Viega 20888 ProPress tee Smart Connect technology Copper, 3'' x 3'' x 2''

The 20888 is a reducing tee with press connections on the two 3 inch run ports and a 2 inch female pipe thread on the branch. The connection callout is P1 x P2 x FPT, so the run gets pressed onto copper tube with a ProPress jaw and the branch takes a male-threaded pipe, valve, or nipple. If you need a pressed branch instead of a threaded one, this is not the fitting.

That is exactly what the 20888 is for. It presses onto 3 inch copper on both sides of the main and gives you a 2 inch female threaded outlet for the branch takeoff. Press connections are made cold, so there is no torch, no hot work permit and no flame in an occupied building, which is why property managers and hospital MRO crews spec them for retrofit taps in finished space.

Copper. The 20888 tee body is copper, so it presses onto copper tube without any dissimilar metal concerns on the run. Keep that in mind on the threaded 2 inch branch, where you are mating to whatever pipe or valve you thread in.

Smart Connect is Viega's unpressed-joint detection. If a fitting is left unpressed, the feature lets water escape at the port during pressure test so the missed joint shows itself instead of hiding behind a wall. It does not change the install: press each 3 inch port normally and verify the run at test pressure. Worth knowing on a 3 x 3 x 2 tee, where two press joints and a threaded branch all have to be checked.

The tee ships as the fitting only. The 3 inch press ends arrive with the sealing element in place and need nothing added, but the 2 inch FPT branch needs a male-threaded nipple or valve plus thread sealant or tape from you. Also confirm your press tool covers 3 inch before the day of the tie-in, since that size needs a ring and actuator rather than a standard jaw.