I bought some 3/8" soft copper tubing, which fits the 3/8" compression fittings just fine.
I also bought some 3/8" sweat elbows and Ts. They are way too big.
Presumably it is a matter of ID and OD being used for different components? What size sweat fitting go with 3/8" soft copper? What are the 3/8" sweat fittings for? I've never seen 3/8" hard copper.
That's because they're made for 3/8 copper *pipe*.
It's a matter of 3/8 tube and 3/8 pipe not being the same size. 3/8 tube is
3/8 actual ID.None that I know of. Sweat fittings are for pipe, compression and flare fittings are for tube.
3/8 copper pipe.-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?
I don't know what kind of tees and elbows you got, but we run into this sometimes with plumbing and A/C fittings.What plumbers call 1/2" copper, we (A/C) call 5/8, same for 3/4 vs 7/8, and 1" vs 1 1/8. 1/2" ref copper is rarely used in plumbing and I don't thnk 3/4 ref is ever used. I do not think plumbers use many 3/8 fittings other that compression or flare. I have never noticed them in the plumbing dept at HD or Lowes, though I must admit I never really looked hard for them. If you cant find what you need there or at a plumbing supply, then try an A/C supply house. Take a sample of an inch or so of your tubing to make sure you are getting what you need. HTH Larry
HVAC/R copper is typically OD. Water copper is ID. So.... your "too large" fittings are probably water copper, and the tubing is refrigeration copper.
At least, that's my memory of how it works.
If anyone is interested...
At one hardware store I found two packages of 3/8" tubing next to each other. One was 3/8" inside diameter, the other was 3/8" outside diameter. The smaller one was marked refrigeration.
At another hardware store I found sweat fittings for the smaller tubing, which I needed because it is the one that fits the 3/8" compression fittings I have.
So all is well.
Ask for 1/4" sweat fittings they will fit 3/8 od tubing, use them for A/C all the time
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