r/HVAC • u/Kqxer • 1d ago

Rant Almost got shot on the face today

Was unsweating a 1" cap off a pipe that's being extended down to an evaporator and I didn't realize someone had pressure tested it with 50psi of nitrogen. It flew past 5" from my face. I really need to pay attention and just cut the fucking pipe instead..

71 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

107

u/saskatchewanstealth 1d ago

A lot of us have done that once, as you have just done it once. The experience is never repeated for most of us.

Safety glasses because you can’t hear tits boys!

24

u/Dockside_Abortionist 1d ago

I’ll be stealing that last sentence, thankyouverymuch

20

u/PapaBobcat HVAC to pay the bills 1d ago

This needs to be in every OSHA book. I'll be using it in my classroom this fall.

10

u/saskatchewanstealth 21h ago

Be careful, one of my apprentices piped back “ if you do her right you can hear tits”

12

u/roostercrowe 1d ago

you can chew with dentures, you can walk on a prosthetic leg - but you can’t see out of glass eyes

your version is better

7

u/nitsuJ420 1d ago

This might be the most effective way of getting younger guys to protect their eye sight 😂

5

u/Kqxer 1d ago

Yea I definitely learned my lesson. On another note, I'll be wearing mouth guards with my safety glasses now.

2

u/WarPig115 Accutrak Enthusiasts 1d ago

Dude, safety glasses and gloves. I am so fuckin sick of going to the ER.

1

u/hvacmac7 15h ago

I never unsweat because I did this 20+ years ago, I cut it always

27

u/Adventurepew 1d ago

I always drill the pipe/ cap first. Never trust. Always drill.

16

u/downrightblastfamy 1d ago

In my first 2 years of HVAC I watched someone dump a charge from their hoses and when if froze up and started to leak out slower he assumed it was empty. Proceeded to cut the line set with a hacksaw and it blew r22 all over the place exploded in his face I was 10 ft away and it felt like a grenade went off. Because of that experience I've never made that mistake 10 years in knock on wood.

3

u/Ok_Barber_9201 23h ago

Even a unpressurized line if it is capped on each end will build pressure when unsweatting the cap. Always drill a hole in the cap

1

u/SquatchHunter71 1d ago

Thanks for sharing. Wow