What Are Leak-Proof Right Angle Joint Flanges?

Flanges

• Flanges are edges or lips used to help seal things, especially metal components used in plumbing and fixtures. They are typically screwed in with bolts to tighten the flange until it strengthens the edge it is being used with and helps seal the material. A pipe flange, for example, connects two pieces of pipe with a broad lip that leaves room for bolts that can more thoroughly tighten the connection.

Leak-Proof and Right Angles

• A leak-proof flange is one designed to keep any moisture from leaking through, rather than solely providing extra strength. Screw any flange on tight enough and it can help stop leaks, but the true leak-proof versions are often broad lips bolted in at the edges of material with a combination of sealers to keep any water from getting past them at all, forming a shallow barrier. These leak-proof flanges typically form right angles to the surface they are attached to.

Uses

• In construction, leak-proof, right-angle joint flanges form dividers between areas designed for water and areas that moisture would be able to damage. A common use is in a shower. The metal rims along the top and bottom of some showers are leak-proof, right-angle joint flanges, bolts into the shower stall material to form a lip that prevents water from escaping between the stall and the wall behind it.

Additional Factors

• Flanges help workers set up shower parts designed to be fitted together in a bathroom space already wait for the shower unit. This means that most of the materials involved have already been prepared for the flanges. Without factory preparation, roughness and the pattern of the surface material can pose a problem for leak-proof flanges. They may not have the same qualities bolted to a surface they were not designed for.