pipe fitting is the occupation of installing or repairing piping or tubing systems that convey liquid, gas, and occasionally solid materials. This work involves selecting and preparing pipe or tubing
pipe fitting, joining it together by various means, and the location and repair of leaks. pipe fitting work is done in many different trades: Plumbing, HVAC, manufacturing, fire prevention, and many others. Pipe fitters (sometimes called simply "fitters") are represented in the USA by the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and pipe fitting Industry of the
www.pipe.org United States and Canada. Fitters work with a variety of pipe and tubing materials including several types of plastic, copper, steel, iron, aluminium, clay, and lead.Steel pipe (or black iron pipe) was once the most swing stock popular choice for supply of water and flammable gases, but fell from favor as water pipe in the mid 20th century due to its tendency to rust. Steel pipe is still used in many homes
pipe fitting dimensions and businesses to convey natural gas or propane, and is a popular choice in fire sprinkler systems due to its high heat resistance. Steel pipe is joined using thread connections, where tapered threads (See National Pipe Thread) are cut into the tubing section end, sealant is applied in the form of thread compound or PTFE tape (similar to teflon tape) and it is then threaded into a corresponding threaded fitting using a pipe wrench. In Canada, in respect to natural gas (NG) and propane (LP gas), black iron pipe (BIP) is used to connect an appliance to the supply, it must however be marked (either painted yellow or yellow banding attached at certain intervals) and certain restrictions apply to which nominal pipe size (NPS) can be put through walls and buildings. With propane in particular BIP can be run from an exterior tank (or cylinder) provided it is well protected from the elements and an
www.swagelok.com anode-type of protection is in place for when the pipe is to be installed underground. Copper tubing Copper tubing is most often used for supply of hot and cold water, and as refrigerant line in HVAC systems. There are two basic types of copper tubing, soft copper and rigid copper. Copper
pipe fitting tubing is joined using flare connection, compression connection, or sweat (solder). Copper offers a high level of resistance to corrosion, but is becoming very costly. Soft copper Soft (or ductile) copper tubing can be bent easily to travel around obstacles in the path of the tubing. It can be joined by any of the three methods, and it is the only type of copper tubing suitable for dave navarro flare connections. Soft copper is the most popular choice for refrigerant lines in split-system air conditioners and heat pumps. Sweat connections Sweat fitting. These are smooth, and easily slip onto the end of a tubing section. The joint is then heated using a torch, and solder is melted into the connection. When the solder cools, it forms a very strong bond which can last for decades. Sweat connected rigid copper is the most popular choice for water supply lines in modern buildings. In situations where many connections must be made at once, (such as plumbing of a new building) sweat offers much quicker joinery than deconstruction compression or flare. Compression connections Compression fittings use a soft metal ring (the compression ring) which is squeezed onto the pipe and into the fitting by a compression nut. The soft metal conforms to the surface of the tubing and the fitting, and creates a seal. Compression connections do not typically have the long life that sweat connections offer, but are advantageous in many cases because they are easy to make using basic tools. A disadvantage in compression connections is that they take longer
threaded pipe fitting dimensions to make than sweat, and sometimes require retightening over time to stop leaks. Crimped or pressed connections Crimped or pressed connections use special copper fittings which are permanently attached to rigid copper tubing with a powered crimper. The special fittings, manufactured with sealant already inside, slide over the tubing to be connected. Thousands of pounds-force per square inch of pressure are used to deform the fitting and compress the sealant against the inner copper tubing, creating a water tight seal. The advantages of this method are that it should last as long as the tubing, it takes less time to complete than other methods, it is cleaner in both appearance and the materials used to make the connection and no open flame is used during the connection process. The disadvantages are that the fittings used are harder to find and cost significantly more than sweat type fittings. PVC and CPVC PVC or polyvinyl chloride, is the most popular choice in plastic pipe. It is rigid, and uses thread or solvent weld (glue) connections, it also can be heat fused. It is available in various pressure ratings, with the most common choice being Schedule 40 for pressurized uses, it is available for waste water lines. Standard PVC can only be used for cold
pipe fitting water supply, and is a very popular choice for drain line.
