Selecting the Right Drain Pan Fitting

There are a variety of drain fittings available on the market. It is important to understand which one is sized to fit for your drain pan and best size to accomplish the task at hand. Drain pan fittings also come in various materials, so knowing the limitations of each material will help you decide which one works for you.

The most commonly used fittings are Bulkhead Fittings made from PVC. There are many sizes available in these drain fittings with three sizes being very popular, ½”, ¾” and 1”. Bulkhead fittings often require a different thru hole size which is very important when selecting the size of the hole to have cut in your drain pan. Refer to the chart below for this information. Bulkhead Fittings also tend to be a bit bulky. These drain fittings require a minimum pan wall height of 2.5” tall to ensure the fitting does not overlap the top or bottom of the pan.

Residential style drain fittings are another type used for drain pans that meet the requirement of home applications. These fittings are designed to be used with a standard height pan of 2”. Two popular choices in the residential PVC fitting are the ½” and a ¾” drain fitting size. Our ½” fitting is a flexible elbow style drain fitting that is approximately 10 inches long. This style drain fitting works well in areas where you need to make a turn for the drain outlet or where there is a space (gap) between the pan and drain pipe to be bridged. Our ¾” residential drain fitting has an O Ring and locknut for connection. This fitting is a more basic residential fitting and connects very quickly in most applications.

Miniature Through-Wall Fittings are generally used to connect two or more drain pans together when you want the contained fluid to flow from one drip pan to another. Assembly Style Drain Pans are an area where this type of fitting is commonly used. The most common sizing on the Mini Through Wall Fitting is ¼” or ⅜” and nylon or white acetal is the most common materials use in through wall fittings.

When desiring to stop flow, we have plugs for the drain pan hole. Square Head Drain Plug and an Expandable Rubber Push In Plug are designed to be inserted and removed from the drain hole with ease and speed. The Square Head Drain Plug is a threaded steel head plug that fits a 1 inch threaded hole. This plug is also designed with a magnet bonded to it to catch metal shavings before they might become a problem. The Expandable Rubber Push Plug is designed to fit inside the drain hole and when tightened expands to fill the drain hole securely. This rubber plug can fit varying sized holes which makes it a great tool to quickly plug drain holes. It is lightweight, reusable and easy to install.