OT plumbing

CalG · Jun 9, 2021

I'm wondering if the "good old days" of pipe dope and teflon tape should be put aside.

I just put in an out door shower (just in time for 90 degree days)

But the shower set up has two risers of smooth chrome plated pipe.

Not a wrenching flat to be found. What's a guy to do? put pipe wrench bites in polished steel? Three vise grips with padded jaws just to hold the polished riser while snugging the fitting.

I'm thinking "gorilla glue " is the new pipe thread sealer.

johansen · Jun 9, 2021

i don't know the percentage but it seems like well over half of plumbing fittings are rubber seals in a house these days.

straight chrome plated pipe on a shower head sounds to me like it threads onto a rubber washer. probably says hand tighten plus 1/4 turn.

L Vanice · Jun 9, 2021

Strap wrenches with rubber coated Kevlar or similar material straps are made for chrome plated pipe. I have had my first one for about fifty years, so they are not a new idea.

Larry

CalG · Jun 9, 2021

L Vanice said:
Strap wrenches with rubber coated Kevlar or similar material straps are made for chrome plated pipe. I have had my first one for about fifty years, so they are not a new idea.

Larry

Have you tried a strap wrench on a 1 inch dia. chrome pipe lately? I have. Ain't for shit! too small. the strap has too little wrap.

But hey. show me. I'm game. hmm rubber coated Kevlar... now there is something everyone should have in their tool box.

CalG · Jun 9, 2021

johansen said:
i don't know the percentage but it seems like well over half of plumbing fittings are rubber seals in a house these days.

straight chrome plated pipe on a shower head sounds to me like it threads onto a rubber washer. probably says hand tighten plus 1/4 turn.

NPT has no rubber parts that I know of......

atomarc · Jun 10, 2021

Doesn't the smooth, chrome steel pipe attach to some fitting with flats...like a shower head? It can't just be a smooth chrome pipe attached to nothing!!

Stuart

john.k · Jun 10, 2021

Think Permalee pipe wrenches...and you cant get any more old school than Permalee

EPAIII · Jun 10, 2021

Strap wrenches come in many sizes. I even made one for tightening electronic connectors of about 3/4" OD. It works swell. The strap has about 270 degrees of wrap and you will strip the threads before it slips.

As for Gorilla Glue for sealing pipe, FORGET IT unless you want a shower. They still sell good, old pipe dope and it still works just fine. I am told it is still preferred to teflon tape but I have used a lot of teflon tape on air systems. Teflon tape comes apart easier when repairs are needed.

CalG said:
Have you tried a strap wrench on a 1 inch dia. chrome pipe lately? I have. Ain't for shit! too small. the strap has too little wrap.

But hey. show me. I'm game. hmm rubber coated Kevlar... now there is something everyone should have in their tool box.

boslab · Jun 10, 2021

Wrap with self amalgamation tape and grip is my solution, kind of works, even blow torches and solder are disappearing for crimped fittings ( crimping tools around £800!) soon to be made law the rumour mill says, mainly to stop diy plumbing
Mark

wp6529 · Jun 10, 2021

boslab said:
Wrap with self amalgamation tape and grip is my solution, kind of works, even blow torches and solder are disappearing for crimped fittings ( crimping tools around £800!) soon to be made law the rumour mill says, mainly to stop diy plumbing
Mark

Crimp ring PEX is very common here and tooling is ~$100 US. I've been using it a while and haven't had any issues with it. It's also nice when you need to change things as the valves and other metal fittings are easily reused, only the very cheap crimp ring and an inch of the PEX tubing is wasted. I'm getting ready to build a new hose and I'll be using PEX throughout, home-run to nice pre-fab manifolds. We did that on a friends house build near 10 years ago and still no issues.

blcksmth · Jun 10, 2021

CalG said:
I'm wondering if the "good old days" of pipe dope and teflon tape should be put aside.

I just put in an out door shower (just in time for 90 degree days)

But the shower set up has two risers of smooth chrome plated pipe.

Not a wrenching flat to be found. What's a guy to do? put pipe wrench bites in polished steel? Three vise grips with padded jaws just to hold the polished riser while snugging the fitting.

I'm thinking "gorilla glue " is the new pipe thread sealer.

Take some small rope or twine about 4 feet long - maybe longer, tie the ends together, wrap one end of the loop around the pipe while threading the other end through the loop. Wrap the rest of the twine around the pipe to tighten the wraps around the pipe. When you have it all wrapped around the pipe, place a stick through the end of the loop. The stick becomes the handle of a pipe wrench that will tighten around the pipe but will not damage the surface of the pipe. The length of the twine is determined by the diameter of the pipe.

Bob
WB8NQW

L Vanice · Jun 10, 2021

boslab said:
Wrap with self amalgamation tape and grip is my solution, kind of works, even blow torches and solder are disappearing for crimped fittings ( crimping tools around £800!) soon to be made law the rumour mill says, mainly to stop diy plumbing
Mark

I had a new water heater installed by pros in 2019 and saw crimped copper fittings for the first time. They used a very expensive battery-powered Milwaukee crimper. So I saw an opportunity to add another tool to my collection. I bought a Chinese-made hydraulic hand crimper from Amazon and some fittings to try it out. It works fine and only cost $102. The one I bought is no longer available, but they have similar ones for not much more money.

VOTOER Hydraulic Copper Tube Fittings Crimper Crimping Pressing Tool w/ 1/2", 3/4" and 1" Jaws - - Amazon.com

I would not use crimped fittings visible in a finished area like a bathroom, but they are OK in a utility room for a water heater.

I have had a couple of pinhole leaks in my copper water lines over the years. I have found the best repair is a slip-on repair coupling. It is more expensive than a solder coupling, but no tool beyond a tubing cutter is needed and they are quick to install.

1 PIECE XFITTING 3/4" PUSH FIT SLIP/REPAIR COUPLINGS 4-1/4 INCH LONG CERTIFIED TO NSF ANSI61 - FULL PORT, LEAD FREE BRASS - - Amazon.com

Larry

CalG · Jun 10, 2021

atomarc said:
Doesn't the smooth, chrome steel pipe attach to some fitting with flats...like a shower head? It can't just be a smooth chrome pipe attached to nothing!!

Stuart

Yes, it attaches to a chrome plated brass compression flange. also featureless as pertains to rotation.

Even the reviews on the assembly indicated it was very difficult to seal.. I should have taken that as a sign ;-)

CalG · Jun 10, 2021

EPAIII said:
Strap wrenches come in many sizes. I even made one for tightening electronic connectors of about 3/4" OD. It works swell. The strap has about 270 degrees of wrap and you will strip the threads before it slips.

As for Gorilla Glue for sealing pipe, FORGET IT unless you want a shower. They still sell good, old pipe dope and it still works just fine. I am told it is still preferred to teflon tape but I have used a lot of teflon tape on air systems. Teflon tape comes apart easier when repairs are needed.

I started with PTFE tape, switched to Rector seal. It took way more tightening than it should have.

garyhlucas · Jun 10, 2021

I find that most people have trouble with a strap wrench actually are using them the wrong way. Take a look at the instructions for a Ridgid strap wrench and you’ll see what I mean.

ferrretcatcher · Jun 10, 2021

I would think a strap wrench wrapped a few times would get it tight enough not to leak with teflon tape. I have a few times used a properly sized split collar to grab the pipe just good enough not to damage it and put a pipe wrench on the split collar. I try to put the pipe wrench on as to squeeze the collar shut so it won't try to slip too bad. with all the surface of a split collar if it does slip usually there's not much of a mark.

CalG · Jun 10, 2021

ferrretcatcher said:
I would think a strap wrench wrapped a few times would get it tight enough not to leak with teflon tape. I have a few times used a properly sized split collar to grab the pipe just good enough not to damage it and put a pipe wrench on the split collar. I try to put the pipe wrench on as to squeeze the collar shut so it won't try to slip too bad. with all the surface of a split collar if it does slip usually there's not much of a mark.

Yup

I used three vise grip pliers packed with 1 inch webbing. That worked for one end, but the flange end is only wide enough for a single wrench. I might just say screw it and put the pipe wrench to it. Sometimes water leaks stop themselves by magic! ;-)

Then too, it's an outdoor shower, it will all come off the wall with the first freeze warning in October. That shower sure was nice this evening before supper.... ;-)

Cole2534 · Jun 11, 2021

Ran into this just this week. I took a work glove, the kind with rubber in the palm, wrapped it around the brass and then gripped that with knipex alligators. Got it tight with no fuss and no scratches.

Sent via CNC 88HS

Bondo · Jun 11, 2021

To tighten clean pipe, use a piece of leather between the jaws of the pipe wrench or channel locks. To have more grip, put a piece of silicone sheet between the leather and the pipe. You will destroy the leather the tighter you get, but it will have no marks

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

atomarc · Jun 11, 2021

I don't quite understand where you would need to join these shiny chrome pipes that there wasn't an elbow or a tee or a whatever that would give you a spot to grab and tighten. Don't all plumbing pipes have some fitting on their ends? :confused:

Stuart

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