When Would You Use a Plumbing Sanitary Tee?

When Would You Use a Plumbing Sanitary Tee?

A plumbing sanitary Tee is a fitting you use to branch out the flow of sanitary wastewater from a waste line, usually to an individual fixture or a drain.

You can use sanitary Tees in commercial buildings for general plumbing, such as bathroom drainage, kitchen sinks, and lavatories. The Tee is typically used to permit two clear streams of fluid to flow through the pipe junction with a slight bend or loop in the tube before going into separate directions.

It is made from thin-walled plastic and has a check valve on top. They are non-clogging, and you can use them in many different applications.

What Is the Difference Between a Tee and A Wye?

Factor	Tee	Wye
Connection	Connect horizontal lines to vertical lines	Connects vertical lines to horizontal
Shapes	Have a T-shaped opening	Has a wedge shape
Direction	You can use Tees in alternating directions.	You can only turn wyes in the same direction shown.
Cutting	They are cut on a diagonal plane across the face of the tee (or triangle).	It’s cut along a plane perpendicular to its face.
Angle	The size of a Tee increases as the number (or size) of pipes increases.	You tape Wyes with larger or smaller Tee heads at the top, bottom, and center.
Installation	They are installed inside a pipe so you can easily remove them.	They are mounted outside a pipe, so you can easily remove them.

What Is a Wye Fitting In Plumbing?

Wye fitting in plumbing is a specific type you use to branch two pipes. The fitting usually has three ports, two with 45-degree angles on either side and one down the middle.

You often use a Wye fitting to draining systems to connect a waste line from a sink or toilet to the main sewer line or to split one pipe into two pipes for them to travel in different directions.

A Wye fitting may need special attention during and after installation because they are quite vulnerable during use due to its hinged design.

For this reason, they make most wye fittings very durable materials, such as brass. The fitting has two complete layers of plastic tubing easily split open by hand.

To prevent damage from opening the fitting, most manufacturers use a hinged collar at the top of the fitting, which a screw holds in place.

The half of the collar that holds the screw makes a softer plastic tubing that is not as durable as the other half, which gets wedged between the two pipes.

Wye fittings are most likely damaged during installation because you install them with their open end facing up.

This means you can trap underneath objects such as sink cabinets or furniture. If this happens, water from dripping sinks can damage them.

Luckily, these fittings are also easily replaceable, so if you damage an old Wye fitting or develop a leak, you can easily replace it with a completely new one.

Why Would You Use a Wye Transformer?

You would use a Wye transformer because it boasts a lot of benefits:

1. It Provides You with Multiple Voltages Without Needing Extra Transformers

Since you can choose what voltage you want, you don’t need to use 3 or 4 individual transformers to supply all the potential needed voltages

2. It Can Withstand a Lot More Heat

Every transformer has a limit on how long it can generate power before overheating and shutting down. Wye transformers can handle more heat than any other transformer out there

3. Wye Are Very Reliable and Long-Lasting

Since they’re so common, they’re always readily available and easy to use.

This makes it easier to replace them when they need replacing.

4. Wye Are Small and Compact

Wye’s is quite small compared to the other transformers out there. Using them will save on space where you’d otherwise need large transformers to supply the voltages required from a single location.

5. Wye Are More Efficient

The transformers used on electrical appliances could be more efficient.

Wye’s are very efficient and usually carry less wattage than the transformers built into the electrical appliances themselves, especially at higher voltages

6. You Can Adjust Wye for Different Voltages

There will be times when you need to use a single transformer that can provide a wide range of different voltages, but you want to keep the overall size of it small. In this case, you’d use a Wye transformer

Why is Wye better than Delta?

Factor	Wye	Delta
Voltage	The Wye system’s neutral wire allows two different voltages and powers both 3-phase and single-phase devices in the data center.	The phase voltage is equal to the line voltage; Hence it needs more turns which increases the total cost.
Efficiency	It has a dual-voltage, three-phase service that delivers four wires to the building.	Meets a building’s need for 120-V single-phase power. 240-V single-phase power and 240-V three-phase power in one transformer
Net Electric Charge	The secondary winding is often in Wye, as it provides a neutral for single or three-phase loads.	Allows 3rd harmonics to flow within the transformer and prevent it from flowing into the supply.
The Battery In The Air	Provides the flexibility to connect the loads in the circuit either line-to-neutral or line-to-line.	Used as a four-wire circuit or a five-wire circuit.
Cost	Leads to a less expensive distribution system. Transformers, reclosers, and lightning arresters for wye-connected systems cost less when compared to their equivalents in the delta-connected systems.	Is less expensive

How Do I Know If My Transformer Is Wye or Delta?

To know if your transformer is Wye or Delta, you should:

Check The Configuration	Star shape with all wires connected to one point is a wye.	Three phases are connected triangularly; then, it is a delta.
Check The Voltage	If your transformer has a rail voltage of 110 volts, it is a wye.	It is a delta if your transformer has a rail voltage of 24 volts.
Check The Physical Connection	Has four terminals you connect to three winding starts.	Has three terminals you connect to three winding starts
Check The Manual	It is usually not a big deal to tie the third winding start of your transformer to a bus. leave the voltage regulator installed since the transformer will still work correctly and will reduce the voltage regulation.	The transformer manual will show you which configuration it is. Remember that some manufacturers connect the third and fourth winding start to the center tap. While most leave it unused, which is still considered a wye. If you think your transformer is wired in a delta configuration and still has 110 volts on all three phases. Check if the third winding start has a wire or is just left unused.

Which Way Does Sanitary Tee Go in The Vent?

You should install your sanitary Tee on its back for venting applications in sanitary drainage.

Sanitary Tee also goes in horizontal applications, but installing it on its back will not apply pressure to the Tee itself. The venting pipe will absorb it, leading to a cleaner vent.

In comparison, if you install your sanitary Tee on its front side for horizontal applications, you will have to constantly reposition your vent cap during installation, which can lead to leaks.

The Tee will also be under pressure and could crack either at the base or in the middle of the pipe.

To properly install your sanitary Tee, you will need to find a location where to vent your fixture, as well as a location where you connect your sanitary Tee.

You should always have your vent line up from your fixture to have clean airflow through your pipes.

You can install your sanitary Tee with a threaded end pipe and any other ending on the back of the pipe when it is not vented to have maximum flexibility.

The most popular application for this kind of sanitary Tee is the back venting that allows flexibility of over 6 feet.

Why Do You Convert Wye to Delta or Delta To Wye?

There are various reasons we convert from Wye to Delta or Delta to Wye during plumbing appointments: One of the most important is that this allows a larger variety of fittings and connections.

But what is more interesting is you can reverse pressure changes in the system when the pipe valves are opened.

For example, draining hot water into cold water will become cold water, and vice versa. You can sum up and divide pressures between two pipes or increase in one pipe and decrease in another.

The conversion from Wye to Delta is called a “Y” or “S” connection, and Delta to Wye is called a “T” connection.

The conversion from Wye to Delta is often used when flushing toilets, sinks, and baths. With this connection, water flows into the cold side of your system.

This is because heated water takes a considerable time (hours). So, it is best to use a large volume of cold water to flush whatever you have in your system.

The conversion from Delta to Wye is often used for filling taps, showers, and baths. The hot and cold water pipes can also be connected so that the hot water always flows through the hot side.

Is Wye and Star Connection the Same?

No, Wye and star connection are not the same. 

A Wye connection is a fitting used to connect two pipes of different diameters at a 45-degree angle. It is also known as a Y-branch or Y-fitting.

A Wye fitting changes the flow direction, increases or reduces water flow, or connects branches to a main pipe. It is one of three fitting types for T-shaped junctions of pipes.

The other two are the Ell fitting, which is the same as a wye but with a single inlet or outlet that makes it a T-fitting, and the cross fitting, which is the same as an Ell but with a change in direction greater than 45 degrees. 

The star connection is used to supply multiple outlets with a single inlet. A star connection can be made using either a supply or waste pipe.

Connections are formed by inserting T-trailers into the vertical columns of water pipes.

The trailer is bolted at the top and threaded at the bottom to connect to a sink, bathtub, or other fixture via a P-trap or S-trap.

Each outlet has its trap connected to each leg of the star by a short piece of pipe called an offset. In some systems, a bypass line can be used as a secondary connection to connect two-star connections.

When used with the correct fittings, Wye and star connections are safe. Yet, the pipes cannot come apart if properly assembled, and a Wye connection provides no more flow than any other arm of 90 degrees.

Star connections are always right-angle fittings, so they cannot connect to straight pipe because the angle is greater than 90 degrees. 

What Is Sanitary Tee and Wye Pipes Used For?

Sanitary Tees and Wyes boast plumbing and piping system used to connect and redirect fluid flow.

They transport raw sewage, liquid waste, and stormwater in water treatment plants and sewage treatment facilities.

Commercial structures, such as factories, are installed in basements to transport heavy flows of water and stormwater.

The Tee is typically used to permit two clear streams of fluid to flow through the pipe junction with a slight bend or loop in the tube before going into separate directions.

In stormwater systems, it is used to redirect the flow of water so that it does not run into the ground.

You can use sanitary Tees in commercial buildings for general plumbing, such as for bathroom drainage, kitchen sinks, and lavatories.

If your building is designed properly, you can install sanitary Tee and Wye pipes on a wall with conventional piping.

For example, in bathrooms and kitchens where two different drains connect two sinks, you could install each sink with its sanitary Tee or Wye.

In sanitary installations, you attach two tubes with the Tees, one for sending water away from the fixture and one for sending it toward it.

A riverbed is an example of where you would see a Tee in use. The river splits in two and then rejoins, making a “T” shape where they meet again.

There are also “Y” and “H” Tee configurations that allow the flow of fluids to take different paths.

Conclusion

Sanitary Wye and Delta fittings provide a lot of flexibility, and you can use them in many different applications in your home.

They are also very inexpensive and provide easy installation when you use them properly.