SurePress® is an innovative line of press fittings that visually confirms a pressed connection. Green indication fills windows once pressed, confirming a successful seal. This allows installers and inspectors to quickly identify if a fitting has been pressed prior to pressure testing. Simply press the fitting, see green and go!
Copper Press Couplings
Brass Press 90° Drop Ear Elbows
Copper Press
Copper Press Reducers It is a fitting that allows you to change the direction of a copper pipe by 45°. A SurePress 45° elbow has two press ends and is used when a gentle bend is needed in the piping run (more gradual than a 90° turn). Plumbers use 45° elbows to navigate around obstacles or align pipes at a slope (for instance, in water or hydronic lines where a slight angle is required). The press version of the elbow lets you make this turn without soldering, which speeds up installation and removes the need for open flames in tight spaces.
Installation is similar to any press fitting. Insert the copper pipe ends into each side of the 45° elbow, all the way to the shoulder. Because the elbow is angled, ensure the orientation is correct – align the elbow in the direction you need before pressing. Then place the press tool jaws around one end of the fitting and activate the tool to crimp that end and repeat for the other end. In just a few seconds per side, the elbow is secured. After pressing, do not attempt to significantly rotate or twist the elbow; the joint is locked in place (press guidelines generally say any rotation over a few degrees is not allowed once pressed. If adjustment is needed, release pressure and re-cut or use another fitting rather than forcing the pressed joint.
It’s best to get the angle set correctly before pressing. Once a SurePress elbow is crimped, the connection is rigid. While the pipe and fitting might have a tiny bit of give, manufacturers recommend not rotating a pressed fitting more than about 5° homedepot.com . If you twist it further, you risk breaking the seal and weakening the joint. So, if an elbow is misaligned after pressing, the safest solution is to cut it out and redo that section. Planning and marking the angle prior to pressing will help avoid this issue. In summary: minor tweaks (a degree or two) might be tolerated, but significant adjustment post-press is not recommended.
Yes. SurePress elbows in 45° (just like our other fittings) are designed to be pressed with any standard press tool system that matches the size. Whether you’re using a RIDGID tool with ProPress jaws or another brand, the SurePress 45° elbow will crimp securely. The key is to use the correct jaw size for the fitting diameter (½”, ¾”, 1”, etc.). SurePress uses the common press profile, so your existing copper press tooling will work perfectly. This interoperability means you can integrate SurePress elbows into jobs without changing your workflow or equipment.
A 45-degree street elbow is a variant of the standard 45° elbow where one end is a “street” (male) end and the other is a female press end. In practical terms, the male end of the SurePress street elbow is the same diameter as copper pipe, allowing it to insert into another fitting. This means you can connect the street elbow directly into, say, a press coupling, tee, or another elbow without a short piece of pipe. It’s used to make a 45° turn coming right out of another fitting. The street design saves space and extra joints – you effectively get an elbow and a fitting connection in one piece.
Use a street elbow in situations where you want to eliminate a coupling or extra pipe piece. For example, if you have a press tee and need to angle off at 45° immediately from the tee’s outlet, a street elbow can be pressed directly into the tee. This reduces the number of connections (one less coupling) and is beneficial in tight areas. It’s also helpful when you want a smooth, compact offset: two street 45° elbows can be joined back-to-back (male end into female end) to create an “S” or offset with minimal pipe between. Essentially, street elbows offer more flexibility in layout and can make the assembly more compact and professional-looking by cutting down on unnecessary pieces.
Installation involves one extra consideration: the male end goes into another fitting rather than onto a pipe. So, if you’re inserting the street elbow into, for example, a ¾″ press coupling, first push the male end of the elbow into the coupling’s open end until it bottoms out. Ensure the elbow is oriented at the desired angle relative to that fitting. Then press the outer fitting (in our example, the coupling) – this action will crimp the coupling’s O-ring onto the elbow’s male end, sealing that joint. Next, take the female press end of the street elbow and insert your copper pipe into it, then press that end as usual. After these two press operations, you’ll have the street elbow firmly connected on both ends. Remember, like any press elbow, set the angle before pressing because the orientation will be locked in after crimping.
Not at all. A pressed street elbow is just as secure as a regular elbow plus coupling assembly. The male end pressed into the adjacent fitting relies on that fitting’s O-ring for the seal, which is a standard, tested press connection. The female end uses its own O-ring. So you have two press seals involved, each designed to hold full pressure. By eliminating a separate coupling, you actually remove one potential leak point. SurePress street elbows are made of the same copper alloy and have the green indicator on the female side to confirm that end is pressed. As long as both the receiving fitting and the street elbow are pressed properly, the resulting joint is strong, continuous, and leak-free. It meets the same code requirements – you’re essentially just using one fitting to do the job of two, with no loss in reliability.
