OATEY 272998 Cherne® 18" T-Handle Gripper® Plug 3/4" with Bypass

Rated to 8.7 psi (0.61 bar) of back pressure, which works out to 20 ft. (6.1 M) of water head. Stay at or under that column height when you fill the line for a test. Anything taller and you're outside the plug's rating.

The bypass is a 3/4 in. male connection, so it takes a standard 3/4 in. female hose or pipe fitting. It lets you fill the line, bleed air, or run flow through the plug while it stays seated, instead of pulling the plug to relieve the test column. Cherne also builds this Gripper plug without a bypass if you only need a straight block-off.

This Gripper plug is built for long-term applications, not just a quick air or water test. The body is heavy-duty aluminum and it seals on a chemical-resistant neoprene O-ring, so it holds up sitting in a line rather than degrading the way a short-duration seal would.

A mechanical plug like the Cherne 18 in. T-Handle Gripper expands by turning the T-handle, so there's no air supply, no inflation gauge, and nothing to lose pressure over time, which is why it's rated for long-term use. Inflatable test balls go in faster and conform better to out-of-round or rough pipe, but they need an air source and monitoring. For concrete or clay pipe where the plug may sit for a while, the mechanical Gripper is the one to reach for.

Order Oatey/Cherne part number 272998. That's the 18 in. T-Handle Gripper with the 3/4 in. male bypass. The same Gripper is offered without a bypass, so confirm you're on 272998 if you need the bypass port.

It's listed at 30 pounds. That's a two-hand lift and, in a trench or a manhole, realistically a two-person set or a rope. The aluminum body is what keeps it at 30 lb instead of considerably more in steel at this 18 in. size.

The seal is a chemical-resistant neoprene O-ring, which is why the plug is rated for long-term service in a line rather than being pulled right after the test. The O-ring is the wear part on a mechanical plug, so clean and inspect it before each set and replace it when it's nicked or flattened.