Do you want (or need) to carry out plumbing work at your home? This area requires a good command of vocabulary to designate and understand the wide variety of fittings such as Lasco Insert Plastic Fittings – Midwest Supply for example available. Let’s review in this comprehensive overview the different types of plumbing fittings and their specific uses.
In the world of plumbing fittings, there are several large families. We have decided here to collect the 12 main types of plumbing fittings. This comprehensive presentation will allow you to discover the wide variety of models available on the market and thus help you understand their respective functions.
Types Of Fittings According To The Material Of The Destination Tube
PEX fitting: PEX fittings are made of plastic/brass and are very easy to install. These fittings can be a slip, crimp, compression, or automatic. PER is a plastic material found in sanitary pipes or the heating system.
PVC fitting: PVC fittings from suppliers like Midwest Supply for example are very common in installations, have the particularity of sticking together, and cannot be welded. Several forms of PVC fittings exist, straight fittings, elbows, branches, or buffers, to name only some forms (see the section “The 8 types of plumbing fittings” to access the details).
Copper fitting: Copper fittings are arguably the most versatile, as they can adapt to many situations. For most assemblies in your home, they will be the ideal companion. They have a good lifespan and can be installed for exposed or recessed installation. Here again, several forms of copper fitting exist (elbows, sleeves, plugs).
Multilayer fitting: Multilayer fittings belong to the family of PEX fittings. The multilayers have reduced scaling (thanks to a specific PE-X layer), the tubes are more rigid (thanks to the addition of aluminum), and their oxygen tightness is total.
Brass fitting: The brass fitting is a solder fitting that ensures the good connection of metallic elements whose materials are different. There are brass fittings to be screwed or welded.
Types Of Fitting According To The Method Of Installation
Screw connection: Screw fittings are usually made of brass or galva. Their main use is noted at the sanitary level. The diameter of these fittings is very variable, with parts from 8 mm up to more than 30 mm. Teflon or oakum should be applied to the threads to ensure a good seal. Before choosing a screw-in fitting, it is important to identify whether you need a male, a female, or a male-female assembly.
Solder fitting: Solder fittings are often made of copper or brass, with a very large diameter range from 10 to over 60 mm.
Crimp fitting: Crimp fittings can be copper, brass, or bronze. These are fittings that allow installations with multilayer pipes. It will always be necessary to use crimping pliers with inserts adapted to the diameter of the tube and the type of fittings.
Olive coupling: A olive fitting is also called a bicone fitting. It is indeed made of metal, with two truncated cones connected by the base, which form an “olive.” For use with rigid copper tubing only.
Compression fitting: The compression fitting is a fitting that allows sealing by crushing the pipe on the fitting itself. It is the pressure that ensures proper operation. A type of connection that has an essential advantage: assembly is carried out simply with a few turns of an open-end wrench!
Slip coupling: The slip fitting is used on heating systems and is widely used for its reliability. Indeed, the seal is perfect, but the assembly requires good knowledge. In particular, you must have a sliding clamp to put it in place.
Automatic or quick coupling: No equipment, technical knowledge, a few seconds, and presto: the automatic fitting is in place. This fitting is easily put in place and locked thanks to a clipping system.