How to use teflon tape on pipe threads

[ihatemuckdjs]

americans are cunts

[Collaborator]

Thanks, this was very useful!

[ramonasplumber]

@Collaborator I have watched too many people do it wrong, I just had to kick it up a notch and spread the good word. Stay tuned for more! (subscribe) get them as they come out! Greg

[ramonasplumber]

Your point is? Have you read the Manufacturers Recommendations? and "Enough" is ? There is a Matrix.

[plain625]

You just need enough to make sure it don`t leak. Anything more is either waste or personal preference. There are good reasons not to put too much on but problems won`t show up for several years so it won`t matter to you anyway.

[thelastquincy559]

You da man. Great tips.

[ramonasplumber]

@thelastquincy559 Rap it tight and U Da Man. thanks

[PAMAROSHOUSE]

thx for the tips

[Erazzsixty]

This was great. It immediately showed me what I was doing wrong. Now I'm high and dry.

[ramonasplumber]

@Erazzsixty Thanks, High n Dry is good, I find that practice makes perfect. some larger sizes use more, but min. 5 wraps on 1/2" works. the Pink tape is thicker, so if you use that life is good too. Tight so that the thread shows is necessary.

[NCISfan03]

Does Teflon tape also prevent threads from backing off during higher stresses?

[ramonasplumber]

@NCISfan03 No, tef tape is a sealant. Lock-tite will hold rotation you should have no rotation issues in House plumbing. 

[ramonasplumber]

Please check the manufactures recommendations, all of them. And yes I use full grade tape, either white, pink or extra heavy yellow. Greg

[myrtlebox]

@ramonasplumber I only put one layer of tape on my water heater drain valve plug threads. I was very suprised to find there was a micro-leak after I turned the water supply back on. No matter how much I tightened - it kept sweating; I overtightened it too.

I should have watched this beforehand. Now I need to waste another 30 gallons of water and drain the thing again to do it properly.

Anything else I should know given that it will be hot water seal? Tape color for heat?

Thx for the vid

[ramonasplumber]

@myrtlebox No need to waste Water, First turn off water pressure to water heater, then open a hot faucet to relieve pressure, use a 4" nipple with a cap on end, unscrew the drain bib, quieckl spin in nipple with cap, take a breath, tape your drain bib, reverse action and your done. The water in the tank wont fly out at you, you will be fine!. I do it all the time when replacing lower elements on electric tanks and changing Control valves

[OmnirodRJC]

@44jhofmann

I'm very sorry to hear that you've been doing it wrong for 47 years. 2-4 wraps? Wrong. How about enough wraps so that the spiral clearance is filled up? So that when the pipe is almost tight you can see the tape "squirt" out of the threads? What that tells you is the spiral clearance is full... I.E. the joint will not leak. On 2 1/2" and up NPT you need 6-10 wraps of the nice thick tape, more if its the cheap junk. Do not wrap the 1st thread and use the roll to pack it into the root

[hochbob]

Your videos are very helpful. Thanks so much for posting.

[speraelectric]

can you use ttape on gas pipes

[sysatem1969]

All of you are wrong!

Tape and dope are lubricants only to allow proper tightening of joint. It's called a thread seal. We use a few drops of oil to do the same thing.

[44jhofmann]

Teflon tape by itself is not recommended, especially if the piping is 1-1/4" and above. The proper way to insure a leak free system is to apply dope, teflon, and dope again. Also...2 to 4 wraps of teflon are all that's needed. Any more than that you're wasting it. I speak from experience. I've been a licensed union Plumber for 47 years.

[ramonasplumber]

@44jhofmann When you say not recommended, by whom? are you referring....I will send you the manufactures recommendation ( Slic Tite) that states that mixing tape and Paste has been tested in lab. to be counter productive and incorrect. I use procedures approved by AHJ. mixed with my 35 yrs. as a lic. Contractor. I must say that I have done mixing my self. And have even put Paste on female threads , but..... When forensic issues arise the "Book" wins.,

[44jhofmann]

@ramonasplumber I have been a li censed Plumber since 1968. I served a 5 year apprenticeship before that. I speak from experience. About 25 years ago I was working on a brand new auto plant being built. The company I was employed by had the contract for all the air piping. The General contractor on the site specifically stated teflon tape only. Every joint from inch and quarter and up leaked. The General tried to tell us we had bad dies but the factory threads leaked also.

[44jhofmann]

@ramonasplumber I have been a licensed Plumber since 1968. I served a 5 year apprenticeship before that. I speak from experience. About 25 years ago I was working on a brand new auto plant being built. The company I was employed by had the contract for all the air piping. The General contractor on the site specifically stated teflon tape only. Every joint from inch and quarter and up leaked. The General tried to tell us we had bad dies but the factory threads leaked also.

[Letsgetthispartigoin]

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but if you screwed in a small pipe with teflon tape attached, how would you loosen it? It's a plastic circular tube.

[44jhofmann]

@Letsgetthispartigoin

Teflon tape doesn't setup and harden. It should loosen up just as easily as it was tightened.

[44jhofmann]

@Letsgetthispartigoin

Teflon tape doesn't setup and harden. It should loosen up just as easily as it was tightened.

One more thing...Teflon tape by itself is the only thing that will make plastic pipe threads leak free.

[44jhofmann]

Teflon tape doesn't setup and harden. It should loosen up just as easily as it was tightened.

One more thing...Teflon tape by itself is the only thing that will make plastic pipe threads leak free.

[merlin3853]

Thanks for the video. It was helpful. I replaced the diaghram of a flushometer and the top cap wouldn't stop leaking. I had no idea how many turns, wasnt expecting up to 10.

[forbetterme]

Thank you so much..This helped me a LOT!!!

[ramonasplumber]

@forbetterme I glad to make forbetter you

[Computerprohelper]

how do you put threading on a pipe

I have the joints with threads in it

but mypipe doesn't have threads what can i do

[ramonasplumber]

@Computerprohelper You can buy threaded pipe (Nipples) or cut off the threads and use a slip coupling. What are you trying to do? make a repair or add something?

[Computerprohelper]

@ramonasplumber yah that was a mistake their

I am building a camera stabilizer, and I bought connecotrs with threads

but I went back and then bought the ones with no threads

thank you though

[canofcrass]

@Computerprohelper buy a pipe thread cutter...they're cosltly

[ramonasplumber]

as Spec tape is more than double mil thickness. look at the specs. on white tape VS gas approved tape! When I use gas rated tape I use 3 raps.

[Junkbuggy]

Why do you use so much Teflon. I spent 34 years as a journeyman pipefitter in the natural gas fields in Northern Canada and worked with pressures up to 3200 PSI. The most wraps we would use is three or four complete wraps. You are using up to eight wraps.

[jameannohere]

thanks

[ramonasplumber]

@jameannohere Did you get the swing of it? it's a 8 time sort a grip n wrap sorta thing.

[jameannohere]

@ramonasplumber yea i did before watching the vid i put it on counter clock wise but now i got it down thanks again

[ramonasplumber]

@jameannohere Kool, you gotta look good doing it, so that you look as expensive as you are. If your a plumber.

[ramonasplumber]

@jameannohere

My Pleasure

[vijayninel]

Thanks for the info.

[roughrider119]

I tell ya Greg, you're a genius.

[ramonasplumber]

@roughrider119 I try real hard