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Plumbing fittings are used to change the direction of water flow or stop it altogether. Elbow joints change the direction at an angle of 45° or 90°, tees combine or divide a stream of water, and cross joints have three inlet valves and one outlet valve. Caps and plugs close the end of a tube, while housekeeping fittings are used temporarily for cleaning clogged pipes. Most fittings are made of plastic or metal, with PVC being the most common material. They are sold at home improvement and plumbing supply stores and installed using specialized adhesives.
Plumbing fittings come in all shapes and sizes, with each individual type being used for a specific purpose. Couplings or elbows are commonly used, as are tees and crosses. Most plumbing fittings are used to change the direction of water flow or to stop it altogether.
Elbow joints are plumbing fittings used to change the direction of water flow at an angle of 45° or 90°. They are commonly used under sinks and other fixtures where a drain is used to better regulate the rate at which water leaves the fixture and enters the septic or sewer system. The ends of the elbows can be socket, butt welded or threaded. A street elbow is a variation of this type of fitting, usually using male-female threads.
Tee is another type of plumbing fitting, mostly used to combine or divide a stream of water. Both ends are usually the same size, although there are varieties with different inlet and outlet sizes, also known as a reducing coupling. T-joints can also be used in some computer components.
Cross joints are also plumbing fittings. They have three inlet valves and one outlet valve or vice versa and are commonly used for irrigation systems. They are often not used when adding plumbing to a home because they are more expensive than using multiple tees.
Plumbing fittings are not always joints. This is the case with caps and plugs, both of which are used to close the end of a tube. The difference between the two is in how each fitting is designed. Caps fit onto the ends of a pipe, usually being threaded to screw together. The caps fit onto the end of a tube. Both are generally gas and water tight.
Housekeeping is also plumbing fittings that are used on a temporary basis. They are installed in an easily accessible area to allow for an auger or coil pipe to be inserted to clean clogged areas of the pipes. After the pipes have been cleaned, the clean-outs are usually removed.
Most plumbing fittings are made from various types of plastic or metal, most commonly polyvinyl chloride (PVC). For older homes that may have copper drains copper and other metal fittings may also be available. Fittings are typically sold at home improvement and plumbing supply stores and are installed using specialized plumbing glues and adhesives.
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