Hi.

I had the worst experience screwing the 2 screw in valve for my washer ( as in washer/dryer) the valve keep on leaking . I believe I had to try at least 3 times before they were OK. I had to use extreme force to turn them tight.

now what about the shower head extension ?

First how many turns/raps of teflon tape would you do ?

And what force and tool would you use to screw it correctly? because it's inside my ceramic wall, it's hard to know if it will be leaking or not, so it has to be prefect the first time

how do you Pros do it?

thanks for your help

stef

It depends on the thickness of the teflon tape your using. If you have the cheap stuff that strings then you tear it you might want to do 5 or 6 wraps. It really doesn't take much. Now if your screwing new valves into old fittings thats a different story. The old fittings may have been over-tightened by the guy who originally installed the valves and stretched the fittings out. The threads are a tapered fit and if they are stretched enough the fitting could crack later or cause a bad joint for the next guy,like you trying to replace the valves now. I'm not saying your having this problem but its possible. hey and make sure your taping the threads in the proper direction or else the tape may not seal.

I always wrap approx. 3 times and use a little pipe dope on top,just stay away of the first two starter threads.

When I use it, and that is hardly ever, I always make sure to wrap it over ALL the threads, and even onto the face of the thread so that it does not get pushed off when it tightens. But as I said, I hardly ever use it so for the original persons question, my answer is, "THIS expert does not do it that way. He uses pipe joint compound."

government specs call for the first two threads to have no teflon tape on them.
as stated, number of wraps depends on the tape thickness. this product is the best out there. (in my opinion)
[www.cleanfit.com]
when tightening the shower arm, i stick the handle end of the channel locks into the arm and use it for leverage.



Edited 1 times.

When I do GOVERNMENT work AND use teflon tape, I will remember that, but it is probably NEVER going to happen.

Knowing the goverment,they would probably take each joint apart to check!!!lol

And now for the debate..........Lubricant or seal?

i use the whole two of them.

I ususally do both. Just alittle pipe dope though. And i dont over-tighten it. Now running gas I strictly use pipe dope. Why change a good thing! The pipe dope works great and it works everytime! I want the 100% no call back way. Tape can gaul and fail to seal somtimes if your not careful but tha pipe dope is A+ I like rectorseal #5

"And I don't over-tighten it."....Same logic as using just enough solder?Better wear rain gear to work!

thanks for you help guys.

Please can someone post a link with the spec for this pipe compound . I like the idea?

of course this stuff is not poison or anything... ?

stef

The amount of solder is based on joint size. Over-tightening is possibly worse than under-tightning. On a gas system you can cause the fitting to be stressed and crack later,or any system for that matter.

i use a 10" pipe wrench for 1/2", a 14' for 3/4" and 18" for 1 1/4" and two footer for larger. i rarely do larger tha 1 1/4.
with these wrenches, it is difficult to overtighten.
yeah, rectorseal or that blue stuff (i forget the name) is all that is needed for gaspipe.

Young guys want to turn everything into science.....It's not, it's art. If your perfectly tightened joint leaks, you don't re-tighten?

packy is right on the money....Right size wrench til that vein in your forehead pops out........Done! LOL

Perfectly tightened/prepared joints dont leak unless somthings wrong with the threads,so no i dont re-tighten

what paste to use guys please...

stef

I've had very good results using teflon tape and a dab of Great White [ []] for water pipe threads and just the Great White for gas pipe (black iron) threads.

3 to 6 turns of teflon depending on the thickness or density of the tape.
megaloc is the best overall paste.

you have to be patient when waiting for an answer around here. sometimes hj gets off on a tangent talking about chicago or i talk about the boston navy yard or jimmyo talks about fried clams. but, eventually an intelligent response does surface..

I had some megalock blue and it couldn't be used on pvc at all. other tha that I didn't have a real problem with it. I still like rectorseal#5 or some green stuff the gas co use's,dont know the name but its some great stuff.

Packy,you are correct on the first two threads not needing tape on them .I have found out that if you put tape on all the threads you end up cutting off the tape and it usually ends up in the end of an aerator. If installed correctly the tape should never come loose on the thread.But just like everythingelse it takes practice. I only use the tape on old pipe. Also if the tape is put on over the threads it could interfear with the flow and usually does get cut off.

You can also use teflon tape to wrap the brass ferrule when using compression style 1/2x3/8 fixture stops to cpvc. Helps compensate the different expansion rates of the two materials.

On the shower arm, 4 wraps of teflon, a dab of paste, hand tight as tight as I can, and at least one more turn ( a pinch more if necessary to be pointing straight down) with a tool inserted in the arm.

I just found this stuff:



It's my new favorite stuff.

thanks a lot guys. !!!

I will buy some paste and use teflon as well.

STef

quote; The pipe dope works great and it works everytime! I want the 100% no call back way. Tape can gaul and fail to seal somtimes if your not careful but tha pipe dope is A+ I like rectorseal #5

IF that second sentence is correct, WHY would you even consider tape for ANY joint, gas or not?

If it is going to crack it will crack when it is tightened. I have never seen on crack afterwards.

However an "intelligent" answer is hard to come by when the question deals with a subjective area where EVERYONE has his/her own opinion about it.

quote; use a 10" pipe wrench for 1/2", a 14' for 3/4" and 18" for 1 1/4" and two footer for larger.

I hope that is a typo, because I have never seen a 14 FOOT wrench and it might be oversized for 3/4" pipe.

Or the next larger sized wrench and don't work so hard.

I do alot of repair. ALOT .They can become stressed and break

hj......Fourteen footers will come in handy when they start laying threaded sewer mains.What do you think......one hand or two?

wax....This past week? Since you started your apprenticeship?

what do you mean it cant be used with pvc? i havent seen any megaloc paste that could not be used on pvc and is why i use it exclusively. 1 (one) paste for all applications

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I think I have done a LOT more new and repair and they do not break unless it happens immediately when you assemble them.

aluminum one hand. Steel four hands.