If you want to ensure that your pipes are not going to give you any issues, you will want to use anything that will secure it. Ideally, it will be a pipe fitting that will not stop working or come loose during the time that you are living in your home, especially if they are you water supply lines that take water into your home. One of the best ways to handle them is using what the plumbers prefer. Press fit fittings are able to handle anything that your lifestyle may throw at them.
How Press Fit Fittings Come Together
Press fit fitting can be used in one of two ways. You can have a plumber put them together using a machine that clamps them together permanently, or you can use a tool to simply crimp them so that they stick together firmly. Either way, you will have a permanently sealed pipe fitting that will never fail you or your family. However, most plumbers do recommend that you let them put the fittings together using their high impact machines.
The reason the machine is mostly reserved for professional plumbers is simple. They are not very cheap to purchase and therefore most people will not want to purchase one if they are only going to be working on their own home. Once the job is done, they will not need to spend a fortune for just one job and these fittings are designed well enough that you should never have to redo the plumbing in your home again.
Do You Have the Right Pipes?
When it comes to press fit fittings, there are several sizes available. You also need a specific end to go inside of the fitting. Neither of these are big issues for most people who are interested in handling their own plumbing repairs. You simply have to talk to a local hardware store about options and show them what size you have to work with. Installing press fittings in a new home, you are going to pass inspection easier than you dreamed because they are guaranteed to not leak for the life of your home. Most fittings are designed to work with both hot and cold water lines. However, they are ideal for the hot water because heated water will not affect them the same way it may affect glue or tape that has been used in the past on those copper pipes.
How to Know if You Have Press Fit Fittings
Press fit fittings have a unique look and it is easy to tell them apart from other fittings. One of the most defining features is the copper or stainless steel that they are made from. The next and perhaps most important feature is the rim of them. There is a raised ring on the fitting. This is where the two pipes will come together and lock into place. Then you will clamp them together using either a machine or a special tool that is designed to clamp them into place.