Press 45 Degree Street Elbow

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.