Street elbows are pipe fittings with male and female threads that can be used in tight spaces. They eliminate the need for a pipe nipple and are commonly used in water supply, gas, and sewer systems. The name may come from their use in connecting utility lines to street users. Regular elbows require a nipple and offer greater flexibility.
Street elbows are a type of pipe fitting with male threads on one end and female threads on the other. These fittings can generally be used in tighter spaces than regular elbows as no pipe fitting is required, unlike regular elbows which have two sets of female threads. Street elbows commonly have a 90 degree bend, although 22.5 and 45 degree versions can also be found. The etymology of the name is not certain, although it could derive from the fact that these junctions are commonly found where sewers, aqueducts and gas pipelines connect to street users. A variety of applications make use of road elbows, including water supply, gas and sewer systems.
Regular pipe elbows have female fittings on both ends, either in the form of a receiver for copper or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) pipe, or as traditional iron threads. Connecting another female hose to one of these traditional elbows requires a fitting known as a nipple. This short fitting has two sets of male threads and can add extra length to your final setup. A street elbow can eliminate the need for a pipe nipple since one end of the fitting already has a male thread.
The main benefit a street elbow provides is that there are fewer joints to lose and fewer parts to carry around. Since a normal elbow typically requires a pipe nipple, this results in inherently more complex systems. The pipe nipple can also increase the combined length of the joined pipes, so street elbows are often useful in tight spaces. Regular elbow connections offer greater flexibility because they have the ability to accept male pipe threads on both ends. This can be seen as a trade-off, as the increased flexibility also means that pipe nipples will be needed for many jobs.
Street elbows are often used to connect sewer or water lines to utility lines. They are also commonly used to join a meter box to a pipe where it leaves the road, which may be the origin of the name. Another theory is that the name comes from the abbreviation st. fitting, which originally meant a spigot fitting. As an abbreviation st. often refers to the road, the name elbow of the road may have originally come from a misunderstanding. A hinged elbow is very similar to a street elbow, although they typically involve slip fittings rather than pipe fittings.
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