How to Measure Male and Female Hose Couplings
Pipe couplings are used to connect pipes or other pipe components to one another. Both male and female couplings are required to form a tight seal on a pipe. The male coupling is threaded into the female coupling, then the pipe connection is tightened by turning an outer ring. In order for these couplings to work effectively, they must fit together precisely so that the treading matches up. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Measure the diameter of the coupling opening in inches from the outermost side to outermost side. This will give you the diameter of the pipe, which will be 1, 2 or 3 inches in diameter for most standard piping, but may differ.
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Identify the threading: either straight or tapered. Tapered threading is positioned at a slight pitch, which acts as a better securing point for pipe. Straight threading does not have a recognizable pitch.
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Measure for threads per inch, or TPI. For straight thread pipe couplings, measure the outside diameter of the male ODM using a caliper. Measure from starting thread peak to ending thread peak, then divide the measurement by itself to get the number of TPI. For female couplings, measure the inside diameter from peak to peak, and use the same calculation to determine TPI.
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Measure the TPI for tapered threading. For male couplings, measure the ODM threading from peak to peak, at the bigger end and at the smaller end, using a caliper, then divide the measurement by itself to get the TPI. For female couplings, measure the IDF and calculate in the same manner.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Outside Hose image by Janet Wall from Fotolia.com
