Tailpiece

In plumbing, the tailpiece is the short piece of pipe between a fixture drain and a trap. The inlet tubes under a faucet that connects the faucet to the water supply lines are also called a tailpiece.

Materials Used in the Manufacturing of a Plumbing Tailpiece

The tailpiece can come in standard metals that are used for plumbing pipes, such as copper, steel ,or iron. Most often the tailpipe, if made of metal, will be a stainless steel, since it is often visible beneath a sink and any possibility of rust stains should be eliminated.

The most common material used for the tailpiece in recent years is PVC pipe, because of its ease of installation and lack of rust, especially when the tailpiece is used for water supply and not drainage. However, there is some controversy about the use of PVC pipe in water supply.

Chemicals used in the manufacturing of PVC pipe are said to leech out over time, and in the case of a water supply tailpipe, could affect the water. This should be considered in using a PVC tailpiece in your water supply.