Compression waste fittings

On some plumbing jobs the humble compression fitting can come to the rescue. A compression fitting will usually fit any type of pipe at the same nominal size for example a 32mm compression fitting will fit any 32mm waste pipe. For this reason it is recommended that only one type of plastic pipework be used, and use a compression fitting (often called a universal fitting).

To use compression fitting you first need to take it apart. Ladbroke Grove Plumbers use compression joints.


Undo the nut and slide this on to the pipework. Take out the hard plastic ring and slip this over the pipe work. Now push the rubber washer onto the pipe. This is often tapered on only one side. If this is the case the taper should be pointing towards the fitting. Finally, push the fitting onto the end of the pipe and slide everything else down to it. Start turning the nut by hand. Keep in mind that it is very easy to cross thread plastic fittings by not making sure they are aligned (cross threading will ruin the joint and you will have to start over again with new fittings) especially where the nut is involved and using too much force. To prevent this, you must only apply a minimal hand turning pressure in order to tighten the nut until you are sure that it is on securely. This should be sufficient to keep it dry. A Ladbroke Grove Plumber carries various joints.If this doesn’t happen, then you have probably put it on incorrectly so you must take it off and start again. It is usually possible to get a watertight seal by just tightening the unit by hand, but if you find this is not enough you can always give it an extra turn with the use of a pair of pump pliers.
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