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Compression Plumbing Fittings

  
  
  

compression fittingWhen you go to replace a plumbing fixture, it is sometimes intimidating trying to figure out how everything goes together without leaking. You've probably seen a threaded fitting that you would screw a hose bib or a water supply line onto. If you've not done much plumbing, you may not be very familiar with a compression fitting.

A compression fitting is used on a bare copper pipe. A nut goes over the pipe, then a soft ferrule and finally the fixture or water supply line, or whatever it is you are connecting to the pipe. This all gets squeezed together tightly. The soft ferrule gets sandwiched in between the nut and the fixture. As it gets squeezed, the ferrule molds itself to whatever gaps there are between the nut and fixture, eliminating leaks.

When you go to replace a fixture that uses a compression fitting, the old ferrule is very difficult to get off the pipe. You almost have to score it and split it open, or grab it and rotate in back-and-forth while pulling it off the pipe. For this reason, I generally leave the old ferrule and nut on the pipe and reuse them with the new fixture. It sure beats damaging the pipe, and if you get a small leak, just tighten the nut another quarter-turn.

Comments

I happened upon your website. 
 
Well done and informative. 
 
Thanks and keep it going!
Posted @ Thursday, January 14, 2010 2:31 PM by Patrick
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