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Anyone know what type of fitting this is? 3

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jdmont

Civil/Environmental
Aug 30, 2005
7
US
I have ran across this fitting and am wondering what it is and how do I connect to the pipe coming off the branch of the tee? We are replacing the tee w/ a FLXFL tee and cannot connect to the old piping. Thanks.
 
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Yah, the run outlets are MJXMJ but the branch I have never seen before. This is about 40 years old so I thought is was some old outdated style of fitting. the branch connection only has the 2 bolt holes for 4" pipe. Not sure.
 
Why don't you just replace the tee?

You have not shown a picture of the entire area. Tees do not have flow arrows stamped on them. It looks more like a valve with a stem or a flow meter than a piping tee.

Is that aeration piping? It may be something designed for low pressure.
 
A check valve with something on top. A special actuator of some kind? Why do you make us guess what's up there under that beam?

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)
 
I second BigInch that,

This seems Basically a check valve.But might have been altered to perform some other or additional service functions.
Just a query from OP;Was this originally the same?

Best Regards
Qalander(Chem)
 
If that top take-off goes to a tank, maybe its a surge valve of some kind.

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)
 
It is aeration piping and we will be replacing the tee. The branch of the tee feeds a diffuser system after going through a swing arm section. Thanks for the information, I will check out the ACIPCO for any leads. Thanks.
 
Do you know for sure that there is a branch there? My guess is that it's not a tee at all. What appears to be a branch might be a support that hangs the fitting and pipe from the concrete structure shown in the photo. I looked on the American Ductile Iron Pipe ( website and didn't see anything similar to that, but it may be a special. The "arrow" is actually their logo as Catcher66 said above.
 
It is a fitting for sure because it feeds the diffuser system after teeing off here. It was built in the 1970's and I have no idea of what it actually is. We are just going to replace the tee and branch instead of trying to adapt to it. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
When you do yank it out of there, be sure to come back and tell us what you find.

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)
 
I go back a ways, but this one kind of has me scratching my head. The fitting body looks to me like a sort of old “double hub” or a “tapped tee” fitting that I am aware of (that I believe was about a foot long, had normal mechanical joints on the run, and had on one side or both a formed boss for connections of smaller branched service lines. However, I believe at least standard bosses for that sort of thing were only designed for about a 2-1/2” maximum branch piping connection (and most of those by drill and tap/thread pipe joining, which is confusing in light of the separate, two-bolted gland or flange shown in the picture (unless that is some sort of add-on). Alternatively, this could have also been what was once referred to as a “monoloy tee”

In any case, it was a quite specialized fitting that indeed is no longer manufactured. As to a replacement, you might want to confirm exactly what (material etc.) the smaller "4"" (by tape or other measurement of the O.D. and I.D.) size of branch piping is (as the two bolts looks a little strange for a 4" size connection).

Also, if the connection on the branch is instead in effect some sort of hubbed mechanical connection, you might want to also confirm the installed perpendicularity of the piping since you reportedly intend to replace it with a flanged tee. Of course a mechanical connection can tolerate misalignment, whereas with basically rigid flanged piping there must be some sort of mechanical connection that allows deflection, bevel or adapter flange utilized if it is not.

I also believe it is possible the smaller branch piping might not necessarily have a modern ductile iron piping O.D., as there was at one time also “Monoloy”-sized piping (i.e. IPS or steel, not ductile iron sized piping that was involved with such items).

If you get a chance to look at this again, or once the fitting is removed/replaced, I would be curious of the actual year date cast on the fitting, and also what you find of pipe O.D.'s and also when you unbolt particularly the branch gland(s)/flanges.
 
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