Plumbing is all about pipes and fittings. Pipes establish the runs that bring or take water, with fittings controlling and manipulating the flow. Pipes are simple enough: they’re straight, and come in different sizes. Pick the right material and length, and you’re pretty much good to go. Fittings – for a plumber, welder or installer – are much the same. But for the average purchaser, there are a lot of fittings. Some can be perplexing, others downright intimidating once materials and sizing are considered. The sizing we’ll explore in another article; for now, you can learn a little bit about the most common fittings found in your home’s plumbing.
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NPT FLANGED SOCKET
This is a threaded connection. In fact, the acronym, NPT, stands for National Pipe Thread Taper. This is a United States standard for all piping and valve threads. Unlike the threading found on a typical bolt, which is straight, tapered threads will actually pull the valve tighter to the pipe during installation. This creates an extremely fluid-tight seal, and is exactly why many plumbing applications utilize this type of connection. The rate of thread taper--in accordance with the ANSI and ASME standard--is 1" of diameter to every 16" of length. A valve with flanged connections is very handy. Some indications would make flanged connections superior to NPT for seal quality, but this is a variable that is dependent on applications and media. Flanges work by bolting together to form a seal between the valve ports and the pipe ends. This connection type accommodates 2 and 3 piece valves, which may be removed from a pipeline without disturbing other connections. The disadvantage of flanged connections is that they are sometimes subject to thermal distortion and shock. Typically used for small pipe diameters (NPS 2 or smaller), a socket weld is basically a recess in either end of a valve into which a pipe end fits. As the name suggests, this type of connection is welded in place, and is for applications where the risk of leakage must be minimized. This type of connection can be used in place of NPT connections, and is very cost efficient. The down side of socket weld connections is that the joining is permanent, making disassembly a lot of work, and that expansion gaps created by a weld can lead to premature corrosion.