OT: Chinese pipe fittings suck!!!!

Gun guru · Apr 2, 2009

I have been a pipe fitter and built many hydraulic systems over the last 20+ years. And in all the years I have been doing this I have never had pipe fittings leak....Bushings, tees, nipples, couplings, etc. Until I have bought a few fittings that were Made In China. The Chinese ones, (not all of them) leak I have had 5 total fittings leak in the last 3 years. Mind you these fittings were brushed with pipe dope and tightened in a bridgeport vise.
All the fittings that I bought that leaked were Chinese.
It pi$$es me off that this crap makes it into the country and when you order from Mcmaster carr it arrives and it is junk.

USA made is the way to go......Never had one of these leak. In all the years of wrenching on fittings.

Dixie54 · Apr 2, 2009

You can say that again!! It"s getting harder to find American pipe and fittings, but you still can. I encourage my crew to go the extra mile to go to the supplier that stocks American material. The imported ball valves are junk too. I don"t like them to begin with, but I can live with the domestic products. The modest extra cost is more than made up by lack of call-backs and failures!! Buy American!!

tg in VA · Apr 2, 2009

What else is new! It's like we've sold our souls to the Chinese and shipped them every job possible. In this manner a former $20/hour employee from our manufacturing sector can now have a part time, minimum wage job at WalMart who drove the jobs overseas to begin with.

tlak · Apr 2, 2009

I was working with some 1/2 pipe tread PVC and it wouldn't seal. Cut it off and glued another one on it and it wouldn't seal. Asked at the hardware store and the idiot said you have to put more Teflon tape on it. Bought some somewhere else and they sealed.
No jobs went to China by where the public shops, the big corps sent them over there.

mnjoe · Apr 2, 2009

We had a Wal-Mart Supercenter go up in Marshall, MN. The plumber used pipe fittings from China for the gas lines on the roof for all the roof units. He did a Menards job and was paid with credit from them. He had so many leaks when the gas was turned on that he had to go back. He had to take it all apart and cut new threads and use different couplings. He wasn't very happy.

e · Apr 2, 2009

Oh that way sucks if McMaster is carrying Chinese pipe fittings. They used to carry Ward and I would order pipe fittings from them if I was working on something mission critical. Dang it, now what am I going to do?

Duner Wi · Apr 2, 2009

I have noticed the same deal. Nearly impossible to get the leaks stopped. Frustrating as all get out.

S.Crum · Apr 2, 2009

Sad part is things look pretty quiet around the Ward foundry over in Blossburg.

RayP(MI) · Apr 2, 2009

My experience too, poor quality. Brass is extremelt soft. Had one hose faucet that broke and I hadn"t even put a wrench on it - tightening it by hand!

Anonymous-0 · Apr 2, 2009

It is common for the China fittings to split, before you can tighten them enough to stop leaking. The threads are not round, nor is the taper correct. If you have to use these sub-standard fittings, it pays to run a die (or tap on internal threads) over the theads. I try to grab up good Ward fittings at flea markets, just to put back for later.

kyhayman · Apr 2, 2009

I hear you. In the past month I've needed a 1/4 by close pipe nipple and a 1/8 by close as well working on air line. China made was all they had at the hardware store and both of them had burrs on the threads.

37 chief · Apr 2, 2009

I have bought a lot of stuff from Mc Master Carr in the past. Most of their stuff was good. I guess they are doing what NAPA is doing by buying crap from china. Stan

Spook · Apr 2, 2009

I haven't seen American fittings in years. Don't do a lot of hydraulics, but local plumbing supply places seem to be all Chinese. We had a local aerospace company, Teledyne Howell Penncraft, get bought out by the chinese a few years ago. At first they didn't change anything, then they started to have the parts rough machined in China, and finished here. Then they started to finish machine them there, and inspect and repair them here. Then they just started shipping direct from China, and layed off all the locals. One of my neighbor's worked there for 20+ years. This whole process took about 3 years. I think we would all be surprised at how much manufacturing is already gone. Like Springsteen said 30 years ago "these jobs are going, boys, and the ain't coming back"

oliver power · Apr 2, 2009

My uncle has been retired for about 12-14 years now. He was a plumber for Rochester Gas & Electric. Before he retired, he complained quite often of the Chinese fittings leaking. They had leaks through the sides of the fittings.

Richard from SE AZ · Apr 2, 2009

sad thing is that even our own government does't help us. I worked on the waste Isolation Pilot Plant in NM from the time the shafts were sunk to just before any nuclear waste was stored. BIG Dept. of Energy Project. All the pipe we put in the shafts to service the underground was from Korea. It was impossible to cut with a torch!! It would spit and splatter and you would blow chunks out of your cut. Another sad thing is that almost every hardware store you go into carries that crap.

banjo · Apr 3, 2009

he was supposed to pressurize it before he turned the gas on. still would of had to redo it.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 3, 2009

Manufacturing gone, quality gone, and the politicians think the problem is the monetary system.

dieselpup · Apr 3, 2009

My friends finished building a house last fall. Last week she came home to the sound of running water. A Pex fitting had cracked in the wall and flooded the entire house. Fancy cork floor and all their carpet were ruined. It wasn't the crimp or the line but actually the fitting...

greygoat · Apr 3, 2009

What kind of pressure are you running?
Since you mention HYDRAULICS--you aren"t using
water pipe fittings for hydraulics are you?
Aside from being suicideal, using water pipe
on hydraulics is mighty risky!

Fordfarmer · Apr 3, 2009

Agree 100%. Bought a new Westendorf loader last spring. No leaks anywhere EXCEPT at the Chinese fittings where the hoses connect to the hard lines.

Gun guru · Apr 3, 2009

NO, these fitting are Industrial grade 3000psi hydraulic fittings, Heavy duty pressure capacity.
They just leak cause they are poorly made

Chinese fittings are junk......Plain and simple.

I am now only going to buy Parker fluid power fittings, made in Alabama, Huntsville.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 8, 2009

These are NOT Chinese pipe fitting, out product is made in the USA, in the heart of Iowa. The fitting are a flareless fitting, better to prevent leaks. We've used this style for many many years - just recently we've seen more majors moving to this type over the threaded style.

rustyfarmall · Jun 8, 2009

(quoted from post at 06:36:27 06/08/09) These are NOT Chinese pipe fitting, out product is made in the USA, in the heart of Iowa. The fitting are a flareless fitting, better to prevent leaks. We've used this style for many many years - just recently we've seen more majors moving to this type over the threaded style.

I have personally been to the Westendorf manufacturing plant and have hauled a few loaders out. Quality, service and friendliness is top notch.

OT: Chinese pipe fittings suck!!!!

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