Viega 98470 MegaPress tee Smart Connect technology 316 stainless steel, 3'' x 3'' x 2-1/2''

The Viega 98470 is a reducing press tee sized 3 inch x 3 inch x 2-1/2 inch. The run is 3 inch on both ends and the branch takes 2-1/2 inch pipe, so you can pull a 2-1/2 inch branch off a 3 inch main without adding a separate reducer at the outlet.

All three outlets are press connections, designated P1 x P2 x P3. There is no threading, soldering or welding involved: you cut and prep the pipe, slide the fitting on to the marked insertion depth, and press with the correct jaw or ring for the size. Because the branch is a different size than the run, you need the tooling for both 3 inch and 2-1/2 inch.

The 98470 is built from 316 stainless steel, which is the MegaPressG/MegaPress stainless line intended for stainless steel pipe. Putting a stainless fitting onto black carbon steel pipe mixes metals at the joint, so for carbon steel systems you want the zinc-nickel coated carbon steel MegaPress fitting in the same size instead.

Smart Connect is a deliberate feature in the sealing element that lets an unpressed joint leak during test. On a large system with dozens of joints, that is how you find the one connection a crew missed before the walls close. It does not seal an unpressed fitting, it flags it.

316 stainless carries molybdenum, which is what gives it its corrosion resistance in chloride and washdown environments. That is why it shows up in food and beverage plants, pharma, marine and chemical process piping, where a coated carbon steel fitting would not last. If the line is dry compressed air or a standard gas or hydronic run indoors, the carbon steel MegaPress fitting covers it.