanded portion of the tube (presumably if it hasn't been annealed properly prior to expansion).

It was just in conversation, so I can't give a reference, but if you are going to use it I would reccommend heating up the portion to be expanded in order to soften it and reduce the liklihood of cracking.
 
Yes! Same warning years ago with them things. It weakens the tube. But saying that I have seen them used but don't like them myself. Anyway an end feed coupler is cheap enough, why take the risk?
 
ive used them on and of for years very handy tool the 22mm one is especially handy as it can make a long socket to use between two fixed points i always thought of having the handle on a 15mm one turned down so it did the same but never found any one with a lathe
 
Nice one Lea, hadn't thought of that. I never seem to have a slip coupling on the van when I need one, BTW, I've also seen them used to make an Imperial to Metric coupling. (well I've seen the results!!)
 
Apparentley you're not supposed to use them now because the tube we get is so thin and just splits. Compared to tube of 30 years ago, modern stuff is like paper.
 
Must admit that is in line with what we where told over 30 years ago. The Clerk of Works went mad if they seen joints made with them. I've used them and whilst they would be handy I can't get away from the high risk of micro fractures in the pipe, especially with couplers being so cheap today.
 
It's not so much the thickness of the tube. it's the hardness. I always anneal the tube before I use the expander.

Mike
 
The air con boys still use pipe expanders but their copper seems to be of a much softer consistency, their expanders are long handled affairs and use a sort of expanding "rose", none of that banging with hammers nonsense.
 
They are great to use especially when pipes are going to be seen they tend to have a neater finish since you do the soldering on one side. But i still prefer to use couplers anyway.
 
One of my most used tools,I personally don't bother annealing and like the fact that I only have one joint to both sweat and check and it doesn't cost me/or my customers anything.I seriously wouldn't be without these in my box.Although when I get one(22mm)I run a weld around it to save it breaking coz they usually do after about a dozen times and the only sockets I carry EVER are 22mm to 3/4.First post BTW Time served plumber fully ACS qualified Gas safe registered.
 
I have used a REMS pipe expander for several years with no problems (apart form the cost!). It's the long-handled lever-operated segmented head type -- no banging! I first tried the much cheaper hammering type of expander, but it's often very difficult to support the pipe firmly whilst hammering without damaging the other end -- pretty useless as far as I'm concerned! Also, they can rarely be used on an installed pipe as you need so much room to get the expander in and swing the hammer, whereas the REMS lever-type expander is ideal for this application because it works at right-angles to the pipe.

I have found that if you expand the joint a little bit at a time, rotating the pipe a little bit between each expansion, then you avoid any splitting problems and also form a smoother more circular socket. With this technique I don't usually have to anneal the pipe either.

I do like the fact that there's only one joint to prepare and solder -- less chances of a leak -- and I often make slip joints and metric/imperial adapters using the expander.

Nothing against regular EF couplers of course, just nice to have an alternative in the van!
 
Last edited:
i have all three 15/ 22/ 28 the two biger ones great for making slip couplings between two fixed pipes
 
One of my most used tools,I personally don't bother annealing and like the fact that I only have one joint to both sweat and check and it doesn't cost me/or my customers anything.I seriously wouldn't be without these in my box.Although when I get one(22mm)I run a weld around it to save it breaking coz they usually do after about a dozen times and the only sockets I carry EVER are 22mm to 3/4.First post BTW Time served plumber fully ACS qualified Gas safe registered.


If you did this here you would get a big fail on the test report, for gas only fittings to be used and silver solder (8% Ag) to be used
 
I just can not justify using this tool,and nothing on this thread has changed my mind,the copper you buy now is so thin ,it can not be good expanding it,fittings are so cheap now,why not use them,why take the risk of pipe spliting or being over stressed,when I started out we would reclaim fittings due to cost and pipework was thicker, so some would use the expander to form socket ends and slip couplings,infact I know some now who when they take old pipework out they use some of it to stock up on slip couplings
I personally do not use that many,I have a litte container with slip coupling fittings,imperial to metric and street elbows for those needy moments,have not touched it in ages
if you have this tool use it only if you really,really need to
It willl do nothing for your street cred :)
 
I am with you puddle on this one. I remember the days of he old 1/2" copper, it was much thicker but the Table X and the modern stuff is so thin if you use a bending spring you can virtually see it through the walls of the copper.

And regardless of what they might say, expanding thin copper in this way can only make it even thinner. Anyway by the time you have annealed it and done all the expanding fiddling about, you could have done the job. And come on, how much is an end feed slip coupler, about 2p and its it takes you half an hour to make one at say £20 an hour, that is a tenner for a slip coupler. Come on guys! Stop pulling our legs. :) :)
 
I am with you puddle on this one. I remember the days of he old 1/2" copper, it was much thicker but the Table X and the modern stuff is so thin if you use a bending spring you can virtually see it through the walls of the copper.

And regardless of what they might say, expanding thin copper in this way can only make it even thinner. Anyway by the time you have annealed it and done all the expanding fiddling about, you could have done the job. And come on, how much is an end feed slip coupler, about 2p and its it takes you half an hour to make one at say £20 an hour, that is a tenner for a slip coupler. Come on guys! Stop pulling our legs. :) :)


An old thread I realise. But just stumbled across it when googling tools.
So many here say a bad idea and weakens copper...
..so how is it acceptable to pull a 90 and all the stretching an compressing that occurs in the process.
Yet stretching copper to form a slip is not acceptable.


I don't disagree with points of view on this and am open minded.
But is there a new regulation that prohibits socket forming either by swaging or with the more expensive socket former.
For gas in particular
Been looking but havent spotted it so far
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Reply to Socket former in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Creating content since 2001. Untold Media.

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock