What is a bull head tee used for in plumbing?
A bull tee (sometimes called a bullhead tee) is a type of tee fitting where both straight-through ends are in line with each other, and the branch outlet comes out of the opposite side of the fitting.
Its main function is to:
- Split one line into two opposite directions
- Or combine two lines into one
How a Bull Tee Is Different from a Standard Tee
Standard Tee:
Straight-through run + one side branch
Bull Tee:
Two opposing outlets + one inlet (or vice versa)
Think of a bull tee as a âTâ where the flow hits the middle and then splits left and right.
What Bull Tees Are Used For
- Dividing a supply line to feed two directions equally
- Gas piping manifolds
- Hydronic heating systems
- Compressed air lines
- Mechanical piping layouts
- They are most common in pressure systems (not drainage).
Important Note (Drainage vs Pressure)
Bull tees are NOT used in drain, waste, and vent (DWV) systems because the flow pattern can cause turbulence and clogging.
For drains, plumbers use sanitary tees or wyes instead.
Simple Example
- You have a gas line coming in from below and need to feed:
- One appliance to the left
- One appliance to the right
- A bull tee lets the gas enter the center and split evenly in both directions.
Common Materials
- Black malleable iron
- Brass
- Copper
- Stainless steel
In Plain English
A bull tee is used when you want one pipe to feed two pipes in opposite directions or two pipes to merge into one.