Teflon Tape

Never heard of it.

Never needed it, either.

Nonsense.

It's both a sealant _AND_ serves as a lubricant.

--

Dang - reminds me of that comedy line, but I can't remember how it goes....

Something like "It's a breath mint and toilet cleaner!"

BOY howdy! post it when you remember it. I want to read this.

The product has been around for many years and I use it on just about every connection I make regardless of what it is, except oxygen, I don't think it's rated for oxygen and it's not recommended for alcohols.

TDD

I think it was a SNL sketch from the late 70s or early 80s - wish I could remember.

Dessert topping and floor wax...

Love it!

technically, no. but if its good and tight, it really doesn't matter.

HA! Did he flux the thread before taping it?

Plumber's string -- or even sewing thread -- and pipe dope is THE leak guarowntee. Too bad it's such a messy pita. But indeed there have been more than few times when teflon tape didn't do it -- rarely a failure on copper, tho.

But, you really think WD40 is the equal of teflon tape? If so, then WD40 really DOES have a use!! This, and tapping aluminum....

Wouldn't it be easier to just wrench things tight enough that they don't leak? Works for me...

But, not a great sealant. Pipe dope and thread, yo.

Oh, they make all kinds of pipe dopes now, with teflon, which should never really dry out or crack, if that ever was a problem with old pipe dope and string. Teflon pipe dope is even messier than the original pipe dope!

Still, I use teflon tape, and prayer. But if I had a "serious" job, I'd proly go with teflon dope/string, esp. on anything 1" or over. This way, you also don't have to crank so goddamm hard.

I believe they also make different thicknesses in the teflon tape, fwiw.

"Rick" wrote in news:xMCdndusIrDjntTWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Yep, an SNL skit from that error. Good one. I think my all time favorite is the Bass-O-Matic though. Even better when wacked-out in the

Well, it's a so-so lubricant and certainly handier than chicken fat. Until after lunch. My lunch sack usually sits in the truck lubricating itself until the whistle blows, so after that...

That's it!

So then if this is so, thread + pipe dope might be a good initially, but mebbe bad for the 10-20 year long haul? I've seen a lot of prof'l plumbers use the thread+dope -- plus, they sell balls of "plumber's thread"..

Hey Bub-

What is the source of the posted quote?

What follows is a cite of a site .... :) that confirms my experience YMMV

The complete details of pipe threads (tapered threads) are somewhat nuanced...

some are meant to be used with sealant (dope or tape) NPT some are meant for "dry fit" NPTF

NPT vs NPTF

THREAD DESIGN The requirements for NPT (National Pipe Thread) are spelled out in ANSI B1.20.1 The requirements for NPTF (National Pipe Thread Fuel) are spelled out in ANSI B1.20.3

those interested in the details can take a look at .......

YEARS ago when I worked on the design & manufacturing of some hydraulically powered hardware (AH-64 AWS Ammunition Feed System) the Army required that no sealant or Teflon tape be used any pipe threads in all "deliverable" hydraulic systems.

We were required to use NPTF (dry seal) threads; all components & fittings. These threads were precisely machined and required precision gauges to assure that they would, in fact, mate and seal. They were a bitch to work with but they did "dry seal".

"Normal" pipe threads lack the precision to develop reliable sealing without the use of tape or dope....hence the use of sealants with pipe threads.

For years (my aerospace years), I used Teflon tape on non-deliverable hardware (shop systems, test rigs, lab equipment, etc)

I switched to dope for residential work based on the suggest (actually, chiding) of a master plumber.

For a while I used both tape & dope....now I'm back to tape alone (the thick Mil-Std stuff) or if I'm feeling nervous about thread quality...then it's BOTH.

Also for PVC to metal threaded connections........PVC into metal NEVER metal into PVC.

cheers Bob