I put a new water valve in the refrigerator,Now when i put back the copper supply it has a small leak at the fitting. I cut the fitting off & installed a new compression ferrule & it still leaks no matter how tight i make it. Does it need teflon tape on the threads,it didn't have any before i changed the valve. How can i fix the leak ?
Nope, you don't use teflon tape on compression fittings. The threads are not sealing, the compression ring is. Teflon tape is only used on tapered pipe thread.
Are you sure it is the compression fitting and not the nearby valve stem? I've seen a lot of these that leak at the valve stem after they have sat for years without being touched and then someone tunrs them off. Make sure the valve stem is all the way open and snug.
If it is the compression fitting all I can suggest is trying again. Make sure everything is clean and the copper line is straight in the fitting and fully in as you tighten.
A couple things to try:
1) Spray the nut, ferrule, and end of the tube with oil before tightening. This allows the surfaces to slip instead of grab. 2) snug, not "as tight as you can get". The ferrules deform easily.I know of a plumber who uses Rectorseal #5 on compression fittings, but I've not had to do that.
Try putting a liberal amount of pipe dope on\around the feral before tightening.
One of the most common mistakes with compression fittings is tightening them too tight. Sometimes if you have trouble with the brass ferrules you can try a plastic one. They seem to be a little more forgiving. Make sure the pipe is clean with no rough spots. Don't quite seat the pipe all the way against the stop. Google How to install a compression fitting" think there is a video with some good tips.
Jimmie
I cant always think of how to tell someone how to do something so I went to my book. To keep from over tightening it. hand tighten the nut and then tighten about 3/4 a turn with a wrench. Very important, use a second wrench to hold the body of the fitting. Cu and nylon ferrules work a little better than the brass ones because they are softer.
Jimmie
That solution has worked for me on more than one occasion.
Doug......perhaps you shouldn't respond to issues you're ignorant about.
Pipe dope is not a sealer it's a thread lube to allow steel/cast fittings to be tightened without thread bind. I've NEVER had problems with ferruled connections leaking when they were done carefully. Another poster going by Jimmie pretty much explained how to make successfully and lasting compression joints.
To the OP: No, don't. You already got very good advice from "jamesgangnc". To tom: don't answer questions when you don't know what you're talking about.
On more than one occasion I've "saved" an dripping overtightened ferrule fitting by putting a couple of wraps of teflon tape around the ferrule lapping it onto the far end of the copper tubing by about 1/8".
The teflon compresses to form a "gasket" which seals the leak.
Scoff if you will, but I've always said that the essence of pragmatism can be stated as, "If it woiks, use it."
Jeff
I wonder if the OP used the same nut and fitting from the previous installation, while just buying a new ferrule. If the old fitting had been tightened too much, there might have been damage or deformation of the nut or seat.
No, it hasn't. Maybe it *appeared* to work, because there wasn't enough pressure behind the leak to push the water past a massive glob of pipe dope, but it's still not the right way to do it.
Pipe dope is not a sealant, and has no place on a compression ferrule.
If a compression fitting leaks, it's due to a poor fit. The proper solution is to fix the problem causing the poor fit, not to cover it up with a blob of pipe dope.
I didn't.
Well that makes a little more sense than pipe dope. :)
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I know a plumber who uses Rectorseal on both the ferrule, and the threads of the nut. Might work better. I havn't tried it.
Pipe dope is a sealer also. It's made for pipe threads, not compression fittings, but still it is a sealer.
Note the product information "Lubricates and seals all threaded joints"
It is also a sealant, not for compression fittings, but still it is a sealant.
"Lubricates and seals all threaded joints"
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