Threaded pipe connections - American, their types by type of assembly

What is an American? This is a fitting that consists of a coupling with an end thread and a quick-release union nut. Usually supplied with a Teflon gasket.

This is the name for the type of threaded connection of pipes in water supply and hot water supply systems.
With its appearance on the market, the American quickly gained popularity among plumbing specialists due to the ease of installation and reliability of joining pipeline elements. If you need to connect pipes, the American one is the ideal option. After all, later, when performing repair work, there is no need to dismantle part of the network.

It is impossible to assemble a pipeline from a single pipe. It is necessary to perform turns and connections of pipeline elements to obtain the desired configuration. Fittings have always been used to make joints.

You can also carry out installation using a coupling, which in the standard version is a threaded part. When connected, it is screwed onto the threaded part.

The next part is twisted into the coupling by rotation, and such an operation (especially if all the elements are large) represents quite a noticeable inconvenience.

We suggest you read the article which describes how to connect a metal pipe with a polypropylene pipe + video instructions.

What is an American

The connecting part in this design consists of three parts:

• threaded fittings - attached to one part of the water supply at the connector;
• counter pipe with collar - installed on the other end;
• union nut - installed on a fitting with a collar before installing it in its location.

Next, when the nut is screwed in with pressure on the shoulder, the fittings are pulled one to one and these two parts are compressed. To ensure the tightness of the joint using a coupling, gaskets are used. And with a conical joint, it is not necessary.

If it is necessary to dismantle a section joined using an American connection, it is enough to unscrew the nut, while the mating elements of the pipeline remain motionless.

Types of docking points. The number of design solutions for installation corresponds to the number of varieties of molded products.

Design Features Differences

The standard threaded coupling is intended for the assembly of pipes and pipelines. The inability to create an effective water supply or heating system from a single pipe. Yes, it can be bent and connected to other, large branches, but this will significantly complicate the work without providing any serious advantages.

It is customary to assemble pipes using fittings. A coupling as a fitting - performs the simplest and most common task - fastens pipes together, forming straight or corner connections.

Threaded couplings are much more common than others, because they made it possible to assemble full-fledged branches from individual pipes, but at the same time leave them in a modifiable state. If a branch needs to be somehow modernized, improved, or simply disassembled, all you need to do is unscrew the coupling.

There are plenty of problems with standard threaded connections. This and:

• poor tightness;
• heavy weight, the need to cut a counter thread on the desired side of the pipe;
• the need to rotate pipes, etc.

The main problem lies in the design of standard type threaded connections. To disassemble the thread, you need to unscrew it. To do this, you need to rotate either the pipe or the fitting, which adds problems.

The American is like a coupling - it was conceived precisely in order to eliminate such shortcomings and give plumbers a convenient part.

Components of an American type coupling

The American turned out to be a truly universal example of plumbing. Its design, unlike a conventional threaded coupling, is completely dismountable and consists of at least three parts.

Two of them - counter ends with threaded threads - are screwed directly into the pipe cavity. They can have external or internal threads, it all depends on the specific design. The third part is a union nut, used to fasten the previous two.

The beauty of the whole design is its brevity. The detachable system allows you to connect fittings or ends on pipes by rotating the separate nut. There is no need to twist the pipes, the fitting itself, or the coupling body. Simply connect the coupling parts and tighten the nut until it stops.

Rubber gaskets are attached to the inner ends of the coupling parts. They are needed to improve the sealing of the connection.

Advantages and disadvantages

What specific advantages does the American-type coupling have and how is it useful for joining pipes?

Main advantages:

• American can be easily installed on any type of pipe;
• the ability to form transitions, corner connections, connect taps and any other plumbing fixtures;
• high level of tightness;
• availability on the market;
• good quality and performance;
• the design with a union nut simplifies installation and dismantling;
• a large selection of a wide variety of products to suit every taste and budget.

High-quality American steel

The advantages are traditionally considered to be ease of use and tightness. As we noted above, the standard connecting thread on a conventional coupling cannot boast of tightness or ease of installation. The American one saves us from such problems when assembling pipes into a single structure.

As for the minuses, the only thing that can somehow influence your decision is the price. The American one costs an order of magnitude more than a conventional threaded coupling. However, compression connections also cost their customers more, so there is nothing unusual here.

By type of materials used

Installation of water supply systems using a coupling requires the use of homogeneous elements, primarily in order to avoid electrolytic corrosion, therefore fittings are produced in various designs:

1. Steel - the main disadvantage of the material is its susceptibility to corrosion. The life cycle of such parts is also limited by the tendency for lime deposits to form from water on internal surfaces.
2. Copper - less susceptible to corrosion, used only on pipelines made of the same material.
3. Brass - the most popular in use, are resistant to oxidation, durability is at least 50 years.
4. Polypropylene - in terms of strength characteristics and ease of use, they are increasingly competing with metal products.
5. Polymer - have all the advantages of plastic products. For polypropylene pipes, American is the best type of connection.
6. Combined - used as adapters when joining metal pipes with plastic pipes when partially replacing a pipeline. To make such fittings, a metal threaded part is pressed into a plastic body.

Installation rules

Ball valves are easy to install. This is done using a special key in the following sequence:

1. First, the integrity and cleanliness of the pipeline threads are checked.
2. Then it is recommended to wrap it with FUM tape, which will ensure better tightness of the connection.
3. Before installation, you should check whether the adjusting knob of the mechanism makes a full revolution.
4. “American” is wound by 4-5 turns.
5. It is checked that all the nuts are tightened well, after which the water supply is turned on.
6. After a few minutes (if water begins to drip at the joints), the nut must be lightly tightened with a wrench.

By type of assembly method

In addition to differences in materials of manufacture, the threaded connection differs in the design of the docking units.

They are threaded, with different cutting directions, having internal or external threads on the sides. Samples with a conical joint are also used, with the help of which an American connection is made using a thrust ferrule under the nut.

American connection

Such a variety of fittings creates certain difficulties when choosing them for an inexperienced person, but gives real pleasure to professional performers.

Composition and structure

The most popular materials: cast iron, brass containing chromium and nickel, stainless steel, as well as combinations of polypropylene parts and stainless steel.

Coupling 25 mm on 1/2″ HP VS Plast dismountable (American) polypropylene with external thread

The connection consists of two cylindrical halves connected by a nut. One half forms a permanent connection with the nut, while the nut can rotate freely, while the second half has a thread so that when the nut is tightened, it moves towards the first. The tightness of the connection can be achieved either through a seal; in this case, the ends of the halves are parallel to each other, or due to a conical or spherical connection, when one half is driven into the other when tightened due to a slight difference in diameters at the junction.

Joining of metal components

Metal pipelines for various purposes are still widely used in plumbing. Therefore, the installation of metal pipes is widely used in a wide variety of options.

For simple joining, you need to cut threads at the ends of the assembled elements using a standard thread-cutting tool. The American thread is screwed onto the prepared ends, and the threads need to be sealed by winding FUM tape or strands of flax fiber.

The final connection is made by tightening the nut and installing the gasket. When reusing the connecting assembly, the gasket must be replaced. The joint turns out to be reliable and repairable. What are the American types for metal components:

• direct connection of metal pipes;
• installation is carried out at right angles, as well as at angles of 30 and 45 degrees;
• installation of cantilever elements of a water supply system with a pipe, such as taps, mixers, air vents;
• threaded connection for changing to another diameter;

Connecting pipes using an American allows you to get a sealed joint in pipelines of any configuration.

Application

This fitting is widely used in the installation of water and heat supply systems, pipelines for working with non-aggressive liquids. When organizing household systems, American ones are usually used to install shut-off valves in heating systems, filters, and water meters in water supply systems. In the latter case, the device can be easily removed for replacement, repair or verification procedures.

When working with American women, open-end, socket or special wrenches for quick-release connections are used. Craftsmen do not recommend using pipe or gas wrenches, since part of the fitting is coated with nickel, which means scratches are inevitable.

Joining plastic components

The connection of components of pipelines made of composite materials has its own characteristics. Polypropylene pipes are joined by welding using special equipment. The process is very simple and is carried out on site during installation.

What is an American

Widely used are designs where connections are made to a polypropylene pipe on American conical pipes, where devices with a sealing ring are used.

Connecting polypropylene pipes using an American method is the most reliable and perhaps the only method of joining using a detachable coupling, including connecting a heated towel rail.

Several types of connections for polypropylene pipes are used:

• coupling with external thread;
• coupling with internal thread;
• a device with the simultaneous use of internal and external threads;
• angular, produced at angles of 30, 45 and 90 degrees for installation in hard-to-reach places.

Installing a towel dryer

Installation of such a device in the bathroom can serve as an example of using a threaded connection for inserting additional equipment. The heated towel rail is connected either to a heating system or to a hot water supply circuit.

Installing a heated towel rail

In the second case, you will have to use the services of a remote control service to turn off the hot water riser for several hours; in the first case, you will have to wait until the end of the heating season.

Work can be performed in the following order:

1. Install the dryer in its permanent location.
2. Make a connection into the hot water supply or heating riser and install threaded fittings for the inlet and outlet flows.
3. Install corners with ball valves on them.
4. The heated towel rail connection is made through plastic pipes. The critical temperature for them is 95 degrees; this temperature is not used in either system.
5. Install a tap on the upper register to bleed air from the system, otherwise an air lock may prevent the coolant from circulating.
6. Check for leaks in the dryer by opening the inlet and outlet ball valves. If there are leaks, you need to recheck the joints using additional seals on the threads. Linen tow and fluoroplastic sealing material (FUM) in the form of a tape or cord are suitable for this.
7. Installing ball valves will allow you to carry out repair work without disconnecting the riser. It should be noted that connecting a heated towel rail to a polypropylene pipe requires careful handling, since the pressure ring cannot always be reused due to its deformation.

Connecting the heated towel rail to the riser with a polypropylene pipe using American cones allows you to avoid the use of pipe benders. This reduces the labor intensity of work and their adjustment in place.

An example of connecting a heated towel rail through a threaded connection is shown in the figure.

Dimensions of coupling elements

In domestic plumbing standards, American ones are classified as “coupled connections with a union nut.”

Naturally, their size range corresponds to that on the molded elements of water pipelines. What types there are depend on the method of docking to the main line or cantilever element.

So, when installing a tap or mixer as a plumbing element, American ones are used in sizes from 3/8 to ¾ inches with conical threads. This allows for reliable installation in just a few turns of the nut.

For water supply systems they are used within the range of 10 – 50 mm, the maximum value is typical for connection with a heated towel rail.

To connect pipes made of polymers, special couplings are used - American conical couplings, onto which the plastic shell is literally pulled by the force of a screwed nut through a thrust ring, ensuring a joint density that is several times higher than the pressure in the system.

Pipe sizes

For American plumbing, the thread can be selected based on the data given in Table 1.

Tips and tricks

When using plastic pipes, you need to take into account the properties of the material. Polypropylene is a material endowed with a number of specific properties, such as elasticity, plasticity and chemical resistance.

COUPLING WITH CORNER NUT. "AMERICAN". PURPOSE

Therefore, for polypropylene products, American is practically the only connection method that ensures high-quality joining. Using them locally, you can assemble a pipeline of any configuration with a high degree of reliability.

For installation using American means, its dimensions must be adequate to the pipes used. For cold and hot water supply networks this is an inch or an inch and a quarter; for heating systems in a private home it is better to use one and a half inch products.

When using plastic products for drip irrigation systems, it is enough to use half-inch sizes.

It should be remembered that the critical temperature for polypropylene pipelines is 95 degrees; this parameter must be controlled when connecting to heaters. The temperature at the outlet of the device may be above permissible limits.

When partially replacing the water supply with a plastic one, the American one is used as an adapter.

REVIEW OF “AMERICAN” AND COUPLING WITH FIELD NUT

When installing with American ones that have a protective coating, you need to use a special tool that does not damage the cladding layer.

When selecting components for a pipeline, you need to take into account their location in terms of accessibility and functionality.

size table

What is pressure testing of a heating system?

Types of threaded connections and what the American connection is made from

The thread on an American can be conical or cylindrical. There may also be a difference in the types of fitting connections. The surface of the fitting can be conical or flat.

Advantages of a cone seal:

• The seal will be durable and reliable if you use the metal-on-metal principle without any additional materials;
• The material, homogeneous in chemical and physical composition, is resistant to temperature changes and the influence of chemicals;
• can be used for small deviations of the connected pipes along the axis of no more than five degrees, without losing tightness.

To achieve these advantages, precision in the manufacture of connecting parts is required.
In a flat seal situation this can be slightly neglected. Here they use a flat Teflon ring gasket. The American nut can be used more than once; it will only be enough to replace the old gasket, which can help save you from buying new plumbing fixtures.

Stainless steel, brass, chrome, nickel, cast iron, and a combination of metals can be used to make connections. The use of these materials can be separately or in an alloy. The most durable design will be one made with stainless steel elements. However, experts give preference to chrome parts, since American parts made from this material are characterized by a high level of quality and ductility. In addition, the reinforced structure does not require the use of a gasket.

Metal and polypropylene in the structure will ensure high tightness.

The American connection can be made using a variety of grades of stainless steel. These are mainly brands such as AISI304, AISI316, AISI321.

The outer coating of the American steel is galvanic nickel, which protects it from corrosive formations and increases resistance to mechanical wear. This coating is also a decorative finish.

American coupling

A coupling is a type of fitting, used when connecting two pipes or when transitioning a pipe with one diameter to a pipe with another.

An American coupling is the same coupling, on one side it is tightly screwed or welded, and on the other it is a collapsible American coupling.

American crane

At the moment, the most successful and widespread element of shut-off valves is the ball valve. There are a wide variety of types of ball valves, for example, decorative, special, having internal and external threads on only one side, American ball valve, etc.

In general, an American faucet allows you to solve one important problem when installing plumbing; it is a replacement for a standard plumbing faucet, which consists of elements such as a long thread, a coupling, a lock nut, and a plumb thread. It helps to simplify the task and with a few turns of the wrench tighten the crane itself and its American.

The American faucet is also used for installing heating radiators. The battery, connected on both sides with an American tap, becomes easily removable. Another advantage here is that the water supply can be adjusted manually, and as a result the temperature of the heating radiator during operation.

Compared to plastic faucets, American faucets can withstand higher operating temperatures, but they are not designed for extreme temperatures.

The American corner is simply a necessary element so that you don’t have to block up a lot of connections.

Like any ball valve, the American valve differs in the type of handle:

• Butterfly type;
• Lever type.

The butterfly is usually placed on taps with a small cross-section, since such taps require little force when turning. And the lever handle is used for taps with a large cross-section, where more effort is required to turn.

In any plumbing work, the most important indicator is a reliable connection. It is very important to ensure the water supply is tight. For this, various nuts, fittings, gaskets, etc. are used. However, according to statistics, the means that creates the highest quality and most effective sealing of the connection is American plumbing. https://www.youtube.com/embed/P8fTP4oXzkE

Simple “American turn signals” for any car

Hello everyone, in this article I want to tell you how you can easily and quickly make American turn signals on any car. To do this, we will need two simple 5-pin car relays, which are sold in absolutely any car store.

Here they are; Just in case, a diagram of the relay itself.

So, we find our headlight