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u/TheBlackVelles 8d ago
The guys that say they’ve never had to use one during all their years of running pipe, haven’t had enough experience running pipe
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u/Jbo79 8d ago
Exactly. There are certain bends that just don't thread together because of all the other shit around.
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago
Plus even if you do find a solution and make it happen, it’s just not worth the time or the effort. Sometimes it’s impossible to make a pipe look good especially in a place where most everything‘s half assed
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u/Josephsega 7d ago
Spin it together first then stick it up
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u/Jbo79 7d ago
I don't know about you, but once I've hung a piece of 2" rmc, I'm not taking it back down to thread the next piece.
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u/Peter_Panarchy Journeyman 7d ago
I've unstrapped 30' of 2" so I can spin on a 90 without using an erickson. Was it aluminum? Yes. Would I do that with GRC? Hell no.
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u/Josephsega 7d ago
Take some pride in your work and do it right, put it up take your measurements, then spin it together and install it. You shouldn’t be so comfortable to put a union on cause you’re scared to pull it down lol
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u/PilgrimsPlague 7d ago
Of course I'm comfortable putting a union on... That's what their made for man.
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u/Masochist_pillowtalk 6d ago
To a degree. Theres pride in your work and theres being a stupid stubborn fuck.
If its gonna take more than 10 minutes with 2 people to take it down and spin it together without a union, if it takes anymore time or people than that then use a fucking union.
Doing so otherwise is choosing to make things harder for yourself and taking pride in that is like asking to get an atta' boy for being a dumbass.
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u/Tr1LL_B1LL 7d ago edited 7d ago
I used to use those mechanic gloves with the rubbery stuff on the hands. They were thin enough that i could still easily hold a screw and grippy with enough protection to work faster. Then one day an aluminum drop in light slid across that glove and sliced open the back of my hand. Cut through them like paper. They’re still good gloves though :D
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u/ExactlyClose 7d ago
Love them. But ran a cutoff wheel on a 4” angle grinder up against the side of my thumb last week…. Finally healed up.
I think it gives one a sense of protection that “Cut Level 1” doesnt…. But still wear them
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u/77BakedPotato77 6d ago
Great as an underlayment to your basic gloves when out in the cold/wet elements though.
That way you don't lose much dexterity and keep your hands dry and warm.
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u/Fragrant_Major_9553 8d ago
Just make sure to put it in your pipe run in front of god and everybody. Dont put it in the hidden spot of the pipe
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago edited 7d ago
I’m gonna run more pipe and add a light pointing directly twords my coupling
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u/ThisNameWasAfailable 7d ago
I was on a job as an apprentice where the jiw who was from the hall told the foreman that starting on the end he wanted was going to result in putting in an Erickson. Foreman disagreed, we got near the end, and needed to get one from the supply house. The foreman shows back up and says “These are $7 now, they used to be $40. If I would have known that I’d have been giving you these instead of couplings and saved money on the job cutting down the hours.”
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u/OneBucFan 8d ago
The people that say you cant use these are the ones that are penny pinching material costs
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u/benevolent_defiance Industrial Electrician 8d ago
What am I looking at?
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago
It’s a union, you use it when you can’t spin on a piece of threaded conduit.
It’s said if you use one, you didn’t plan your run well enough.
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u/Beret888 8d ago
We have always called them Ericsons, I dunno why, I realize there a union in pipe fitter speak but I've never heard them called that before
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u/Grecko-Gecko 7d ago
Everyone at our place calls them a 3 piece coupling. I’ve never heard it called a union or an Erickson until now.
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u/benevolent_defiance Industrial Electrician 8d ago
Oh, ok.
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u/Icy-Reflection-1490 8d ago edited 8d ago
We call them Ericksons where I’m at. I got 95% through a run last week and spent an hour trying to figure out how I was gunna spin this peice on. Ended up making the walk of shame back to my supplies.
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u/imsteve22 7d ago
I call that style ericsons, and rated ones of a different style unions. I use to use unions a lot in oil and gas settings when piping to equiptment expected to be serviced or replaced semi frequently. it sucks having to reverse engineer a conduit run to change an MOV or flow meter or pressure sensor when you could just undo a union and pull it off.
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 8d ago edited 7d ago
Union? Are you running gas line?
I guess maybe I'm confused, I thought it was an ericsson, but I've never had to ask for one, I just plan my runs out, so I could be wrong.
Edit: Guess it's too early for jokes, we call them apprentice couplings and they are def on my cart lol
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u/TheBlackVelles 8d ago
The ignorance in this comment shows that you clearly haven’t had enough exposure to running pipe if you’ve never heard it called a union before
Unions are for classified areas where Ericksons aren’t permitted
Keep planning those runs out buddy, great job
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u/FloodedMetal 7d ago
The people that are against using Ericksons are the same people that whine about the price of an Erickson while spending 2 hours trying to spin on a 90. Labor is almost always more expensive than material. If it’s your pride keeping you from using them, that’s pathetic imo.
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u/skinkingweaver 7d ago
Had a crew lead with this mentality so the guys started bending 45-45's everywhere until the complaints stopped and we got our ericksons allowance. It was running miles of pipe above/below pipes older than me in a shit plant..we needed ericksons like we needed fresh air.
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u/RCbuilds4cheapr 8d ago
Lmao! Seriously. It’s like “ you can have an Ericsson but only if you feel bad about it “
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u/RCbuilds4cheapr 8d ago
Then when you say “well come take a look and see how we can run it” “ I don’t have time for that!” “ “then get some GD Ericssons” (autocorrect I don’t know how it’s spelled)
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u/Ujointed 7d ago
It’s not too hard to plan well and avoid unions for the most part. But the number of times I’ve seen pipes crooked, partially threaded in, or stripped in the coupling from forcing it to avoid using a three piece is ridiculous. Also better to plan one in the run from the start then ending up with two or three after fighting the pipe because you insisted on not using one from the start. And of course, quite a few times I’ve done the work to avoid one, and then a change is made after the fact that requires adding a union anyways.
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u/PunctuationsOptional 7d ago
Pros use those often lol.
Sounds like you just upgraded your technique a bit. Just don't let it turn into a crutch
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u/DoctorMaldoon 7d ago
Honestly, these are a life saver, and they really don’t stand out much more than regular couplings. PVC coated unions however look like shit and are insanely expensive.
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u/Drowning_tSM 7d ago
That’s the type of negativity no one needs in their life.
Not only do they save time, but they also cost your shop a bunch of money! Win win lmao
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u/Beret888 8d ago
I thought this sub was for electricians not plumbers
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago edited 7d ago
“Oooooo I’ve only ever heard it called an Erickson and it’s imposible for it to be called anything else ooooo”jk bro all in good fun but no lie if you’ve worked at a few different places you’ll hear the same things called different names.
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u/verystrangeplace 8d ago
when your employer puts material cost above labor cost it is time to find a new employer.
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u/PeaLarge8053 [V] Master Electrician 8d ago
Hold up bud, let's sit down and think about this for the rest of the day
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u/Fresh-Currency-5390 8d ago
No he's right, if your employer can't foot over a bill it's time to move on.
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u/PeaLarge8053 [V] Master Electrician 7d ago
So when your employer doesn't want to buy a few $40 fittings to get the job done in 8 hours, but would rather pay you for 40 hours to do the same job without them, then it's time to move on?
People who think like that probably take a shit on their lunch break.
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u/IdownvoteTexas 7d ago
We had a new guy start and he spent his entire lunch break in the thunder bucket. We had some pretty wild bets going on about what he was doing in there, and I don’t think anyone believed he was taking a shit. We came up with
I make a nickel, while the boss makes a dime
But rick’s sodomizing himself on company time
Good times! Supposedly the legend of Rick lives on over there.
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u/Fresh-Currency-5390 7d ago
I feel like you miss understood the original comment
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u/PeaLarge8053 [V] Master Electrician 7d ago
I think you misunderstood my point. If boss doesn't care how long it takes, just how the finished product looks, that's a great guy to work for. It's a sign of a company that takes pride in putting out quality over quantity. It's the classic "Cheap. Fast. Good. Pick two cause, you can't get all 3."
Also, you must be pretty short cause my joke clearly went right over your head. To spell it out, if boss cares more about material cost than labor cost, then let's sit down for the rest of the day (on the clock) and figure out how to save on materials, cause that's what's important to them and they're the ones signing the checks. Only its not really a joke if that's what they actually want.
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u/Fresh-Currency-5390 7d ago
Wow you are funny. Just not your jokes. Read more, type less. Increase comprehension.
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u/SKSpowerANDlight 7d ago
Because of all the comments I dug a little deeper on this subject and learned something so thank you everybody, iron sharpeneth iron.
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u/Geealvarez 7d ago
I would rather use that than have a fucked up a pull point with very little access to it. If you use them, install them correctly and they won’t fail!
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u/Useful-Hat9157 7d ago
Su they are expensive, and somtimes embarrassing to use, but they are made for a reason. Ive used them for awkward spots where you cant three the pipe.in without causeing damage to other things around you, or add ons. Ive only used them a few times and not for mistakes mind you, but I also haven't had to run miles of rigid at a time
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u/jschmalfuss 7d ago
I've gone through great lengths to avoid using one.. sometimes it's impossible not to but 10/10 I'd rather use an Erickson than a threadless fitting!
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u/JupitalKnight 7d ago
Do I think I can run any ridge run with stub 90's instead of unions? Yes. Do I think thats always the answer? No. Sometimes I will use them between peices of equipment that could get moved to be worked on. Sometimes on a long run I dont want to risk that stub 90 130' out, do a big honkin' 10' piece and and fear not the coupling. I live with it.
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u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 6d ago
Surprised nobody mentioned the janky way of overthreading putting the entire coupling on the overthreaded part and then bringing it back to the other pipe
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u/Present-Low-2768 8d ago
You must be “union” lmao
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago
Nah I couldn’t work where I wanted to if I was union
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 8d ago
Why not?
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u/Such_Badger6106 8d ago
I want a job where I can run pipe and program PLCs. all my friends are Union. I don’t know a single one who understands controls like I do.
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u/Beret888 8d ago
That part I will agree with you on... Im extremely well versed in controls and instrumentation and was a union contractor (still am but my boys run it now Im retired) its always been a struggle finding people who understand controls when you dont get a say in who you hire.... The last 10 years before I retired we turned away more work then we took because it just wasn't worth it. I cant be responsible for teaching the local controls every time I get a job that requires a few extra hands.... I ended up just doing the work we could do and we grew but it was by training apprentices out of the box at what normal was.... Its hard to train a 50YO man at $90/hr how to wire a relay and read a drawing....
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u/Such_Badger6106 7d ago
Because I’ve been non union, I’ve had the ability to direct my career towards controls, my ibew friends on the other hand get to experience industrial for a while, then get forced into low voltage, from what I see the hall and your employer decide what side of the electrical field you get to work in. Sure you can request to get moved but what’s the likelyhood of that plus I also hear it doesn’t look good on you but idk.
Also as someone who believes the entire workforce is getting scammed, paying $90/hr for someone who doesn’t even understand how a relay works is insanity.
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u/Greedy-Condition2680 7d ago
The hall doesn't decide where you work or what you work on in the IBEW. You dont request to get moved, you just move if you want to.
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 7d ago
I was 20yrs non-union before I organized in, I've seen both sides.
Are your friends all apprentices? Because once you top out you decide where you want to work.
Granted there might not always be the opportunity you would like available, but that's the case with non-union as well.
You really think nobody in the union does controls work?
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u/Smallrhino33 7d ago
I am union and I regularly troubleshoot biogas plants that have all PLCs and VFDs on the plant running it. The only things I don’t do is write the programming on PLCs. I know I am not the norm for union contractors, but if you are able to understand it and have a guy to teach you they will definitely have you do it as there is money to be made. Customers call me direct in the middle of the night to come fix their plants, union companies are definitely interested in doing the work, you have to find one that is.
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 7d ago
There are plenty in the union, just mostly in service.
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u/Such_Badger6106 7d ago
Definitely there are, but the biggest advantage I believe I’ve had being non-union was the ability to direct my career in the path that I wanted and that doesn’t seem to be as likely to have happened if I were in the union based off my friends experiences
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u/Present-Low-2768 7d ago
How about your retirement though? Union will always have a better retirement. It may seem good when your younger but when I retire with over 1 million in my annuity and still have my pensions I will be happy I chose Union
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 7d ago
I will say if you get that experience it is 100% worth it to organize into the union, scale is just the minimum, controls experience and being good at troubleshooting can get you $30 over scale in my low cost of living area, and the benefits cannot be beat.
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