Galvanized Compression Fittings ?

We Fix Houses · Aug 15, 2007

Have a job that needs a water service cut off in the crawl space. The existing water line, 3/4" galv comes up vertically from the ground then branches out to feed fixtures with a couple of T's.

This stuff hasn't been touched in 50 + yrs. If I can't break it apart and insert a copper male adapter effectively I've found galv (long sleeve) compression fittings to transition to copper or pex. These may not necessarily be Dresser Co. fittings but a China import. My plumbing supply house has the China import galv and bronze.

Question ? Are these galv compression sleeves effective / reliable ? Haven;t heard too much about them.Anyone share their experience with these ?

Further.....If I end up having to tie into the buried horiz 3/4" service in the crawl space can I use a galv or bronze comp sleeve ?

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

We generally use Dresser couplings for temporary tie in's and emergency repairs to be repaired correctly the next day. Cut the galv. in the crawl space and cut a new thread on it in place.

We Fix Houses · Aug 15, 2007

Yup.... I may do that. I guess its time to get a ratchet pipe threader set.

I just didn't want to disturb an up or down stream fittings.

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

We Fix Houses said:
Yup.... I may do that. I guess its time to get a ratchet pipe threader set.

I just didn't want to disturb an up or down stream fittings.

Use a pipe wrench as a hold back while you are threading it.

Ron The Plumber · Oct 10, 2006

Call a plumber, for you have no clue, for one thing you can't just screw in a copper male adapter into galvanized, it will create electrolysis.

The plumber · Jul 5, 2007

Ron The Plumber said:
Call a plumber, for you have no clue, for one thing you can't just screw in a copper male adapter into galvanized, it will create electrolysis.

That's right!!!!dielectric union. G couplings are a great repair for handymen, but if a plumber wants to lose my respect quick, fast, and in a hurry all they have to do is order 20 g couplings for a repipe. What tha &%^

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

The plumber said:
That's right!!!!dielectric union. G couplings are a great repair for handymen, but if a plumber wants to lose my respect quick, fast, and in a hurry all they have to do is order 20 g couplings for a repipe. What tha &%^

Talk to the researchers from the Copper Development Institute some day, they will tell you that you are better off using a copper female adapter over a dialectric union any day of the week. If you seriously want to fight dialectric corrosion, use a galvanized coupling and a brass nipple, then a female adpt.

Herk · Aug 1, 2007

Years ago, I used galv repair couplings, made in USA and they had stainless steel compression rings inside in addition to the neoprene seals that would clamp to the pipe. The foreign jobbies they're selling now seem to be missing that critical part. I never used them under a building, but only on a water service outdoors.

The plumber · Jul 5, 2007

KillerToiletSpi said:
Talk to the researchers from the Copper Development Institute some day, they will tell you that you are better off using a copper female adapter over a dialectric union any day of the week. If you seriously want to fight dialectric corrosion, use a galvanized coupling and a brass nipple, then a female adpt.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info. I use brass nipples on my water heater installs, and I repipe all the way to the fixtures coming up through the floor and cabinets, but if the homeowner does not want a hole behind the tub/shower I have to cut and thread. I'll use brass next time

Mueller makes the couplings with the metal ring in the rubber

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

The plumber said:
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info. I use brass nipples on my water heater installs, and I repipe all the way to the fixtures coming up through the floor and cabinets, but if the homeowner does not want a hole behind the tub/shower I have to cut and thread. I'll use brass next time

Mueller makes the couplings with the metal ring in the rubber

A dialectric coupling and a brass nipple is the best you can do, dialectric couplings are not all that common here though. We use brass nipples for everything, tub spouts, rain shower heads, body sprays, hand showers, etc. if it is going into a copper line we use a brass nipple.

Ron The Plumber · Oct 10, 2006

We don't even carry galvanized nipples except for capped nipples for our shower riser testing stubs.

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

Ron The Plumber said:
We don't even carry galvanized nipples except for capped nipples for our shower riser testing stubs.

I carry galvanized, as there are a few high rises here that do not allow copper pipe, so all the water pipe is done in galvanized.

We Fix Houses · Aug 15, 2007

KillerToiletSpi said:
Talk to the researchers from the Copper Development Institute some day, they will tell you that you are better off using a copper female adapter over a dialectric union any day of the week. If you seriously want to fight dialectric corrosion, use a galvanized coupling and a brass nipple, then a female adpt.

Thanks for advancing my knowledge in this area. I don't care for the compression fittings too much that's why I asked the question.

As for using a copper male adapter into galv, I've seen dozens of them over the years that are in good shape. I've used them a few times also.

Prior to posting here I looked up dielectric unions and I'd say there seems to be quite mixed opinions on using them. A lot of folks / pro's say their leak prone. With that said I can use a brass adapter then copper or pex. No problem going to copper from brass you say ??

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

We Fix Houses said:
Thanks for advancing my knowledge in this area. I don't care for the compression fittings too much that's why I asked the question.

As for using a copper male adapter into galv, I've seen dozens of them over the years that are in good shape. I've used them a few times also.

Prior to posting here I looked up dielectric unions and I'd say there seems to be quite mixed opinions on using them. A lot of folks / pro's say their leak prone. With that said I can use a brass adapter then copper or pex. No problem going to copper from brass you say ??

Brass and galvanized steel carry some similar properties, the most important one being zinc, which is the main ingredient in dielectric corrosion, by using a brass nipple as a buffer between the two, you are reducing the amount of dielectric action considerably. A dielectric union basically does nothing more than serve as the victim of dielectric corrosion, instead of providing a means of reducing it, so the union will always be the first place that will leak.

As far as PEX goes, I have no idea, I have never used it, and more than likely never will.

Herk · Aug 1, 2007

No problem soldering a brass fitting to a copper pipe, especially if you're going to use it to hook PEX to the line. An 18" chunk of PEX on an incoming line is a great dialectric fitting.

I've been using PEX for a long time and far prefer it to copper. I'm reminded of this every time I see green copper pipe or a relatively new job with pinholes. I looked at one of those a couple of weeks ago - a remodel on an old house. The job was well-done - solder joints looked good, there were dialectrics in all the right places. It looked to be about 3 years old. Since it was an old house with a crawl space, the plumber had used hard copper for most of it, but used soft copper tube to go under some beams and through a concrete wall. (The copper wasn't touching concrete.) As good as it was, there were pinholes everywhere. It was on city water and, although our water is hard, it's not terribly acidic or oxygen-bearing. Still, on this job, it failed.

It's been a general opinion of a lot of people for some years that dielectric unions just don't work, that a minimum of 18" of brass is necessary. I've seen many hundreds of installations where no dielectric of any kind was used and they still looked fine after many years, just as I've seen jobs where copper was added to a galvanized system without protection and it looked as if someone had taken a machine gun to it.

Our local courthouse was falling apart about three years after it was built. Everything to code, but the copper was developing random pinhole leaks everywhere in the building. They called in engineers and ran ground wires to stakes outside, and they may have slowed the process.

PEX looks better all the time.

The plumber · Jul 5, 2007

KillerToiletSpi said:
I carry galvanized, as there are a few high rises here that do not allow copper pipe, so all the water pipe is done in galvanized.

I could not imagine plumbing a highrise in galvanized. I would get tired of screwing:no: seriously I hate screwing pipe together for a simple resedential gas repipe I would quit on the first day when I saw 10,000 feet of galvanized waiting to be installed. Hats off to you guys

Teetorbilt · Feb 12, 2004

Dresser couplings will last for many years, even buried underground. This is where I installed ALL of them for a municipality. 30 yrs. and no complaints! ....yet.

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

The plumber said:
I could not imagine plumbing a highrise in galvanized. I would get tired of screwing:no: seriously I hate screwing pipe together for a simple resedential gas repipe I would quit on the first day when I saw 10,000 feet of galvanized waiting to be installed. Hats off to you guys

These are remodels, not new high rises, I won't go back to running work in new high rises, it just isn't worth it.

BigMikeB · Aug 1, 2007

KillerToiletSpi said:
Brass and galvanized steel carry some similar properties, the most important one being zinc, which is the main ingredient in dielectric corrosion, by using a brass nipple as a buffer between the two, you are reducing the amount of dielectric action considerably. A dielectric union basically does nothing more than serve as the victim of dielectric corrosion, instead of providing a means of reducing it, so the union will always be the first place that will leak.

A dielectric union, isolates dissimilar metals from making contact with each other, thus preventing a reaction in the piping. The item that serves as a "victim" would be an anode, such as in a hotwater heater. I think you mixed up the terms there a bit.

KillerToiletSpider · May 27, 2007

BigMikeB said:
KillerToiletSpi said:

Brass and galvanized steel carry some similar properties, the most important one being zinc, which is the main ingredient in dielectric corrosion, by using a brass nipple as a buffer between the two, you are reducing the amount of dielectric action considerably. A dielectric union basically does nothing more than serve as the victim of dielectric corrosion, instead of providing a means of reducing it, so the union will always be the first place that will leak.

A dielectric union, isolates dissimilar metals from making contact with each other, thus preventing a reaction in the piping. The item that serves as a "victim" would be an anode, such as in a hotwater heater. I think you mixed up the terms there a bit.

Click to expand...

No I did not, as a dielectric union does not do that, it is merely thought that it does. Even with the presence of a dielectric union you still have two dissimilar metals and an electrolyte to carry the charge, the fact that they are not in contact does not greatly reduce the problem.

Galvanized Compression Fittings ?

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