Name that fitting.

One of the biggest problems you may face on entering the world of plumbing is trying to remember just what everything is called. Below are the names and brief descriptions of the fittings that you will come across at some time or another. Highbury Plumbers are familiar with all fittings.

Straight coupling.

Also known as a (socket) this is used to connect two straight bits of pipe.

Slip straight coupling.

These look the same as a normal straight coupling but can be slipped over the pipe entirely. When there’s no give in your pipe work you’ll be glad of these. The only issue with using them is making sure they’re in the right place, so it’s best to mark the pipework first.

Elbow.

These are your standard 90° bends.

Street elbow.

These are just like a standard elbow except that one end of the elbow slips into a fitting rather than over the pipe. This is really useful when two bends are required very close together.

Equal T.

All three connections of the same size i.e. 15 mm however, you can buy unequal ones which are 35 mm.

Reducer.

When buying ask for, example: “a 22-15mm reducer”. A Highbury Plumber fits all connectors.

Partial crossover.

Only available in copper and is regarded as a cheat by professional plumbers but very handy if you don’t have a pipe bender.

Stop end.

These are used to cap off the end of the pipe, either as a temporary or permanent measure.

Tap Connector.

These can be straight, bent, or flexi. Their sizes are normally referred to in imperial measurements for example: a basin tap is a half inch tap whereas a bath tap is three quarters of an inch, whilst the pipe connection is usually metric. So you might ask for a three-quarter inch to 22 mm push fit, flexi, tap connector.