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The tee features solder cups on the run, female NPT threads on the branch and mounting ears. This fitting allows for a connection to be made in continuous pipeline and branch out to a different direction while adapting from a solder connection to a threaded connection. The ears allow the fitting to be secured to a wall or ceiling support using a nail or screw. Please refer to NIBCO technical data sheets and catalogs for engineering and installation information. In addition to its inherent qualities of beauty, durability and low maintenance, copper's reusability makes it an ideal application in sustainable projects. NIBCO® copper fittings are manufactured in an ISO 9001 certified facility, and backed by a 50-year limited warranty. Because of its longstanding reputation for innovation and precision in design and manufacturing, NIBCO is the preferred brand in the industry.
Copper Fittings Installation Instructions
- Dezincification resistant
- Use in U.S. drinking water applications is prohibited after January 3, 2014
- ASTM B584 Alloy C84400
- Material and workmanship per ASME B16.18
Copper Fittings Installation Instructions
Manufacturer Resources
Product Specs
- All Basic Material:
- Bronze
- Classification:
- Solder Pressure Tees
- End Connection:
- Threaded
- Metal End Connection Type:
- C x C x F (NPT)
- Product Group:
- Fitting
- Product Type:
- Solder Pressure Tees
- System Use:
- Commercial Plumbing, Fire Protection, Heating, HVAC, Industrial, Irrigation, Residential Plumbing
- Type of Tee:
- Straight Size;Threaded;Drop-Ear
- Product Subgroup:
- Tee
- Department:
- Plumbing
- Country Of Origin:
- United States
Nibco B150400 – Frequently Asked Questions
1) What does C x C x F mean on the Nibco 712-5 drop tee?
Two of the three openings are solder cups (C) that take copper tube on the run, and the branch is a female NPT thread (F). So you sweat the run into a continuous copper line and thread into the branch, which is how you transition from copper to a threaded outlet like a shower arm or a hose connection.
2) What are the mounting ears on this drop-ear tee for?
The ears let you fasten the fitting to a wall stud, blocking, or ceiling support with a nail or screw, so the threaded branch stays put and doesn't rotate when someone tightens or torques on whatever is threaded into it. That's the whole point of a drop-ear over a plain threaded tee, and it's why these get used behind shower valves and at hose bib stub-outs.
3) Can I use this Nibco bronze drop tee on potable water?
No. Nibco states that use of this fitting in U.S. drinking water applications is prohibited after January 3, 2014. It is a cast bronze body to ASTM B584 Alloy C84400, which does not meet the current lead-free requirement for potable water. Use it on non-potable service, and for domestic water lines specify a lead-free drop ear tee instead.
4) What pipe sizes does the Nibco 712-5 drop ear tee come in?
Two sizes: 1/2 inch (MPN B150400) and 3/4 inch (MPN B150550). Both are straight size, meaning the run and the branch are the same nominal size, so a 1/2 inch tee gives you 1/2 inch solder cups and a 1/2 inch female NPT branch.
5) What systems is the Nibco 712-5 drop ear tee suitable for?
Nibco lists it for commercial plumbing, residential plumbing, fire protection, heating, HVAC, industrial, and irrigation service. Note the potable-water restriction: drinking water use in the U.S. is prohibited after January 3, 2014, so on the plumbing side that leaves non-potable applications.
6) What standard is this Nibco solder pressure tee made to?
Material and workmanship are per ASME B16.18, the standard covering cast copper alloy solder joint pressure fittings, and the casting alloy is ASTM B584 Alloy C84400. If your drawing calls for a B16.18 cast solder fitting, this meets that callout.
7) Do I solder or thread this tee, and what order should I install it in?
Both, on different ports. The two run ports are solder cups, so they get sweated to copper tube. The branch is female NPT and gets threaded. Sweat the run joints first and let the fitting cool before threading into the branch, since torch heat carried into an already-made thread sealant joint will break it down. Nibco's copper fittings installation instructions are the reference for joint prep and heating.
8) Is a drop ear tee the right choice, or should I use a plain solder tee with an adapter?
Use the drop ear version when the branch outlet has to be anchored to framing, like a shower arm, a wall hydrant, or a hose bib stub-out, where someone will put a wrench or body weight on the fitting. If the branch just continues into piping and needs no support, a standard solder tee with a separate female adapter does the same hydraulic job and is easier to position. The ears are only worth it when you actually need the fitting fixed to a support.
9) Is this fitting dezincification resistant, and why does that matter on irrigation or heating loops?
Yes, the cast bronze body is dezincification resistant. That matters where water chemistry attacks the zinc in ordinary brass and leaves a porous, weakened casting that eventually leaks at the threads. On irrigation and hydronic work with aggressive or chlorinated water, a DZR bronze body holds up where standard brass does not.
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Does the Nibco B150400 come with a warranty?
Absolutely. The Nibco B150400 is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty.
For full warranty terms, check the product documentation or Contact Us.
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