My #5 pick comes from ProStaffer Andy Mickelson. The E Instruments BTU1500 “All-In-One” flue gas combustion analyzer for hvac residential & commercial boiler and furnace installation & maintenance.

This is a 5-in-1 tool giving you draft & differential pressure measurement, Flue and ambient temp sensing, combustion efficiency, ambient CO monitor and has a built in manometer.

The built-in printer, magnetic holster and full color display (with zoom and backlight) make this thing easy to operate. Power comes from a rechargeable lithium ion battery or an AC adaptor. Internal memory will store up to 2K test results.

PC software  is included with both the BTU1500-1 (gas) & BTU1500-Oil models along with Bluetooth connectivity for android devices. The mobile app allows for easy transfer of info in the field as well as saving info for a later date without requiring access to the analyzer.

Both models are built with pre-calibrated, field replaceable sensors. Sensors are typical electrochemical for O2, CO and H2. Carbon Dioxide readings are calculated. Warranty coverage is 2 years for both the analyzer and sensors.

Info courtesy of e-inst.com

Copper press systems have become commonplace on the job but the piping systems have expanded recently to include stainless steel piping and fittings along with fittings engineered specifically for iron pipe. As the systems have expanded so have the tool offerings by multiple manufacturers.

Milwaukee entered the press tool market in 2013 with the first generation of M12 and M18 Force Logic press tools. 12v & 18v offering the first inline design by a major tool manufacturer available at the time. Others would soon follow with similar designs. I have owned both corded and cordless models from Ridgid and Milwaukee. My first press tools were the pistol grip type and my most recent purchase (2014) was the M12 inline design.

Last week I took delivery of the newest press tool available. The Milwaukee M18 Force Logic press tool kit [2773-22] is the first tool available with a brushless motor system.

The significance of brushless design for a press tool is high. As we’ve experienced with multiple tools already built with brushless technology smaller physical designs and faster, more powerful performance ratings are now the norm. The case here is very much the same. The new M18 press tool is not only smaller and lighter but the performance ratings published by Milwaukee are faster and longer [presses per battery charge cycle]. From using it now on two boiler change-outs its been my opinion that this is the fastest cordless press tool I’ve ever used. I’ve likely pressed 50-75 joints and have been running the new 9ah battery pack from an initial full charge and have not had to recharge. The current battery charge, according to the indicator lights is about 50% or more.

The new brushless M18 tool is capable of handling up to and including 4” on Viega’s stainless system (ProPress XL-S), and up to and including 1” on Grinnell’s stainless system (Stainless Steel G-Press). Up to and including 2” on MegaPress. The 2773-22 kit will require additional jaw sets for stainless and MegaPress. As mentioned, the kit includes copper jaws up to 2″.

When asked if competitor press jaws are compatible with the M18 tool a Milwaukee design engineer responded with a “Yes, you can use competitive jaws with the tool”.

The new FLEXVOLT system from Dewalt has opened up a whole new line of tools and possibilities for the pro contractor looking to get more done in less time. We’ve had a few of the FLEXVOLT tools at work in our shop and in the hands of the ProStaff team for a couple months now and continue to be impressed. The latest is the DCB1800 Portable Power Station.

The power station is a combination 4-bank parallel battery charger and DC power inverter capable of providing 1800 watts continuous power at 15A with a peak power rating of 3600 watts 120v. That’s some serious power, this thing is sick.

There are a still a lot of tools on the job that haven’t lent well to cordless technology yet. Core drills, large demo hammers, compressors and various saws. Add to that the many contractors still using corded tools where upgrades either haven’t been in the budget or replacement of a perfectly good tool is unwarranted and you’ve got the need for portable power.

The DCB1800 power station is a portable generator running off (4) 20v MAX batteries, not a gas engine so indoor use is not a problem. The inverter is silent in comparison to any other portable power solution as well making it a non-factor where noise is a obstacle to getting the job done. This is a gamechanger for those looking to knock out some punch list items at the end of the job or quickly get in and out to complete a task with a corded tool when cordless isn’t available.

I wanted to get an idea of how much power this thing has so I loaded it up with (1) FLEXVOLT 20/60v MAX pack and (3) 20v MAX batteries, all new and fully charged and plugged my DW734 thickness planer in to it. I ran (14) 2×8 Fir boards thru the planer before losing power supply. The low power indicator lights started flashing after 10 boards, giving me four more complete before shutting down. That’s 112 feet of planing 2×8’s! I’d imagine ripping some plywood for backing or chipping with a rotary hammer for 20-30 minutes is within reach with a power supply like that. I’ll be putting this to the test on the job soon so stay tuned, for now check out video proof of my test:

https://youtu.be/bHT9eJi9cvM

Just received the DEWALT Portable Power Station for testing and review. This thing is sick! -1800 Continuous Watts of 120v 15A on (4) 20v Max batteries. – 2A/21.4v DC to each charge port in parallel charging mode This will run corded tools on the jobsite. Table saws, drills, circ saws etc. I can’t wait to see what it will do. #flexvolt #dewalt #toolsofthetrade #cordless #jobsite #prostaff #tools

A photo posted by Mechanical-Hub (@mechanicalhub) on Nov 19, 2016 at 8:04am PST

Walnut with the Powerstation from @dewalttough

A video posted by Mechanical-Hub (@mechanicalhub) on Nov 19, 2016 at 2:52pm PST

TOOL: FLIR CM174 Imaging 600A AC/DC Clamp Meter With IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement)

Mechanical Hub asked me to test out the FLIR CM174 Clamp Meter with the integrated IR Camera. I was excited yet skeptical to try out a new meter.  In my line of electrical work I have my ‘go to’ meters and current clamps that I know every in and out of.  These have shared the same long days, weekends, overnights, and holiday emergency calls, so why look at product other than what I’ve carried for years?  Well after I familiarized myself with the FLIR CM174, I was impressed by the added functionality that this meter provided.

Let’s be honest, in the electrical world there is voltage and current and you don’t need much of a complex device to tell you what these readings are; however, I didn’t realize what all I was missing without FLIR’s IGM technology (Infrared Guided Measurement).  The IR function of this compact meter gave me an advantage and more importantly a safety aspect to my job that was not their previously.  Not only can I easily troubleshoot hot spots and imminent failures with this meter, but when going through my procedures to test for ‘zero’ voltage or absence of voltage, I am also able to take a look at the thermal properties of the equipment.  The old mentality is that I need to get to work and get this job done as quick as possible, so I only care about voltage – am I going to get shocked or not. Getting hit by a stiff 480V in the morning is not how I like to start my day, but the reality is I’m stuck in a time crunch and the customer is standing behind me tapping his feet because his plant is shut down and costing him big dollars every second it is down.  So I hurry up and grab my ‘new’ meter, and as expected, the voltage is zero, but what about the temperature?  Do I really have time to check this, and why would I care to even look at this, I have never done this in the past.  So I have the meter in my hand and it is only 1 quick click away from telling me the temperature.  To my surprise there is a section of the equipment that was extremely hot due to a loose connection.  My heart takes off and I get a little clammy thinking about how bad I could have been burnt when I would have grabbed onto the equipment to get this repair completed while trying to get the customer back online.

The silent killer, known as electricity, is not the only silent danger that I should be worried about.  I thank the FLIR CM174 for identifying other safety aspects of my job and preventing me from being injured.  The safety aspect alone is worth having the meter, but the ability to troubleshoot using the IR functionality of this meter is a huge step above what the industry is used to.  At the end of day, the customer has the lights back on and was thoroughly impressed by the equipment not only to solve their problems, but to identify and resolve other pending issues that were not identified before.  This customer is now loyal to us and continues to use us for their service needs.

Tool feature info courtesy of flir.com

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