Copper pipe fittings are used to join traditional plumbing systems and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, for various applications in both domestic and commercial settings.
Solder ring fittings
These are used for joining two copper pipes and come with a built-in solder ring, which means they don’t need to be soldered. A permanent seal is formed by heating the solder ring with a heat lamp to melt it. They come in different shapes, including couplings, tee, caps, reducers and 45 degree and 90 degree elbow bends.
End-feed or braze fittings
These are also used for joining two copper pipes and work by using a blowtorch with a lead-free solder to form a watertight seal if they are between 8mm and 54mm and brazing rods if they are 67mm or more. These are made from copper and silver and require an oxy-fuel or air-fuel torch, as they require a higher temperature to melt. End-feed fittings are used to build a continuous length of pipe which cannot be pulled apart unless it is cut, damaged or reheated.
These also come in various shapes, including crossovers and male adaptors and male union adaptors.
Compression fittings
These are made up of a compression nut and what is called the olive, which removes the need for sealing materials. The end of the pipe is pushed into the main body before the olive is slipped over it, leaving it sitting between the wall of the pipe and the inside. The compression nut is then screwed on, which tightens the olive to make a watertight seal.
Push-fit fittings can be used to lock any two pipes together, even if they are made of different materials This means you can use plastic copper pipe fittings with copper pipes and they can easily be pushed into place. It’s easy to source copper pipe fittings in the two most common widths of 15mm and 22mm, from online suppliers.
These fittings are usually used for low pressure systems and are popular because of their convenience and versatility.