7 Hidden Fittings That Make Your Plumbing Work

Have you ever wondered about all the parts that make your plumbing work? We think about them all the time. It is part of our job here at Superior W&A. If we want to do right by our customers across both northern and southern Utah, we need to know every detail about residential plumbing.

For example, we need to be familiar with every hidden fitting in a plumbing system. We need to know what these hidden fittings are, what they do, how they work, and the roles they play. It is a lot to know and understand. Here’s the good news: we worry about all these things so that you don’t have to.

While you think about that, here are seven hidden fittings that make your plumbing work:

1. Vent Stack Fittings

Plumbing needs to be vented in order to keep it flowing. Therefore, a plumbing system requires vent stack fittings designed to provide connections between individual vent pipes and the main stack. Vent stack fittings keep air flowing so that vacuums don’t prevent proper drainage. They also prevent sewer gases from escaping into the home.

2. Transition Fittings

It is not unusual to deploy pipes made of different materials in the same system. Your Utah home likely has a mixture of plumbing materials, including copper and PVC. Connecting different materials is the role of the transition fitting. Transition fittings are specialized fittings designed to prevent leaks and maintain system integrity when mixed materials are used.

3. Bushings and Reducers

Just like your plumbing system probably includes different materials, it probably also includes pipes of different diameters. We connect pipes of different diameters with bushings and reducers. These are specialized fittings that make it possible to optimize pipe diameters based on function. Bushings and reducers are usually hidden inside walls or under the floors.

4. Branch Line Fittings

Branch lines are individual lines in a plumbing system that connects to the main drain or stack. For example, the line running from your kitchen sink to the main line is considered a branch line. Branch lines connect to the main at various angles through specialized fittings. These are normally tee (T) and wye (Y) fittings, so named because of their shapes.

5. Cleanouts

Cleanouts are capped fittings that really do nothing as long as the plumbing system is working properly. Then why install them? Because they provide access to drain lines. A cleanout makes it easier for a plumber to address clogs by getting closer to their location. A plumber simply removes the cap and then addresses the clog from there.

6. Couplings and Unions

A typical residential plumbing system can comprise hundreds of feet of pipes. Some pipe runs are pretty long. To make both assembly and disassembly easier, we rely on fittings known as couplings and unions. Both types of fittings make it possible to join shorter pipe sections when creating a much longer run. They guarantee easier repair and maintenance by making individual pipes easier to work with.

7. Anchors and Supports

Finally, plumbing needs to be properly supported so that it can manage loads without coming apart. This is accomplished with a variety of anchors and support fittings. The anchors and fittings prevent sagging. They reduce joint stress. They even cut down on the noise your plumbing makes.

The plumbing in your home is more than just a series of pipes. The entire system is held together by a collection of fittings that make it all work. You don’t see them because they are hidden, but the fittings are crucial to your plumbing.