plumbers putty for leaky threaded joint?

[vasilica_1]

The threaded pipe joint I installed last week for one of my home's hot water radiators is leaking a little. It it now obvious to me that I didn't put enough pipe dope on when I installed. I would prefer to wait a few days before I redo because we're in the middle of a cold spell. But the pipe orientation makes it difficult to catch the drip, so I want it to stop. Would plumbers epoxy putty work here? or would the heat and lack of smooth surface (i.e. threads) doom this patch job to instant failure? And if it does work, would I be able to remove the putty or does it harden so strong that I won't be able to break it off. I never worked with this stuff before, so I'm not familiar.

Opinions?

-Theodore.

[ransley]

use pipe dope then teflon tape

[S. Barker]

as far as catching the drip, perhaps an ice tray, or even a cookie sheet. or a creative cut on a piece of pvc to use as a trough.

s

[Heathcliff]

In general it's hard to stop a leak with something applied to the outside. I take it this is not a joint where you can just try tightening it some more without taking things apart. If it is awkward to position a bowl or something in there to catch the drips, maybe you could get creative with an absorbent rag, with maybe a piece of aluminum foil under it keep the moisture off the floor.

[dadiOH]

I've never heard of "plumber's" epoxy putty but regular epoxy putty gets hard and would be difficult (not impossible) to remove. Not likely to stop the leak either.

[DerbyDad03]

If you are referring to the "rolls" of two part epxoy putty that you cut and then knead together, I would think that it should work fine.

The lack of smooth surface is a plus since you want a rough surface to give epoxy something to grab on to. I always rough up smooth surfaces when using epoxy to give it some "bite".

As far as the heat, check the package of whatever brand you buy. The Pro Poxy 20 available at this site says it can withstand temps up to

300 F. You should be able to break the seal when you are ready for a permanent repair, although a complete clean up might take a little time, since the epoxy will be in between the threads, etc. A dremel- like tool with the appropriate bit comes to mind for the clean-up.

I'd give the putty a try and if it holds, I'd leave it in place until spring when you can take your time with the clean-up and permanent repair.

BTW the only thing I don't like about the epoxy putty is that Billy Mays is now hawking something called Mighty Putty which appears to be the same type of product.

[vasilica_1]

Yes, that's what I 'm referring to. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the advice (and I agree with your observation about Billy Mays.)

[Bob F]

Yes, that's what I 'm referring to. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the advice (and I agree with your observation about Billy Mays.)

Epoxy on the outside of the joint is very unlikely to hold against water pressure. It will however, make fixing the joint correctly much more difficult. Fixing it correctly would be a lot smarter.

[DerbyDad03]

While I would never disagree that a proper plumbing connection without the use of "external materials" is the best idea, the type of epoxy we are discussing here may indeed work in this application. See the description of Pro Poxy 20 at this site:

If the leak is slow enough (i.e. not a lot of pressure) it may indeed work just fine. I have repaired a cracked PVC trap and an aluminum gutter with similiar products, both of which had a fairly steady drip. The trap repair lasted for many, many years until I replaced the sink. (The gutter was replaced soon after the repair.)

Again - a permanent repair is the best idea, but if the OP is reluctant to dismantle the heating system during the winter, using the epoxy putty as a stop-gap might fit the bill.

[Sacramento Dave]

Take it apart . clean the threads wrap 5 to 6 revolutions of Teflon tape tight around threads ( Looking at the end you are going to wrap go clockwise) then apply pipe dope the best is the type with Teflon in it Rectorseal T plus 2 Teflon enriched thread sealant.

[Red Green]

DerbyDad03 wrote in news:ebf1c48b-17fa-49c9-97ba- [e-mail]:

Whatever Billy is yakking about has nothing to do with what the product will do. He's just a pitch man, a very good one and probably a rich one by now. Ever notice how over the years his profile has changed? In the most recent one with him selling jock straps for pet rats or something, the back of his belt above his ass was like a foot higher then the buckle. Waiting for him to sell some mirror gizmo you can epoxy to your gut so you can see your dink again.

[DerbyDad03]

I must admit that I haven't spent much time looking at Billy Mays' ass.

[Red Green]

DerbyDad03 wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Ouch! That hurt. :-)

[DerbyDad03]

[e-mail]:

Mission accomplished. ;-)

[Mike Dobony]

stupid combination doomed to failure. Use one or the other only. I personally prefer the Teflon tape over the pipe dope. I never really had any luck with the pipe dope. It hardens when it does work and then is a bear to get apart for any other repairs.

Mike D.

[Bob F]

If it leaks at all, the pressure will equal the water pressure, until the patch fails.

[Father Haskell]

One or both fittings is out of round. Teflon tape, and tighten the hell out of it.