Reducing Tee, Slip x Slip x Slip PVC Schedule 80 3" x 3" x 2" (801-338)

The 801-338 is a 3" x 3" x 2" Schedule 80 PVC Reducing Tee with Slip x Slip x Slip connections. This fitting maintains a full 3" cemented main run on both inline sockets while introducing a 2" slip branch socket off the side — all three connections are solvent-weld, making the entire assembly a fully cemented, permanent, pressure-rated branch fitting with no threaded ports. The two inline run sockets accept standard 3" Schedule 80 PVC pipe, preserving the full bore of the main line through the fitting, while the 2" branch socket receives 2" PVC pipe for a permanent cemented branch connection off the main run.

The 3" x 3" x 2" configuration is one of the most practical and frequently encountered reducing tee size combinations in commercial and industrial PVC pressure piping. The single-increment reduction from 3" main to 2" branch reflects a very common distribution system design pattern: a 3" supply header or main running at full capacity through the fitting while tapping a 2" branch to a sub-circuit, secondary distribution line, equipment feed, or parallel run that requires meaningfully less flow capacity than the primary main. The branch at 2" is not a minor instrumentation or service port — it is a full-capacity branch connection serving a significant downstream circuit, just one size smaller than the main it draws from.

This size relationship makes the 801-338 fundamentally different in application from the small-branch reducing tees in the 801/802 series (such as the 801-334 with its 3/4" branch or the 802-333 with its 1/2" FPT branch). Where those fittings introduce point connections or instrument taps off a large main, the 801-338 introduces a full-flow 2" branch that will carry a substantial share of the system's distribution load. This is a flow-splitting tee — the 3" main delivers flow to both the continuing 3" run and the departing 2" branch simultaneously, with the branch sized appropriately for the downstream circuit it feeds.

The all-slip configuration means every connection is a permanent solvent-welded joint. Once cemented, no socket can be disassembled without cutting pipe — this is the standard and correct configuration for permanent pressure piping systems where all branch and run connections are designed to remain in place for the service life of the installation. For applications where the branch connection must terminate at a threaded valve, equipment port, or instrument connection rather than continuing as a cemented pipe run, the equivalent fitting with a 2" FPT branch port eliminates the need for a downstream slip-to-threaded adapter at the branch exit. The all-slip 801-338 is the correct specification when the 2" branch continues as a cemented PVC pipe run downstream of the tee.

Proper solvent cementing practice at 3" is essential — the run sockets require a full two-step primer and cement application with thorough coverage across the complete socket interior and pipe end surface. The 2" branch socket should receive the same two-step approach. On a tee, the run and branch sockets should be assembled in a deliberate sequence that allows each joint adequate set time before the adjacent connection is made, with each pipe held in alignment through the set period before the joint is allowed to cure undisturbed.

Schedule 80 wall thickness ensures the 801-338 meets the pressure and chemical resistance demands of industrial and commercial service environments, and the dark gray rigid PVC compound provides broad resistance to acids, bases, and industrial chemicals throughout the service life of the installation.

Specifications:

⚠️ Note: In a reducing fitting, the smaller end governs the pressure rating. All three sockets are permanent solvent-weld connections — once cemented, no connection can be broken without cutting pipe. Use primer before cementing all three sockets — do not skip the priming step on the 3" run sockets at this diameter. If the 2" branch connection must terminate at a threaded valve or equipment port rather than continuing as a cemented pipe run, specify the equivalent fitting with an FPT branch port to eliminate a downstream adapter. Consult manufacturer derating tables for elevated-temperature service.

Industries & Applications:

• Water & Wastewater Treatment — Branches a full-flow 2" cemented sub-circuit or equipment feed off a 3" treatment plant distribution header, with the single-increment reduction allowing the branch to carry a significant share of the distribution load while the main continues at full 3" capacity through the fitting
• Chemical Processing — Used on 3" chemical distribution headers where a 2" cemented branch must supply a secondary distribution circuit, parallel processing line, or equipment sub-group that draws substantially from the main flow without requiring the full capacity of the 3" run at that branch point
• Industrial Process Piping — Establishes branch connections off 3" process water, cooling water, and chemical distribution mains where the downstream branch circuit is sized at 2" — large enough to carry meaningful flow but one increment below the main — and all connections are designed as permanent solvent-welded joints
• Pump Station & Equipment Connections — Installed on 3" pump discharge headers where a 2" cemented branch supplies a secondary pump circuit, bypass line, parallel distribution run, or equipment feed that requires full 2" pipe capacity at the branch point
• Irrigation & Agricultural Systems — Taps a 2" cemented zone supply lateral or sub-main off a 3" pressurized distribution header at a manifold branch point, with the reducing tee maintaining the 3" main run capacity for continuing zones while delivering full 2" flow to the branching lateral
• Municipal & Utility Infrastructure — Applied on 3" municipal water distribution mains and pump station headers where a 2" cemented service branch, building lateral, or sub-distribution run must be introduced at a defined junction point with the main continuing at full 3" bore past the branch connection