RIDGID RT1000 Operator's Manual

WARNING!

Read this Operator’s Manual
carefully before using this tool.
Failure to understand and follow
the contents of this manual may
result in extensive property
damage and/or serious personal
injury.

Tapping Tool

OPERATOR’S
MANUAL

RT1000

99 Washington Street
Melrose, MA 02176

Phone [phone]
Toll Free 1-800-517-8431

Visit us at www.TestEquipmentDepot.com

Ridge Tool Company2

RT1000 Tapping Tool

General Safety Information

WARNING! READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL INSTRUCTIONS. FAILURE

TO FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS LISTED BELOW MAY RE

-

SULT IN PROPERTY DAMAGE AND/OR SERIOUS
PERSONAL INJURY

.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!

Work Area Safety

• Keep your work area clean and well lit. Cluttered
work area invites accidents.

• Keep bystanders, children, and visitors away
while operating a tool. Distractions can result in
improperly using the tool.

Personal Safety

• Stay alert, watch what you are doing and use
common sense when operating a tapping tool. Do
not use tool while tired or under the influence
of drugs, alcohol, or medications. A moment of

inattention while operating tools may result in serious
personal injury.

• Dress properly. Do not wear loose clothing or

jewelry. Contain long hair. Keep your hair, cloth­ing, and gloves away from moving parts. Loose

clothes, jewelry, or long hair can be caught in moving
parts.

• Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and bal-
ance at all times. Proper footing and balance enables
better control of the tool in unexpected situations.

• Use safety equipment. Always wear eye protec-
tion. Dust mask, non-skid safety shoes, hard hat,
or hearing protection must be used for appropriate
conditions.

Tool Use and Care

• Do not force tool. Use the correct tool for your ap­plication. The correct tool will do the job better and

safer at the rate for which it is designed.

• Store idle tools out of the reach of children and
other untrained persons. Tools are dangerous in the
hands of untrained users.

• Maintain tools with care. Keep cutting tools sharp
and clean. Properly maintained tools with sharp cut­ting edges are less likely to bind and are easier to
control.

• Check for misalignment or binding of moving

parts, breakage of parts, and any other condi-

tion that may affect the tools operation. If dam­aged, have the tool serviced before using. Many

accidents are caused by poorly maintained tools.

• Use only accessories that are recommended for
your Tapping Tool. Accessories that may be suitable
for one tool may become hazardous when used on
another tool.

• Keep tool dry and clean; free from oil and grease.
Allows for better control of the tool.

Service

• Tool service must be performed only by qualified
repair personnel. Service or maintenance performed

by unqualified repair personnel could result in injury.

• When servicing a tool, use only identical re-

placement parts. Follow instructions in the
Maintenance Section of this manual. Use of unau-

thorized parts or failure to follow maintenance
instructions may create a risk of injury.

Specific Safety Information

Read this operator’s manual care-

fully before using the RT1000 Tapping Tool. Failure

to understand and follow the contents of this manual
may result in extensive property and environmental
damage and/or serious personal injury.

Call the Ridge Tool Company, Technical Service
Department at [phone] if you have any ques­tions.

Operator Training

Cutting into pipe containing liquids or gases under
pressure is potentially hazardous. Correct proce­dures must be followed in the use of this equipment
to maintain a safe working environment and prevent
serious personal injury.

No person should use this tool who is not fully
trained in the proper operating procedure and who
is not fully aware of the potential hazards connected
with work on pipe containing liquids or gases under
pressure.

The purchaser of this equipment is responsible for
how this equipment is used and the training and
competence of the operators.

Should any difficulty arise at any time in the use of
this equipment, please contact Ridge Tool immedi­ately!

WARNING

WARNING

Do not exceed pressure and temperature ratings of the
tool and any attachment, valve or fitting. Only tap into
lines that contain specified media.

Model RT1000 Tapping Tool
Water: 200 psig @ 100°F (40°C)

Air, Steam, Natural Gas: 100 psig @ 370° F (172°C)

Tapping Tool Safety

• Only trained personnel should use this tapping
tool. Incorrect use of this tool can result in serious per-

sonal injury, environmental damage, and/or property
damage.

• Always wear eye protection. Cutters and drills are
hard and can shatter.

• Do not exceed recommended pressure ratings.
Attempting to tap into main with pressures beyond the
maximum limits of this tool or a fitting may result in
their failure.

• Only tap into pressurized mains that carry water,
air, steam or natural gas. Other media may attack
the seals of this tool.

• When using power tools to drive this tapping

tool, understand and follow all the safety in­structions associated with that power tool. Air
power ratchets are generally a safer choice due to
the inherent explosion and shock hazards asso­ciated with electrical tools.

• Electrical tools should not be used for natural

gas taps. Only use air or manual ratchets.

Electrical tools cause sparks which may ignite the
gas.

• Grounded electrical tools should be plugged

into a properly grounded outlet. If tool should
electrically malfunction or breakdown, grounding
provides a low resistance path to send electricity
away from the user.

• Electrical tools should be plugged into an out-

let protected with a Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter (GFCI). Reduces risk of electrical

shock.

Ridge Tool Company 3

RT1000 Tapping Tool

• Use only right angle electrical drills or air ratchets

to rotate the cutter. Tool must be fed at a con­trolled rate. Failure to use a right angle drive or to

carefully control the tool feed rate may result in the
cutter suddenly stopping which will cause the power
tool driver to suddenly twist.

• Main being tapped must be securely mounted to
prevent any movement. Movement could cause

tool breakage during the tapping operation.

• Follow all applicable regulations and safety pre­cautions regarding the work area.

• When working below grade, have an adequate

escape route before starting the tap. Such pre-

cautions reduce the risk of injury.

• When working on a scaffold or lift, the operator,

tool, and drive assembly should all be properly
secured. Will prevent injury in the event of a fall or

dropping a tool.

• Do not use this tool to support the operator.

Could result in tool breakage or malfunction.

• Tool is made to tap into pressurized lines. Follow
instructions in operator’s manual on tool uses.

Other uses or modifying this tool for other applications
may increase the risk of injury.

Description, Specifications and
Standard Equipment

Description

The Model RT1000 Tapping Tool is designed to tap
pressurized pipe systems using a saddle-mounted valve
or welded nipple on steel, plastic, ductile iron and cast
iron pipe. The RT1000 is capable of tapping water lines
up to 200 psi and steam, natural gas and air up to 100
psi. Because of its weight, the RT1000 can be effectively
used for branching 3/4″ – 1″ lines. The cutter/drill is ro­tated by an 11/16″ hand ratchet or can be operated by
an air ratchet or right angle drill. A self cleaning acme
threaded barrel feeds the cutter into the pipe and resists
the force of the pressurized pipe when the cut is through.

Specifications

Tapping capacity...........3/4″ – 1″

Mounting........................Saddle Mount, Welded nip-

ple, Weld-O-Let,
Thread-O-Let

Cutter Travel..................63/4″ Max

Cutter Actuation.............Hand Ratchet, Air Ratchet or

Right Angle Drill

Type of Pipe..................Steel, Plastic, Ductile Iron,

Cast Iron

Cutter Feed ...................Rotation of sleeve around

acme threaded barrel

Pressure........................Water 200 psig @ 100°F.

Steam, Air, Natural Gas 100
psig @ 370°F

Weight...........................6 lbs. (Tool and Ratchet only)

Standard Equipment

RT1000 Tool Only.........Tool Body with Shaft

RT1000 3/4″-1″

CTS Set.........................Tool body with shaft

Ratchet wrench
Tool box
3/4″ – 1″ CTS adapter
2 Spud Wrenches
Hole Saw Adapters

Cutters and NPT/BSPT adapters available separately.
See Appendix 1, Parts List and Accessories.

Operating Instructions

Planning The Tapping Operation

Cutting into pipe containing liquids
or gases under pressure is potentially hazardous.
Correct procedures must be followed in the use of
this equipment. Only trained personnel should use
this tapping tool.

To prevent extensive property damage and/or se­rious injury, proper planning of the tapping
operation is required. The following procedure
should be followed every time the tapping tool is
used.

1. DETERMINE EXACTLY WHICH PIPE NEEDS TO
BE TAPPED INTO. Follow the pipe as far as possible
to ensure it is the pipe that requires tapping. Record
the media and the pressure on a copy of the work­sheet, Appendix II, at the back of this manual.

Do not exceed pressure and tem­perature ratings of the tool and any attachment, valve
or fitting. Only tap into lines that contain water, air,
steam or natural gas.

Water: 200 psig @ 100ºF (40ºC)
Air, Steam, Natural Gas: 100 psig @ 370ºF (172ºC)

2. DETERMINE EXACTLY WHERE THE PIPE NEEDS
TO BE TAPPED. Consider not only the best route for
the new line but also the effect that any chips from the
tapping operation could have on downstream equip­ment. Consider the orientation of the tap, tapping
the top of the pipe may drop chips into the tapped
pipe whereas tapping the bottom of the pipe will tend
to drop the chips back into the tool.

3. DETERMINE WHETHER A SERVICE SADDLE OR
A WELD-IN-PLACE THREAD-O-LET™ OR WELD­O-LET™ WILL BE USED TO MOUNT THE VALVE
TO THE MAIN. Consider the advantages and disad­vantages of each type. Record this connection data
on the worksheet.

NOTE! The “Thread-O-Let™” or “Weld-O-Let™” may

only be welded to compatible metal pipe.
Although Thread-O-Lets may have a pressure
rating, the strength of the weld to the pipe is vir­tually impossible to certify without x-rays. The
media in the pipe may also adversely affect
weld penetration due to chilling. In addition,
weld may penetrate far enough into the pipe
to allow the pressure in the pipe to blow through
the molten weld puddle.

A service saddle may be used on any type of
pipe that has a compatible outside diameter.
Insure the saddle pressure rating is equal to
or greater than the pipe system.

4. SELECT WHICH “CORPORATION STOP” OR
VALVE IS TO BE USED. Only a full port ball, plug or
safety valve will work. The valve must meet following
criteria:

• Must have an adequate pressure rating.

• Made of material compatible with the media.

• Must allow the cutter to pass through the valve.

This should be checked prior to mounting the valve.

NOTE! A corporation stop is a valve with a square lug

for a wrench instead of a handwheel to open
and close the valve. This is to ensure that the
valve is not operated inadvertently or by unau­thorized personnel. Typically, corporation stops
have male NPT inlet threads that screw directly
into a service saddle or “Thread-O-Let” with­out the need for an intermediate "close nipple"
as an adapter.

Assembling the Tool

To prevent extensive property dam-

age and/or serious injury, proper assembly of the

RT1000 Tapping Tool

Ridge Tool Company4

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING