Steel Pipe Fitting Questions

• Tighten the coupling to the pipe with an adjustable wrench. old worked off adjustable wrench 2 image by Kostyantyn Ivanyshen from Fotolia.com

  Though steel pipe can be used for the installation of water lines, it is mostly used for gas lines or nipples attached to the inlets or outlets of a water heaters. Though steel water and gas pipes are fitted the same way, gas pipe has a black coating so it can be easily identified as such.

How Is Steel Pipe Connected?

• Steel pipes are connected together using steel couplings. These couplings are available in straight, 30-, 45-, 60- and 90-degree angles. "T"-shaped couplings are also available for joining one pipeline to another.

How Is Steel Pipe Sealed?

• A steel pipe thread has threading compound applied all around it, using a small brush. The coupling is then threaded onto the pipe end, by hand. An adjustable wrench is then placed around the coupling and tightened to the pipe. Steel pipe is installed first at the source (be it water or gas supply), with each piece of pipe attached to the last until the fixture is reached.

How Are Steel Pipes Cut To Size?

• Though steel pipe is usually cut to size prior to being sold, it is possible to cut steel pipe to the desired length. Cutting the pipe requires applying cutting oil around the pipe at the place where it needs to be cut. A rotary pipe cutter is then fitted over the pipe and the cutter's blade tightened to the side of the pipe. The cutter is then rotated 360 degrees. The blade is then tightened again and the cutter rotated a second time. This process is repeated until the pipe is cut through.

How Are The Threads Created?

• As with pre-cut pipe, threads are usually created prior to sale. However, pipes can be threaded by using a die. After cutting oil has been applied to the end of the pipe, a die (short hollow cylindrical piece of steel with threaded center) is pushed onto the end of the thread and turned clockwise. This cuts the threads around the outside of the pipe.

How Is The Steel Pipe Attached To The Fixture?

• A shut-off valve is threaded onto the end of the last piece of installed pipe - the thread is covered with threading compound first. The valve is then tightened into place with an adjustable wrench. A flexible supply pipe is then threaded to the end of the valve, with the other end of the supply pipe threaded to the inlet on the fixture - either teflon tape or threading compound is placed first around the fixture inlet and shut-off valve threads, before the supply pipe nuts are threaded and tightened into place.