Are Bronze Plumbing Fittings A Cost-Effective Choice?
Bronze plumbing fittings can be found on offer together with products advertised as chrome plated plumbing fittings or brass plumbing fittings. With a little poking around you can find that the variety of bronze plumbing fittings includes elbows, tees, extension pieces, reducers and pipe clamps.
Although bronze and brass are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different alloys. They both contain a lot of copper. Brass is softer and is more frequently used for plumbing fixtures because metal smiths can work with it more easily. Being prone to corrosion, plumbing fixtures made of brass are coated with chrome.
Bronze, on the other hand, is very hard. Bronze pipes or tubes are rare, have specialized uses and are quite expensive. However, bronze plumbing fittings are more common and come in many different shapes. There are bronze pipe to hose adaptors, and bronze 90 degrees elbow used for steam, water or gas pipes. Bronze pipe bushings or caps are also used for steam, water, or air service. Other fittings are bronze pipe couplings, crosses, tees or reducing couplings, which join pipes of different diameters.
Bronze is a metal alloy produced by the blending of copper and tin in various quantities (depend on the type of application). Other elements that can go into the alloy are manganese, lead or phosphorous and these convey specific properties. Bronze is also found in gears and valves, as it’s a durable metal, albeit one that needs to be taken proper care of. Since bronze causes minimal friction, it is very useful for machine parts and other applications involving metal contact. It is also non-sparking, so it can be used in combustible environments.
One unique property of bronze is the natural patina forming on it, which turns naturally lustrous bronze a darker color. This patina provides a protective layer which prevents oxidation below the surface. Bronze can be coated with a thin layer of lacquer to protect both the metal and the patina, thus making it significantly easier to care for.
The slight downside of copper plumbing is that it relies on soldering to obtain leak-tight joints between copper alloy tube and fittings. Soldering may appear to be a rather difficult job to try doing yourself, but if you search a little online, you’ll find that it is not too hard to pick up the basic skills of soldering, and that the tools required aren’t particularly expensive.
The safety of bronze has been disputed due to its potential lead for leaching, which is why manufacturers generally prefer yellow brass fittings. However, lead free bronze products are now widely available. There are also alloys described as tin bronzes that have low lead content but maintain high strength characteristics. They have high wear resistance and are ideal for valves and fittings that need to withstand high pressures. These products are environmentally friendly and should really make your shortlist of options when you’re looking for bronze fittings to suit your needs.
You can find bronze plumbing fittings by browsing any online plumbing catalog. The initial high prices of bronze products have, in the majority of case, been significantly scaled down, making the materials attainable for the average wage earner.
Bronze plumbing fittings are, because of their high strength, very easy to machine to perfection, and as such pipes tend to be available in different forms, with or without threads. Threads standards for bronze pipes are BSP for gas, BSPT, NPT or metric.
