Split Ring Spanner for 15mm and 22mm Plumbing Compression Fittings | Double End Open Ring Spanner | Flare Nut Spanner | Crows Foot Spanner | Box End | Plumbing Tool | for Compression Fittings

Product Information

Note that this may not cure a leak that is caused by a scratch on the pipe under the olive. You may be able to wind a couple of turns under the olive - but this is less easy. Most tool kits will include a set of these. While not the perfect tool, they can be very useful since they will adapt to make a good fit on any nut. If you use them with the correct orientation they also grip harder the more force you apply to them:

Compression fittings are very reliable and have been proven over many decades, however sometimes things can go wrong and you end up with a joint that leaks. The common causes are:

Sign up for special offer emails

Again, a clean square cut is important, and any burrs removed. Take great care to protect pipe ends when pulling them under floors etc, since its very easy to scratch plastic pipe and this makes it hard to get a good compression (or pushfit for that matter) seal. Also means that you have twice the number of positions that the spanner can engage with the nut. This is very handy when there is very limited turning space for the spanner. An olive splitter takes a different approach by tighenting a sharp edge onto the side of the olive while supporting the pipe from the inside. They cut through one side of the olive without damaging the pipe, allowing it to expand a bit in diameter and slide off the pipe.

PTFE tape can also be used as a sealant - a few turns need to be wound over the olive such that they will end up sat between the mating surface between the olive and the fitting:If, on the other hand, you are preparing the pipe on a workbench at a good working height and you have pipe cutters and a deburring tool to hand, you won't need any more five minutes to prepare.

Copper and brass olives both work fine. Olives can't be removed from a pipe and reused. Even hand tightening a fitting with an olive inside before the pipe is inserted, is enough to make the olive unusable. The most effective "cure all" sealants are the silicone based "setting" sealants like Fernox LS-X. These will usually seal most problem joints so long as the olive is actually meeting the fitting body when the nut is tightened.We are currently using Royal Mail Parcelforce and DPD as our delivery providers, all small items will be delivered by Royal Mail, these can take up to three working days to reach you.

Use of PTFE tape on both olive and threads can be of course be combined to both lubricate and seal. Note that any sealants used on drinking water must have WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approval for this use. On the downside, the extra leverage can make it too easy for a untrained gorilla to overdo it! Sometimes the length can also be a problem in confined spaces.

Back in stock alert

Using a spanner, tighten the nut over the threaded head of the fitting, while holding the fitting with a pair of plumber’s grips. This pressure created by the tightening motion will press down on the olive, causing it to grip the pipe tightly. However, be careful not to exert too much pressure as this could damage the fitting or thread, making the device harder to remove or reposition They are very skinny which makes them uncomfortable to use as well, but sometimes this slimness is an advantage where there is not much space. Sometimes an olive can be removed by tightening an adjustable spanner closely around the pipe, and then using it as a slide hammer to strike the nut or the olive itself and drive it toward the pipe end. Diameters can range from 6 to 22 mm and fitting types include tee, elbow, straight and mixed connectors with male or female threads. Compression fittings are frequently used to connect taps and other sanitary ware and feature a fairly basic design. They have a main body (which corresponds to the diameter of the pipe) and two threaded seats where nuts are screwed on. A compression ring, called a ferrule or olive, is designed to fit between the seat and the nuts, and is deformed upon tightening to create a watertight seal. The olive can therefore only be used once, but it is possible to replace it when removing an old compression fitting. These are far better suited, are long enough to get good leverage and are comfortable to use. The design of the end wraps around more of the nut giving better support and greatly reducing the risk of damaging a nut: The partially "open" end allows the spanner to slip over a pipe, and then slid onto the nut.