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

At Plumb Parts our range of compression fittings are suitable for a broad spectrum of applications across the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors. All-In-One Affordable, easy to install, maintenance-free liquid cooler with class-leading performance 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 mechanical nature of Compression joints is well-proven technology that is extremely robust and resilient. Slide the compression fitting olive (brass ring) over the first length of pipe, and then lay the nut over that 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″?

Moving onto the other type of tubing, called hard tubing. Unlike the soft tubing, that is made of some sort of synthetic rubber or plastic, hard tubes can be made from a broad spectrum of materials. The most common hard tubes for liquid cooling are acrylic (plexiglass) or PETG (polyethylene terephthalate). They are cheap, easy to come by, and can be shaped and bent in every household. There are tools available which can make acrylic and PETG bending really easy, but we will not elaborate on that subject now, we will leave that for another article as hard tube bending is considered to be a more advanced loop building method. Since 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 Fittings are manufactured from high-quality brass materials which ensure a permanently tight and secure connection, without the use of special tooling or additional sealant. These fittings are suitable for connecting a wide range of tubes, including copper tubes in accordance with EN 1057, carbon steel to EN 10305, stainless steel to EN 10312 and plastic pipes to BS 7291, EN 15875 and EN 15876. 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. 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 tubingFittings are also compatible with connecting low carbon steel, stainless steel and many types of plastic pipe including crossed linked polyethylene (PE-X) and polybutylene (PB) with size compatible outside diameters. 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 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 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. Compression fittings are especially advantageous in retrofit plumbing schemes, where the use of heat must be avoided. They are available in 8mm – 54mm and are suitable for connecting tubes in accordance with EN 1057 and many other standards.