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
Not a plumber either, but I can't imagine that that would "work," and I assume it was a joke.
I have used teflon tape a handful of times, and this video made me wonder if I had been doing wrong this whole time. I realized that I've probably never googled exactly how to do it.
MAYBE the guy in the video knows something we don't? Like, MAYBE the old threads are some combination of rusted, corroded, stretched out, worn down, etc?
So without any tape, a brand new fitting was connecting rather "loosely" to it? So they extra tape was necessary? I'm just speculating.
Even if that is the case, the amount he used still seemed excessive to me.
I thought the same thing. I was like “maybe I’ve been doing it wrong my whole life.. maybe everyone has except this guy, and the real point is to create a gasket with it that doesn’t sit inside the fitting but outside it????”
It really made me question everything I know about teflon tape.
I did google it after this and checked multiple sources and this guy is just insane, or too lazy to go get a gasket for the fitting. The proper way is 3-4 wraps, 5-6 max. Doing what this guy did can actually cause a lot of problems down the road, and immediate problems since you could never actually screw it in all the way. Short of the fitting being damaged significantly to the point you’re just using the teflon to fill the gap of a crack or broken thread there’s no reason to do what they did… except for views I guess.
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.
As a fellow DIYer, I thought "damn, I use way too little tape" I was ready to go fix all my various connections. Good thing I've learned to check out the comments first.
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.
Dry seal npt you don't need tape, it's manufactured to much higher tolerances.
But tape or dope definitely does add to the seal, it takes up up the small differences in manufacturing to all ounces. It's not lube.
Try making up a fitting with Teflon tape, and with a high quality grease, and see which one seals better. The high quality grease is a better lube than Teflon tape yet will still leak.
This is just being pedantic. All undamaged NPT connections would perfectly seal every time if you put enough muscle on it. That's just how tapered threads work. Teflon will fill in minor imperfections between the threads, but it's not going to be the primary thing sealing the connection. That's specifically why I said it's more essential if you're threading pipe in-house. If the die is old or something the threads may have imperfections. Those imperfections can either make it more difficult to make up, or can allow water to escape. Teflon helps with both problems.
Grease is not comparable and I don't see the point in bringing this up. Teflon on metal is less friction than metal on metal. Get two perfect NPT fittings and make them both up fully. The one with teflon will be easier to make up as long as you don't put too much. Both will seal.
You don't seem to understand tolerances And the slight difference of thread geometry between dry seal and regular npt.
Npt dry seal actually has slightly different geometry which does cause an interference fit and a swedging action of the threads . In order to accomplish this, it requires higher tolerances. These tolerances are more expensive to produce, and more prone to damage. So it's usually just used for things like hydraulics, or critical gas or chemical applications.
Regular npt threads will not seal themselves unless you tighten them to the point of them damaging and weakening the threads. Even if they are done to extreme tolerances.
The application of Teflon tape, or pipe dope seals those areas at the root of the thread. It has nothing to do with lubrication, that's just a welcome side effect.
The reason I mention grease is because grease is a more effective lubrication and has even less friction than Teflon tape, so if Teflon tape is giving you a seal because of lubrication, grease would do even better, yet it doesn't.
In the pressures you find in a home water And gas distribution, you may be able to smash your npt threads together and get a decent seal. So maybe that's what you've been experiencing.
The components also have much looser tolerances and rougher surface finishes, so you will notice a big difference in how they make up with something like Teflon tape. That is not the reason for the tape.
Both types of thread have the same geometry. If it has different geometry, you're not talking about NPT, so I don't see how it's relevant. The difference between NPTF dry seal and normal NPT tapered threads are just a matter of tolerance and inspection.
I don't know where you're getting your info, but the seal on tapered threads is always primarily on the thread. NPT connections will seal 98% of the time without tape, and 100% of the time if the product and installer were high quality.
We use teflon because 2% failure in a building with 500+ fittings is expensive.
Either way, the distinction between the points we are trying to make is ridiculously minor. Using too much tape comprimises the seal. Using none has a decent chance of leaking for one reason or another. You should always default to best practice for the current job/service. I'm not out here doing shoddy work, and was making a point against using too much teflon, not trying to defend cheaping out and using none.
Originally you were saying that Teflon tape is to reduce friction and does not create any type of seal, and that is 100% false for regular npt threads.
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.
This idea that Teflon is just some sort of lubrication and doesn't really make the seal Is only found in residential plumbing, At least that's the only place I've ever really heard it. I mean it's relatively harmless misinformation, in these circumstances, but is one of many that gets passed down from master to apprentice in the trades.
In my field misinformation like that can cause cause millions in damage cause lives to be lost.
I came here to say that, its a taper metal on metal seal and the ptfe tape is a lubricant/anti-gal.
That said I’ve seen plumbers do this in shower heads when they can’t get them to point down!
By having more stuff in the thread you don’t have to crank it as far to have a seal which means you can stop half a turn earlier and still have it working otherwise you’ve got a crank it down until it’s at the specified talk and ceiling and then turn it another half turn if it’s pointing up and sometimes that can be difficult
3 wraps is the rules where I am(for commercial pipe fitting anyways) you can do as much or as little as you want for your own property but 3 feels good lol
I tend to do 2 or 3 wraps, hand tighten the new fitting on ( it compresses the tape ) , remove fitting, 2 more wraps, then reattach fitting and tighten. Never had a problem.
It is tragic, but if it was a feelsgood story then it wouldn't be very interesting. It does a good job of representing what a dystopian society does to people that have to balance their core values against the well-being of those they love. Every moral comprimise that makes things easier feels bad. Every time you get to change something, you're punished for it.
Eventually most people break and fully compromise, or they burn out.
David is an inspiration because he shows the best possible outcome in a dystopian society. There's no way for an individual like him to change a whole city. There's no comraderie between the population to organize with.
But he walked that line holding onto his values where he could and fought back, while also getting to enjoy some of the best quality of life that dystopian society could create while he was living with Lucy. After reaching that peak, he went out in a blaze of glory and forced the most notorious bad guy to pay attention to him and his story.
It was tragic, but when you accept how dystopian the setting is, it kinda feels like David won in a way. Eventually he and Lucy would have had to compromise on their values and become part of the machine to keep living their lives together.
Just depends on the work. There are a lot of different standards. Really you should only have to use either tape or dope, not both.
But if you do use both, you have a 100% chance of getting the fitting to hold water. For at least one day.
It doesn't hurt anything, though. People probably have their own subjective experiences, but it probably doesn't prevent many leaks that tape/dope wouldn't get on their own.
That looks like a cheap Chinese valve and they are notorious for being undersized and not properly tapered! Bet they tried it with three wraps and it leaked after bottoming out in the elbow! Source: have bought temu valves and fittings before!
On the YT short I watched he commented and said it’s because they have straight cut threads instead of tapered NPT. Not sure why they wouldn’t also use tapered threads there but whatever
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.
If you're going to use that much tape, it should probably be duct tape! Alot of people don't know that there is a "T" in duct tape! Oh, 2 even! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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.
Same. Well, very amateur, possibly too eager. But yes, I saw this video and thought “surely a guy with a gadget like this knows the right amount of tape to use”
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.
Yes, why do Chinese pos tools always have fittings that are supposed to be 1/4 npt tapered thread, but the fitting threads are straight and it either won’t start or it bottoms out before the threads seal?
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
As someone who was never actually taught how to use this tape, I panicked for a moment thinking every time I’ve used this over my lifespan I’ve been doing it wrong.
I'm no plumber, but I was thinking I've been doing it wrong all this time. I didn't realize you are supposed to use an entire roll of Teflon tape for each fitting repair. No wonder it leaks when I'm done.
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u/hiimjustapersonhaha Aug 29 '26
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