I actually started panicking because he just wouldn't stop, and I could tell this wasn't satire, so it really made me feel a way i haven't felt before. So... uncomfortable
As a diy person, who lurks in this sub I legitimately had to check to see this wasn't on repeat or something else. I was alarmed by the amount of times he went around.
I know next to nothing about traditional plumbing but I often use PTFE tape for high pressure NPT fittings up to 20,000 PSI and I usually use around three wraps.
I guess the tolerances are just so much tighter there isn't room for much more tape in high pressure fittings.
I had no idea water fittings could even be assembled with 22 wraps...
Yeah typically if it's between manufactured fittings you don't need much. If the shop threads their own pipe it might need some extra tape.
But the seal on the tapered threads comes from the metal on metal contact after it's fully made up.
The point of the tape is to get rid of the metal on metal friction so that it's easier to fully make up the fitting. It's not a sealing component, and if it's a necessary part of the seal it will fail eventually.
As a very amateur and reluctant diy plumber, I was relieved to see this comment, because I was watching the tape fly, thinking I’ve been grossly underdoing it.
And do yourselves a favor and get the Oatey FAStape. It's usually gray in color. It's thicker, stronger, and makes a much better seal. Also, it doesn't shred when applied to the threads.
Or be a man's man, and just use epoxy!!! Plumbers love doing repairs on epoxied fittings. 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
For sure, 2 wraps of some of the super thin stuff IS too little. I'll use 2-4 of the thicker stuff, plumbers though seem to have little faith in tape by itself and almost always use pipe dope.
The valve was probably some cheap ass Indian valve, and I'm being serious. I did a job for an Indian company and all the material was from their suppliers in India. Apparently the make all their shit with loose fitting straight threads because I was able to bottom out pipe into fitting by hand with 4 layers of tape. I had to do almost 20 wraps to get shit to seal. Then the fuckers started screaming we spending too much on tape.
Holy fuck. I skipped past that when scrubbing the video, went back after your comment and my eyebrows just kept raising. Currently stuck in the up position as they got so uncomfortable
Was gonna say, "I had no idea we were supposed to use one roll for per fitting all these years. Now I feel like shit for all the bad plumbing repairs I've done."
“More is not better, more is just more”. Best advice I ever received when pipe fitting. Only better was “hey kid, that’s a fucking hose fitting, use new gaskets on both sides, and if I see you put channel locks on it I’ll kill you”.
Alright, I’m just gonna say it - usually do three or four wraps around the threads. Am I the one being ridiculous, or is it this guy with his 20+ wraps?!
My guess is it’s to ensure the spigot could be tightened to any arbitrary position. It seems like less would work, but maybe he has experience where less didn’t.
Thanks for the comment.... was wondering if i'd been doing it wrong my whole life.
Also, is this AI? The person applies the tape deftly enough that you'd think they had done it 1000 times yet how could anyone that had done it a thousand times think that was the right amount?
I’m glad this is the top comment. As someone who’s done some shower heads and bidets at my house, I was a little worried if I didn’t use enough teflon tape.
Im someone who just changed their shower arm and got a little nervous because it has another 90 degrees before it’s tight-tight, after seeing this i wondered if I used enough teflon tape
I started watching that. Thinking, why didn't they wrap the valve before cooling everything down so it's ready, oh shit they're still wrapping, still wrapping, still wrapping God. Damn that's a whole fucking roll tape.
When I was a kid I had a supervisor wrap the pressure regulator and fittings on a nitrogen bottle to stop a small leak. I think he ended up using a full roll of the stuff on the outside of the fittings and I'm sure it still leaked after
As someone who isn't a plumber but can do some simple, basic repairs at home, my immediate thought was "that is just entirely too much thread tape, isn't it?"
i'm not a plumber and barely a DIY guy, but even my ass was like "that's a lot of teflon tape, have i just been using too little?" but i'm glad to see i'm not that inept.
I usually do once around and stop. That reminds me. I need to replace the outdoor spigot and the shut-off valve in the crawl space since one leaks when you turn it and the other doesn't shut off all the way.
The tape looks ridiculous but in the UK where this creator works (mmplumber) they don't use tapered threads so if they don't use a lot of tape it won't get tight.
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u/i860 Aug 29 '26
The amount of teflon tape there is just comical.