| Product Type: | 90° Elbow |
|---|---|
| Size: | 4" |
Both black pipes meet the same ratings and have the same approval codes.
There is a quality difference. I just plumbed a 2 boiler system with 1000 gallons of storage. Mostly 1-1/4" black threaded with about 70 fittings and tees. I started the project with the imported (China) fittings but by the end I was buying the USA Ward fittings. With the China fittings sometimes the thread engagement is inconsistent so if you have a threaded pipe section that needs to be a certain length, I'd measure, cut & thread the pipe then go to install and sometimes I was short or long depending how deep the pipe threaded into the fitting. This variation isn't happening with the USA Ward fittings, engagement was always consistent. It wasn't the pipe threader either. I checked setup & adjusted it perfect. Another problem is the China fittings & nipples are not always machined square. So say you have a 10' pipe section with a tee for a temp well in the middle of it. When you thread the 5' pipes into the tee the run sometimes becomes a "V" instead of a straight line so it looks junky, is hard to hanger & otherwise work with. For short runs that end with pex or something this doesn't matter in how it functions but looks terrible all crooked. Between the engagement dept & out of square machine work the China fittings were causing me problems, costing me time & work quality. It wasn't worth the savings so the end of the project got USA Ward fittings. Besides the USA made Ward fittings are nicer looking parts without casting flash, metal grain looks tighter, they feel heavier, & look like they have more metal around the ends where the pipe threads in. The China fittings have more machine oil on them so I had to clean them in the automotive parts washer before using them. Maybe the oil doesn't matter but I didn't want the oil in my boiler water or the greasy mess working with the fittings. The USA Ward fittings are clean out of the bag. The Chinese nipples were very greasy... maybe your into that.