Pipe couplings are essential for plumbing systems and come in three categories: flared and sweaty joints for copper pipes, ball and mechanical joints for cast iron pipes, and five types for plastic pipes. Other types include glass piping and coated metal piping joints.
A pipe coupling is a key component to any successful plumbing system and can be used almost anywhere to help withstand pressure from each pipe. There are three categories of these joints, with different areas within each category. The first set focuses on flared and sweaty joints, and copper pipe is most commonly associated with both. When you flare a pipe, it is formed into a funnel shape, resulting in one piece of pipe being threaded and held in place by the next piece, creating a line. Sweaty Joints use soft solder instead of wires.
Cast iron pipes have their own set of joints. The ball and mechanical joints are equipped with cast iron hydraulic pipes and fittings for the water supply. Mechanical joints are metal rings bolted in place and rubber sealed. When galvanized pipe comes into play, the male and female ends of the pipe are threaded together to form a bond.
The other type of pipe joint is found in plastic pipes, where there are five different types that a plumber can use. Solvent welded joints typically use a solvent cement of some type to bond the two pipes together. In this case the two pipes to be connected must be thermally balanced, or have similar temperatures. In fillet weld joints, a welding rod is used for bonding. This is typical of repairing leaks on thermoplastics.
Fusion welded joints use gas or electricity to weld pipes together, and the two pieces of pipe essentially melt together and form a bond. For pipes that are moved frequently, flanged joints are used more often. Threaded joints are for quick and temporary repairs and these joints are generally used in low pressure pipe situations.
Other lesser-used varieties of pipe joints include those in glass piping, malleable iron pipe fittings, gasketless flanged joints, and joints in coated metal piping. The joints to be covered may be permanent or temporary, and while the joint has been around for many years, it continues to become more and more evolved and better manufactured.
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