Tee, Slip x Slip x FPT PVC Schedule 80 3" x 2-1/2 (802-339)

The 3" x 3" x 2-1/2" PVC Schedule 80 Tee (Slip x Slip x FPT) is a mixed-connection near-equal tee engineered for industrial PVC piping systems that require a high-capacity, threaded branch takeoff from a permanent 3-inch solvent-weld main run. With 3-inch slip socket connections on both run ends and a 2-1/2-inch female NPT threaded connection on the branch outlet, this fitting combines a minimal size reduction and a connection type transition in a single fitting body — the 3-inch slip run installs permanently via solvent cement, while the 2-1/2-inch FPT branch provides a threaded, serviceable connection that accepts any standard 2-1/2-inch male NPT fitting directly.

The near-equal proportion between the 3-inch run and the 2-1/2-inch branch defines this fitting's specific application identity within the 802-series Schedule 80 Slip x Slip x FPT tee line. Among the 802-series tees described in this catalog — where 4-inch run tees serve branches ranging from 2 inches (802-420) down to 1 inch (801-525) in progressively subordinate secondary functions — the 3" x 2-1/2" configuration is unusual in that the branch is nearly as large as the run. The one-half-inch size differential is the smallest branch reduction available in a standard reducing tee format, and it signals a system where the branch is not a secondary tap or an instrumentation port but a primary lateral — a connection carrying a substantial, nearly full-capacity share of the system's flow to a downstream function of significant size and importance.

In practice, a 2-1/2-inch FPT branch off a 3-inch run most commonly connects a major valve body, a pump inlet, a large strainer assembly, a filter housing with a 2-1/2-inch threaded inlet, or a primary secondary distribution lateral where the downstream flow demand is only marginally less than the full capacity of the 3-inch main. The threaded FPT interface on this high-capacity branch is the critical design feature — it means the downstream component at the branch, despite carrying near-full-run flow, can be disconnected and replaced without cutting the permanent 3-inch run on either side of the tee. This combination of high branch capacity and threaded serviceability is what distinguishes this fitting from an all-slip 3-inch equal tee, where the branch would be the same size but permanently cemented, and from a more deeply reducing mixed-connection tee, where the branch would be threaded but at a significantly lower flow capacity than the run.

Schedule 80 PVC provides the elevated wall thickness required for industrial service throughout the fitting body — and at the 2-1/2-inch FPT branch specifically, the additional material depth supports deeper thread engagement and greater resistance to thread failure under the sustained pressure loads and assembly torque that a near-full-capacity threaded branch connection experiences. All run connections are designed for solvent cement installation per ASTM D2564 procedures. Manufactured to ASTM D2467 standards and compatible with Schedule 80 PVC pipe on the run ends and standard NPT threaded fittings on the branch.

Specifications:

Industries & Applications:

• Chemical Processing & Primary Distribution — The defining application for a near-equal mixed-connection tee; used in 3-inch chemical process headers where a 2-1/2-inch FPT branch provides a high-capacity, threaded connection point for a major chemical distribution lateral, transfer line, or equipment supply that carries nearly the full flow of the 3-inch main — with the FPT interface allowing the downstream valve, injector, or equipment to be disconnected for service without disturbing the permanent run
• Pump Inlet & Discharge Connections — Specified in 3-inch pump suction and discharge assemblies where a 2-1/2-inch FPT branch provides a primary pump inlet connection, recirculation circuit, or high-capacity bypass lateral — the near-equal branch size reflecting the flow demand of a pump circuit that requires substantially all of the 3-inch header's capacity, and the threaded interface allowing the pump to be disconnected without cutting the cemented main
• Industrial Strainer & Filter Manifolds — Incorporated in strainer and filter manifold assemblies where a 2-1/2-inch FPT branch connects a large inline strainer, basket filter, or Y-strainer body requiring a near-full-capacity connection to the 3-inch main — the threaded interface allowing the strainer to be unthreaded, cleaned, and reinstalled without disturbing the permanent slip run on either side of the tee
• Water & Wastewater Treatment — Applied in treatment plant process piping where 3-inch Schedule 80 mains require a 2-1/2-inch threaded branch for a high-capacity chemical dosing header, primary recirculation circuit, or major equipment supply line where the branch demand is only marginally less than the full capacity of the 3-inch main and a threaded interface is required for periodic equipment service and replacement
• Industrial Process Piping & Equipment Headers — Used in process plant headers and mechanical assemblies where a 3-inch primary distribution main requires a 2-1/2-inch threaded branch for a major secondary process circuit, equipment inlet manifold, or high-capacity supply line — the near-equal branch size indicating that the secondary circuit is a primary functional element of the system rather than a subordinate tap or instrumentation connection
• Irrigation & Agricultural Infrastructure — Specified in 3-inch Schedule 80 irrigation mains and chemical injection headers where a 2-1/2-inch FPT branch provides a high-capacity threaded connection for a major zone valve, large filter housing inlet, or primary submain lateral requiring nearly the full flow of the 3-inch main — the FPT interface preserving serviceability at a branch point that carries substantial system flow