Plumbing and HVAC professionals get into tight spots, crowded access zones, snug crawl spaces and awkward overhead runs. 

The problem is, prepping copper pipe in crowded, cluttered conditions impairs efficiency, strains muscles, and eats up time. That can impact profits — and sometimes even health. 

But a new ratchet-action tool from General Pipe Cleaners is speeding pipe prep work with greater effectiveness and less physical effort in tight spots. 

J.P. Callan should know. 

Callan serves Portland, Ore., with the finest in HVAC and plumbing services. “I often work in a rat’s nest of piping, sometimes prepping as many as 200 joints a day for soldering,” he says. “And I take great pains to ensure that each joint is properly prepared.” 

Consistent, professional results 

However, those pains can prove real. “During a boiler project, I ruptured a spinal disk in my neck exerting myself in a tight crawl space with an old hand reamer and partially paralyzed my right hand,” Callan recalls. “I couldn’t even pick up my car keys.” 

That’s when he sought a better way to prep copper piping, and discovered the innovative, compact CopperKey at his local plumbing wholesaler.

“If I had found CopperKey sooner, I might not have hurt myself,” he says. “Just three or four cranks — 100 percent coverage in about 10 seconds — and pipe is ready for solder. No muscle strain.” 

CopperKey’s patented ratchet-action design requires only a few inches of clearance to prepare copper tubing and couplings — inside or out. CopperKey is also up to three times faster than clumsy, old-fashioned prep tools like abrasive cloth and wire brushes — and four times more durable. 

“It consistently applies uniform brushing pressure around pipe, giving you a much better quality surface for soldering,” Callan notes. “So the joint is more dependable — and you don’t waste time redoing work.” 

CopperKey’s tough tungsten carbide bristles shine tubing in seconds. The patented abrasive technology and offset staple array ensure complete cleaning — without tool repositioning and surface striping concerns. The unique memory base also snaps staples back into position after each use, so you have optimum cleaning pressure time and again. 

“Abrasive screen and sand paper quickly load up with oxides and grit, making them harder to use,” Callan reports. “But CopperKey is self-cleaning.” 

Less physical strain with greater safety

The ratchet-action tool is safer, too. CopperKey’s innovative design keeps hands clear of cleaning brushes — eliminating the cuts, scrapes and flux burns common to other prep tools. And the ergonomic ratchet handle reduces wrist and muscle strain. 

“You have to squeeze hard to make conventional abrasive screen bite into pipe,” Callan observes. “So after prepping copper all day, you really feel fatigue and pain in your hands and forearm muscles.” 

That’s one reason why Callan calls CopperKey a “sensibly engineered solution” and a “winner.” He also says it helps him work at top speed. 

“It does a great, thorough job of preparing pipe, and makes a lot more quality joints per hour,” he says. “I wish a lot of things worked as well as that little tool.” 

For more information, contact the Drain Brains at General Pipe Cleaners at 800/245-6200, or visit www.drainbrain.com/copperkey. 

General Pipe Cleaners, a division of General Wire Spring Co., is a leading manufacturer of high quality drain cleaning equipment since 1930. General serves drain cleaning professionals and plumbing contractors – as well as facilities managers, the rental industry and the hardware/home center market. The Toughest Tools Down The Line.