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How To Choose Your Plumbing Fittings

Solder or bicone fitting for a copper installation, compression screw fitting for a polyethylene network, crimp fitting, slip fitting, etc., for a PEX installation, or even a glued connection for PVC evacuation or pressure: our advice for successful plumbing at home. To get to the point, here are the specificities of the main plumbing fittings:

Copper fittings are brazed and require a plumber’s tools, such as a torch or blowtorch, to install.

Bicone couplings allow copper pipes to be connected without soldering; their installation is simple and quick and is carried out with simple spanners.

The screw fittings are screwed, and their tightness is obtained with Teflon, oakum, and sealant or with a gasket; they are used in water supply installations and to connect to sanitary equipment.

PEX fittings are connected to the PEX tubes, and assembled without welding with dedicated tools or by compression, depending on the type.

PVC fittings such as Lasco Schedule 40 PVC – Midwest Supply for example are mounted on wastewater disposal systems without pressure (grey PVC for housing and domestic use); these same fittings are dark grey-blue if they are to be installed on a network with pressure. They are to be glued and do not require specific installation tools.

PE compression fittings are used on polyethylene pipe networks (general supply); they connect by screwing them together.

A plumbing installation is, in 90% of cases, made of copper, so you will have to use copper fittings, depending on your skills and needs., bicone fittings, screw fittings, and PVC fittings, which will most often be evacuation.

What are the main plumbing fittings

Copper fittings are assembled by brazing on copper pipes; brazing is a welding technique:

hard solder is for hot water and heating
cold brazing is for cold water

Welding is carried out with a blowtorch or a blowtorch and a filler metal determined according to the metals to be brazed. The solder fittings are sized to the diameter of the copper pipes and configured according to the needs of the installation (elbow, tee, sleeve, etc.).

What Are The Main Plumbing Fittings

Screw fittings are no surprise to screw. Their tightness is guaranteed by applying Teflon or tow on their threading. Used in the domestic network, they are made of brass or galva and are available with different thread pitches, the size expressed in millimeters or inches. The screw connections are male, female, or male-female. They are used as an elbow, tee, sleeve, or plug and may require a gasket.

A bicone coupling from Midwest Supply for example makes it possible to connect two copper pipes without brazing but by screwing. This is the solution for a fast and efficient connection. Their operating principle is simple: a ring deformed under the action of screwing seals the connection of the fitting on the copper pipe. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t have a blowtorch or torch.

PER designates a material, cross-linked polyethylene, and the fittings make it possible to form a network. The PER is a flexible pipe used in renovating water and heating; it’s easy to install (without brazing). There are four types of PEX fittings: