Question about the obsession with ultra-thin wall tubing in new installations

I mean, maybe it's just me but using the thinnest possible spec to cut costs feels like we're inviting future leaks and failures. Had a callout yesterday where a residential system failed prematurely because the tubing couldn't handle the thermal cycling, and now the whole section needs a redo.

4 comments

4 Comments

lilyc291mo ago

Wait, thermal cycling broke the tubing already?

leo6581mo ago

Messing with an old car radiator once, the constant heat and cold cycles made the hose connections brittle after just a few months. The rubber actually cracked where it met the metal pipe. Had to replace the whole hose setup because it started leaking coolant. Learned the hard way that cheap parts don't handle big temperature swings well.

martin.nora1mo ago

California heat never cracked my hoses that fast, @leo658.

martin.nora1mo ago

See it all the time. Thin walls flex more at the joints with each heat cycle, work-hardening the copper until it cracks. Vibration from the compressor just speeds it up. It's a stupid shortcut.