Rule of thumb · applies under conditions
Few systems, one profile – when the rule applies and when it does not
Few systems, one profile.
A rule of thumb replaces neither the design calculation nor the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Category
- only under conditions
- Standards referenced
- Manufacturer statements on profile and tooling (Viega Planungswissen 08/2026, Sanha overview 10/2025) and Zickwolff experience (class E, 24.09.2026)
Rule of thumb
In plant construction, fix the system with the highest requirements and extend it as far as possible; add further systems only where the first becomes uneconomic – and then with the same press profile, so that one set of jaws serves construction and maintenance.
Where does the rule come from?
From the site and the spare-parts store. Every additional press system brings its own profile, its own jaws and rings, its own seals and its own spare parts. Whoever mixes three systems in one plant needs three tool sets on site and three sources of spares for twenty years. The rule is the counter-design: one system that does everything the plant demands, and for the rest a second one pressed with the same tool.
What is technically correct?
The press profile is manufacturer-specific: it is the shape of the bead in the fitting and of the jaw that presses it, and the system approval covers pipe, fitting, seal and tool together. Viega presses all its metallic systems with the same profile (SC-Contur), Sanha releases its fittings up to 54 mm for the SA, V and M profiles (combipress), Geberit ties Mepla and FlowFit to their own jaws. Within one profile family, a contractor can therefore serve drinking water (stainless steel), heating (carbon steel or stainless) and industry (thick-walled steel pipe) with one set of machines; across the family boundary, not.
The "system with the highest requirements" is the one whose seal and material meet the plant's sharpest condition – usually temperature (FKM instead of EPDM), medium (gas: HNBR) or material (stainless steel for drinking water and chlorides). Fixing it first means extending it to the uncritical lines instead of introducing a cheaper system with a different profile there.
Where does the rule end?
- It applies to plant construction and industry, where construction and maintenance lie in one hand and spares are kept for years. In housing with a one-off installation the tool advantage weighs less.
- It ends where the demanding system becomes uneconomic – say stainless steel for a long heating main where a galvanised carbon-steel system of the same profile is enough. Then the second system, but with the same profile.
- It does not replace the medium approval: a system the plant may not use everywhere (drinking water on steel pipe) is out, however well the tool fits.
- Across profile families (Viega to Geberit, push-fit to press) there is no shared jaw set – there the sister rule "transitions are always possible" applies.
What does the standard say?
No standard defines press profiles; compatibility is a manufacturer's statement. Viega states that it does not test its system press jaws, chains and rings for other manufacturers' systems and makes no statement on the permanent tightness of such joints (Planungswissen Industrietechnik 08/2026). Sanha releases combipress up to 54 mm with full warranty (overview 10/2025). The system approvals (DVGW) apply per system including the tool.
DIN/EN versus ASME/ASTM
Press systems are manufacturer-bound in both worlds; in the USA the manufacturers' listings (e.g. NSF/ANSI 61 for drinking water) regulate the same thing as the DVGW here. The rule applies unchanged.
Worked example
A production hall needs drinking water, heating and compressed air. The most demanding system is fixed first: stainless-steel press for drinking water (chlorides, hygiene). It is extended to the compressed air (oil-free, EPDM). For the long heating distribution, stainless would be uneconomic; there the galvanised carbon-steel system of the same manufacturer is used – same profile, same jaws, one crew, one spares shelf. A third system with a foreign profile stays out.
Zickwolff reference
Experience from the plant-construction business (Martin, 24.09.2026): the maintenance crew knows one system, the jaw set is in the service van, the spare part is still the same model after twenty years. Zickwolff therefore stocks the systems of the large manufacturers with a broad range and advises the smallest number of systems in a project.
Checked today
Traffic light: applies under conditions (class B). Correct as a planning principle for plant construction and industry; less benefit in housing and one-off installations. The rule does not replace the manufacturer's medium approval.
Further reading
- Press systems and joining methods: systems from Viega, Sanha, Geberit and GF at a glance – system finder, comparison, calculator – press systems overview with the experience values and practical rules
- Press profiles and tools: V, M, SA, SC-Contur, press jaws, press rings, press machines – press profiles, jaws, rings and machines
- Press system finder: medium, pipe material, size – which system is approved and available? – system finder: which system for medium, pipe and dimension
- Seal before system – why the media list means the seal – the sister rule on the order of choice
- Transitions are always possible – what to check when changing between systems – the sister rule for changing between systems
Frequently asked questions
Why not simply the cheapest system per line?
Because every additional system brings its own profile, jaws and spares – the saving on the fitting costs tools, training and stock-keeping over the service life.
What does "the same profile" mean?
That the fittings of both systems may be pressed with the same jaws and rings – per the manufacturer's statement, for example all metallic Viega systems, or Sanha up to 54 mm with SA/V/M.
Does the rule apply to push-fit systems too?
In spirit: a push-fit system needs no press tool but is a profile family of its own. Where it fits (floor level, series, refurbishment) it can be the second system – the transition runs via thread.
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