Braided Stainless Steel Flexible Supply Lines

Q. "What does S.J. stand for?"
A. S.J. is known as "slip joint" to some. It is the same size as 1/2" female thread that comes with many faucets and is standard 1/2" pipe thread. It is non-tapered. (Be aware, though, that the SJ flexes might not work well on threaded PVC fittings, as the wall of the PVC fittings might be too thick.)

Q. "I'd like longer stainless flexes than you show. Are they available?"
A. You can easily connect these stainless steel flexes together with couplings. With the o.d. models you need to use a compression coupling. It has compression male fittings on both sides and you simply put your flex on both sides. These couplings also work well for adapting sizes such as going from 1/4" flex to 3/8" flexes and 3/8" flex to 1/2" flexes. For the s.j. flexes you can use brass or stainless steel regular "close" nipples, all of which can be purchased here. Be sure not to use any PTFE or Teflon™ thread sealing tape or pipe dope when connecting two flexes using these fittings.

Q. "What about electrolysis and stainless steel?"
A. Using stainless steel connectors can be somewhat helpful. Stainless (like brass) is an alloy metal. The electrical characteristics of alloys seem to make them a bit less prone to dielectric action than pure metals such as copper or iron. The more non-corrosive the alloy components (stainless for example has nickel - a very non corrosive metal) and the wider the electrical potentials of the components of the alloy, the less dielectric problem there seems to be. The alloy materials don't prevent the results of dielectric action, they just spread it over a greater area. There is less corrosion build up at the point of connection with stainless steel, than is seen when a copper adapter fitting is attached to a galvanized nipple or fitting.

Q. "I'm not clear what the difference is between standard washing machine hose connectors and S.J.?"
A. The standard washing machine hose connectors are 3/4" female hose threads, exactly like what is used outside for garden hose threads.. S.J. is simply 1/2" standard pipe thread - female threaded that fits onto most standard 1/2" male pipe threads. (SJ connectors might not work well on threaded PVC fittings, which may sometimes be too thick.) The only difference is that, unlike standard fittings that screw onto 1/2" male pipe threads, s.j. isn't tapered. There's no need to use pipe compound or Teflon™ (PTFE) tape to help make the seal on the threads, because the rubber/neoprene cone will make the seal instead against the inside rim of the threads that you are attaching the connector onto.

Q. "What does it mean to have ANSI Certification for lead free plumbing products?"
A. Laws requiring plumbing products that come in to contact with drinking water to be essentially lead-free (0.25% weighted average) have been passed in California and Vermont. In order for companies to ship these plumbing products to locations in CA and VT, they must be ANSI certified lead free.

Q. "What is CA AB 1953 and VT S.152 and how is this different from previous low-lead legislation?"
A. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the amount of lead in drinking water under guidelines established in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (passed in 1974; amended in 1988 and 1996). This Act defines "lead-free" as not more than 8% lead in pipes and fixture fittings. PLEASE NOTE: Use of the term "lead-free" varies between the new legislation in CA (AB 1953) and VT (S.152), and in the current Federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. In the new legislation for CA and VT only, starting in 2010, it will mean 0.25% or less (weighted average).