# Forum Home Renovation Plumbing  Nylon or Copper Olives

## greg9876

Hi, I have noticed that there are both nylon and copper olives available for compression fittings (plus the old rubber ones :Shock: ). I was wondering what the merits of copper vs nylon was. Does one have a preferred use over the other. It tried a bit of googling, but didn't find anything sensible, perhaps someone here knows.

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## nww1969

I suppose it depends on what your going to use it with. 
I have just replaced a heap of joins in my hot and cold water pipes under the house, why they used them is beyond me.
I can tell you the hot water connections were leaking and when I undid the joins the plastic
olives went to powder, I suspect due to the heat factor however the cold pipe connections were fine.

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## wonderplumb

Nylon olives are OK, they cant be used within 1m of a HWS though. Copper olives were the go but because they are a little smaller (or thinner) than the nylon olives they can be a pain to seal and usually a few wraps of teflon fixes that. Adding to that, the poor quality of available brassware that comes from overseas can work against you.
Use nylon, be sure to anneal the pipe ends first so they bite.

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## greg9876

> Nylon olives are OK, they cant be used within 1m of a HWS though. Copper olives were the go but because they are a little smaller (or thinner) than the nylon olives they can be a pain to seal and usually a few wraps of teflon fixes that. Adding to that, the poor quality of available brassware that comes from overseas can work against you.
> Use nylon, be sure to anneal the pipe ends first so they bite.

  Thanks for that wonderplumb. I will use the nylon ones. Thanks for the tip regarding annealing the pipe first, I hadn't thought of that.
When you said add a few wraps of teflon, did you mean around the olive or around the thread on the fitting?
BTW I am fitting a mixer tap in a hob in a bathroom. I am just connecting up to existing spare threading wall outlets, there used to be a double sink but now it is a single. Previously the sink connection had rubber kinco fittings but as the new bath connection will be semi buried in the hob I wanted to use something more reliable.

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## wonderplumb

Teflon around the copper olives, not needed for nylon.

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## greg9876

> Teflon around the copper olives, not needed for nylon.

  Sorry, I misread your comment. You clearly said teflon around the copper olives, I need to read better  :Doh:  
I went with the nylon olives, all is well, thanks for your input.

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## Zee

don't mean to be a dead thread digger but, whatever happened to 3/8 nylon olives.
went to reece and tradelink today for 'em to tell me they no longer stock em.
but yet they flogg a 3/8 side inlet for cisterns ..... :Confused:   
if anyones got a handy link, I'd be most appreciative  :Smilie:

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## wonderplumb

Good luck!

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## Zee

thanks, but no need....that was a peezy find  :Biggrin:

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