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Glam Journal

Can you connect copper pipe to brass?

Author

Matthew Shields

Updated on April 05, 2026

Can you connect copper pipe to brass?

As an alloy of copper and zinc, brass is compatible with copper, and manufacturers produce many common plumbing fittings with the material. Solder adheres as well to brass as it does to copper, so the fittings are usually molded with slip joints so you can solder them to the pipes.

Are brass fittings better than copper?

Brass is more malleable than copper, so if a plumbing project contains a lot of bends and joints, brass may be better as it does not require special tools to bend, shape and mould it.

Why are copper tube fittings used in plumbing?

Copper Pipe Fittings Is One Of The Most Popular Used Tools Which Is Used In Plumbing Industry. There Are Various Copper Pipe Fitting Methods Which Are Being Used In The Industry. But, You Might Not Have Information About All Of Them. Using Copper Tube Fittings Is Very Important To Protect The Building From Leakage Problems.

Can a copper pipe be connected to a brass pipe?

Since brass doesn’t react with either the copper or the zinc, one method is to make sure you have a threaded female end on both the copper and the steel pipes, and then connect the two by simply …

Can you use brass fittings with galvanized pipe?

Can you use brass fittings with galvanized pipe? Galvanized pipe and brass pipe are both used for water piping systems. Sometimes you have to join the two together while doing a repair. For example, you may need to connect a brass barb to your galvanized pipe system, since galvanized barb fittings can be difficult to find.

What happens when you connect a galvanized pipe to a copper pipe?

This fitting joins a copper pipe to a galvanized pipe, called a ‘union’. When water flows through pipes of two different metals, the pipes will become eroded by electrical impulses from the slight acidity found in all water sources. This eventually causes pipe degradation and leakage.

How are brass fittings used to connect black pipe to copper?

It appears that in other locations, where copper has replaced black pipe, brass fittings were used to connect the black pipe to the copper pipe. They are threaded on the black end and sweat on the copper end. I can only find these types of fittings in copper.

What do you use to seal copper plumbing fittings?

Teflon tape is used to seal between almost all threaded plumbing fittings, whether it be copper, brass, plastic or steel pipe thread. About the only exception that I can think of would be brass to brass fittings, and even then, sometimes it is necessary to use teflon tape or pipe dope to seal it.

What are the problems with brass pipe fittings?

This type of yellow brass contains a lot of zinc, and that high zinc content causes problems. There are two problems that come from high zinc content in brass fittings. One, when water flows through the high zinc brass fittings, the zinc in the fittings leaches out of the fittings.

What to do if you have PEX pipes with brass fittings?

If you have PEX pipes with problematic fittings, you can hire a plumber to switch you over to DZR (DeZincification Resistant) brass or poly PEX fittings, both of which are not susceptible to corrosion. A secondary cause of the problem is related to water quality.