These compression fittings are marked with two numbers that state the inner diameter (ID) and outer diameter (OD) of the tubing that is compatible with the fitting. Both these number markings of the tubing must match with the fitting. As for the old-school barb fittings, there is only one number present, the OD of the barb, which has to match with the ID of the tubing that will be used. Thankfully, both the tubing and fitting types are standardized, so you are able to choose from 10/13, 10/16, and 12/16 sizes of soft tubing compression fittings.

More than 75 years later, the Swagelok tube fitting, with its unique “hinging-colleting” action, remains trusted to provide lasting, leak-tight service. The grip-type design uses the “hinging and colleting” action to achieve optimal performance in three key areas: Tube Grip If you are welding or adapting a system, you may want to opt for brass fittings instead. Are stainless steel compression fittings ok for domestic use? Compression fittings should be tight enough to create a watertight seal but not so tight that the pipe warps or the thread is damaged as this could encourage leaks and make the fittings much harder to remove later. Proceed with caution. What Should I Do if I Find a Compression Fitting Leaking?The colleting region better isolates stress risers at the tube grip to resist bending, deflection, and vibration. Straight Couplers , Reducing Couplers , Male Couplers , Female Couplers , Elbows 90 deg , Wallplate Elbows , Long Radius Elbows , Angled Wallplate Adaptors ,Stop Ends, Straight Tap Connectors , Bent Tap Connectors , Tees , Reduced Branch Tee , Both Ends Reduced Tee , Reduced End Tee , Reduced End and Branch Tee , Straight Cylinder Union , Bent Cylinder Union Tubing for water cooling is specially made to withstand long periods of time without any discoloration, deformation, or degradation. If aesthetics is one of your main goals with liquid cooling, and you plan to use colored coolants, make sure that you choose a quality tubing that will stay crystal clear as long as it can. Low-grade cheap tubing can lose its transparency in a matter of days and it often becomes yellow. The existence of pre-bent tubes and rising popularity distro plates, building with hard tubes have never been easier. As a matter of fact, a lot of the newcomers to custom loop liquid cooling have built their first loop using distro plates and hard tubing. We are more than happy to give you a hot tip that EK is working on bringing pre-bent tubes to the product portfolio. We also promise that we will cover distro plates in more detail with one of our upcoming blog posts. What is G1/4″? Some manufacturers use more than one o-ring in the base of the fitting or use a single special-shaped o-ring to grip the tubing, but in the end, they all serve the same purpose. To compress an o-ring which prevents the tube from popping out of the base of the fitting. Hard Tubing Push-In Fittings

We would wrap up this article at this moment, although we are certain that we didn’t cover all the small details. As we said at the start, this subject is very broad, there are many choices, but we hope that we managed to cover the basics. In one of the future articles, we will cover the subject of angled adaptersand other special connectors, such as T-Splitters and Ball Valves! The other, less common hard tubes can be made out of copper, brass, borosilicate glass and nowadays even carbon tubes are coming into fashion. The potential problem with these materials is that bending them is not possible or bending requires special tools. We say the „potential problem“ because skilled and more advanced users actually prefer these luxurious materials because the loop can still be connected just by using more adapter fittings and more joints. Choosing the right fittings and tubing is almost equally important as choosing any other component in a liquid cooling loop and usually quite confusing to beginners. First, you must decide what do you prefer because there are several sizes and types of fittings and tubing which make this subject quite broad. It’s important that you know all the possible choices of fittings because they can have a big visual impact on the finished build. 1. How to read tube and fitting measurements? The traditional ways to connect copper pipes are with capillary joints that you need to solder, and brass compression joints that you tighten with an adjustable spanner. However, plastic push-fit joints are just as effective - and much simpler to use. They come with rubber O-rings for sealing, and work well with both plastic and copper pipes. Safety firstThe liquid cooling market provides three diameters of soft tubing that are the most common. Tubes are marked with ID and OD which stand for „Inner Diameter“ and „Outer Diameter“. There are two ways to mark the fittings, one is using metric millimeters (mm) and the other is using imperial inches (“). These three most common tubes are marked with numbers such as: At Plumb Parts our range of compression fittings are suitable for a broad spectrum of applications across the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors. One of the advantages of the Swagelok tube fitting is the ease of installation which requires an effort significantly lower than most other tube, pipe, or weld fitting alternatives, reducing installer fatigue. It can be installed using standard tools and has multiple preswaging options for assembly flexibility, such as the gaugeable preswaging tool. How to Use a Gaugeable Preswaging Tool The mechanical nature of Compression joints is well-proven technology that is extremely robust and resilient.

The process of soldering copper pipes together is referred to as ‘sweating’. Soldering offers certain advantages: it’s a straightforward process for experienced plumbers and engineers and it creates a lasting join (in theory). However, soldering is not always a practical option - in confined spaces for example. By contrast, fittings are easy to apply even without special training, do not need the application of heat, and in most cases, they can be removed and repositioned if required. How Many PSI Can a Compression Fitting Hold? Place a pipe insert into the end of the pipe to be joined. Pipe inserts, typically made from plastic or steel, reinforce pipes and keep them in a fully circular shape, making connection easier. It should be noted that this only applies to plastic pipes and not copper or steel pipes as they are much stronger Compression Fittings are an easy to use heat-free system, and excellent for repairs, and in applications where ongoing maintenance is envisaged While in the early days we had simple barb fittings, nowadays the market has narrowed down to only compression type fittings. While barb fittings are still available for workstation purposes and applications where the aesthetics are not a key point, the market is dominated by compression type fittings. The compression fittings themselves are divide into two major categories which are, Soft Tubing Compression and Hard Tubing Compression fittings, or for short STC and HDC. Soft Tubing Compression FittingsSince 1947, Swagelok has been the leader in advancing tube fitting technology used in industrial fluid system application across nearly every industry. Swagelok Founder Explains His Revolutionary Tube Fitting Regarding the fittings, there is one more detail you need to know. Almost all of the fittings nowadays use the G1/4“ thread (12.9mm wide) and this is the industry standard for all mainstream custom loop liquid cooling manufacturers. In case you are tumbling through server solutions or some older water cooling gear, you might stumble upon G1/8“ (9mm wide) or G3/8“ (16.5mm wide) threads. But like we said, the G1/4“ is the norm and the other sizes have become very rare. So the G1/4″ label is just the thread size label, which makes sure that your liquid cooling products are compatible with each other.

Slide the compression fitting olive (brass ring) over the first length of pipe, and then lay the nut over that There is no significant difference. Compression fittings designed for liquid will work fine with gas but if you use optional PTFE tape, make sure it is gas grade. In addition, ensure the fittings are accessible and not hidden behind walls or under floors. Are Compression Fittings Reliable?We separate tubing types into two main branches, just like the fittings. Soft tubing and hard tubing. These two types of tubes use entirely different types of fittings which are not cross-compatible. We will also go over the basics of the tubing because it will be easier for you to distinguish them when you will be choosing between the two. Soft tubing Compression fittings are tested and approved, for use with drinking water up to 108mm and for gas applications up to 28mm. Tested and certified by independent European certification bodies such as WRAS- Water Regulations Advisory Scheme confirming its suitability and reliability for