What are the different types of rod joint?

29th February 2020


	What are the different types of rod joint?


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			Button joints
			The button joint is a quick and easy way of joining fibreglass and nylon type rods, however, it is almost exclusive to nylon and fibreglass rods. This type of joint is most commonly used on power rods as the rods can be turned in either direction without coming apart.

			The button on the male joint is depressed and then inserted into the female joint, allowing the button to locate into the button receptor. To separate the rods, simply push the button in with an allen key or similar tool and pull the rods apart.

			Spring joints
			Coiled spring drain rods are unique in the way they connect together. At one end of the rod, the spring coils are separated out (female joint) and at the other end they form a tight and narrow section (male joint). The male joint on one rod is screwed clockwise into a rod with a female joint in order to join the rods together to increase the length.

			A separation key is required to disconnect the rods. This key fits over the exposed end of a rod and is then used to “open” the end of the spring slightly to allow unscrewing. Spring joints form a very strong connection but are difficult to clean and can be tricky to separate.

			Steel rod joints
			The method of joining steel drain rods is particularly secure. The male end of one rod attaches into the female joint of another rod and is secured by a retaining nut. This type of joint is ideal when the rods are being used with power tools such as drills with a root cutter attachment fitted as the rods will not come apart accidentally and the joint is extremely strong. If you have reached the point where you need to connect your rods to a power tool, Wonkee Donkee would advise you get a professional in to complete the job due to the damage that can be caused in such circumstances.

			The male end of the joint locates into the female end of the rod and a small nut is tightened to keep the joint together.

			The female joint has a threaded opening for the male joint to locate into. The two rods are then secured with a nut to prevent them from coming apart during use.

			Joint converters
			A joint converter allows you to connect a rod with one type of joint to a rod with a different type of joint. This can be useful if you need to connect long lengths of rods and you have two or more sets with different types of joint. The other use for a joint converter is if you want to connect a tool with a different joint to the rod you have.

			Universal to lockfast joint converters This device enables universal rods to be connected to rods with lockfast joints. Please note that when using this device, you must only turn the rods in a clockwise direction during use or risk the rods coming apart.

			Universal to coil spring joint converters These converters enable rods with a universal joint to be connected to coil spring rods or their tools.

			Once attached, they can be used as normal.

			Lockfast to steel rod converters This device enables a steel drain rod to be jointed to a lockfast rod or tool.

			Which type of rod joint should you choose?
			The majority of joints are specific to the particular type of rod, so a steel rod has a particular type of joint, which is only available on a steel rod, as is the same with a coil spring, and button joint on a nylon rod etc. As mentioned earlier, the lockfast joint is undoubtedly the best joint to have on a polypropylene rod as it is more secure and less likely to come apart in a drain or chimney.