Flares .....?

[fridge doctor]

"But why did the small commercial and domestic refrigeration and air conditioner industry adopt on this type of joint in the first place in preference to other types of joint"?

Well the domestic side didn't. As a Frigidaire apprentice I can tell you that we used the ' mech joint' on domestic gear. This was basically a compression fitting, but worked well.

Argus, you are right in your assumption. Frigidaire was indeed a division of the giant US General Motors as indeed Prestcold was allied to PSC (Pressed Steel Company) who just happened to manufacture Morris motor cars in the UK. So your theory about the flaring of copper pipes almost certainly has it's origins in the automobile industry

Altogether an interesting thread... The long/short barrel stuff was all about flare nuts attached to a TEX for (hopefully) obvious reasons.

Someone mentioned flaring as being a low priority skill ... not true, it is a skill honed and developed over years. After a thousand or so you will always thereafter get it right. There is nothing (still) wrong with the flare as long as it is made properly.

Trevor
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