:/5 Top Reasons Why You Should Use Brass Fittings for Your Passive House


The Passive House standard aims to maximize the effectiveness of a building in various ways. One reason for this is to minimize the system specifications of the building. The goal is to have as much thermal energy into the building to enjoy simpler and smaller heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, and mechanical systems.

This post focuses on a suitable way to improve the plumbing system of your building that will contribute to the goal of having a passive house.

What Is a Passive House?

What Is a Passive House?

A passive house is an affordable, ecological, energy-efficient, and comfortable type of building that comes with the following features:

  • It promotes cooling and heating related energy savings compared to usual building stocks.
  • It is highly comfortable. It will use energy sources, like solar heat and body heat from the occupants, which makes heating up easier.
  • It comes with suitable windows that have great insulation. It also has a building shell that consists of appropriately insulated floors, exterior walls, and roof to maintain the heat during winter inside the house (and keep it out during summer and hot weather).
  • It has a ventilation system that will supply fresh air consistently to maintain air quality.
  • It features airtight construction, which keeps moist room air or humid outside air in warm climates from going through to the house’s construction where it can cause mold that can upset the air quality inside and could even lead to structural damage.
How to Certify Passive Houses

How to Certify Passive Houses

A building must meet a number of requirements that relate to construction standards, air tightness, and energy efficiency before it can be called a passive house. The requirements will depend on the location of the building as countries have different specifications of a passive house.

In a passive house, the building and its mechanical systems will be considered as one overall system. To help keep the proper balance between cold and hot and fresh and stale air, engineers and architects will utilize advanced software to design passive homes and come up with their planned energy consumption.

The software will help in almost everything, from the ideal size and location of windows and the suggested capacity for the ventilation to recommendations for lessening construction costs without downplaying the efficiency and quality of the building.

Passive House Plumbing Principles

For efficiency, plumbing systems must focus on kitchens and bathrooms. Using this approach will lessen the use of materials and guarantees fewer heat losses in hot water as water goes down to the pipe to its destination, whether it’s a shower, sink, or a dishwasher. All hot water lines must be insulated. It will control line losses and will bring in hot water faster.

Since the goal for a passive house is to conserve energy and lessen the cost (both during construction and maintenance), it will make a huge difference which material you’re going to use for the elements of your plumbing system.

For long-term desirable results, you’d want to consider getting brass fittings for your water distribution system.

Why Brass Fittings

Why Brass Fittings?

Brass plumbing fittings are among the many types you can see on the market today. They are an alloy of zinc and copper. They remain in-demand for plumbing works both in industrial and residential use as they continue to prove to be the most effective.

It’s imperative that you’re careful when it comes to choosing plumbing fittings. The right choice will not only improve the efficacy of your water delivery system, but it will also add value to your passive house.

You might be wondering about the suitability and efficiency of brass fittings if they are worth the cost and effort. Below are the five reasons that you must take into consideration when planning for your passive house:

Reason #1: They Can Endure High Temperatures

Among all metals, brass fittings are the most ideal for water distribution in your building. They have great conductivity which will enhance the performance of your hot water distribution system. They are known for their impressive ductility in high temperatures, which makes them effective during harsh conditions. They are also resistant to fire. In many cases, they are among the few items that survive after a home is destroyed by a fire.

Reason #2: They Are Durable

Brass is known to be a highly-durable metal. This is why it’s ideal for plumbing works since they require something that is resilient and will last a long time. They don’t crack or degenerate easily. In hot water distribution systems, brass fittings will last longer compared to the other metals. Their durability and resilience will also add value to your house.

Reason #3: They Are Highly Malleable

In comparison to iron and steel, brass fittings are more malleable. They are easier to shape, mold and bend. Their malleability will make plumbing works easier and less expensive. The installation will now cost less due to the ease of work when it comes to these metals. Maintenance will also be easier due to the versatility of brass compression fittings.

Reason #4: They Are Versatile

Another reason why brass fittings are better than other metals is due to their versatility. You can get them in different shapes, sizes, and widths. They can also be used in changing the size of the pipes. This will make it easier to achieve plumbing installations exactly to their planned specifications.

They are also available in a variety of finishes. This will really come in handy in situations where the plumbing fittings need to be exposed. Brass fittings that come in different designs allow an attractive and pleasant display of the plumbing system. They are available in nickel finish, polished, lacquered, antique, and chrome plated.

Take note: The malleability and flexibility of brass fittings don’t affect their durability.

Reason #5: They Have Excellent Resistance to Corrosion

Brass also has the highest resistance to corrosion compared to its counterparts. If you live in an area where water is highly corrosive, then it won’t be an issue if you have brass fittings installed for your plumbing system. These metals will not rust.

Rust and corrosion are among the two main elements that will cause damage to metal fittings, so brass is the ideal solution for overcoming corrosion.

plumbing system


With so many options available today, you may wonder if brass fittings are worth the additional cost for your passive house. The excellent features of these metals allow you to have safe and reliable components for your plumbing system. With the amazing benefits that you get to enjoy, there’s surely no contest that brass fittings are perfect for your passive house.

2019-03-25T15:47:51+00:00 March 24th, 2019|

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