Sealing black pipe?

Jim Franklin_2

Not Rector Seal. Maybe that's the problem? I bought some Utility Joint Seal #6, so far it's holding up well with just the pressure test equipment at 25 psi, we'll see when I reassemble the header.

Any comments on this stuff? It was the most expensive on the shelf :-)

jim

Jim Franklin_2

I am weak

At $10 per tee for copper I decided to build my 5 zone manifolds with black pipe.. I pressure tested it yesterday and found a few leaks. I used RectorSeal on the threads - don't remember the number but it's a thick beige goo in a can with a brush in the cap that drips from the threads when it warms up. I used teflon tape on the reducer bushings for the pressure test equipment and they leak worse, even though I reefed on them pretty hard.

Am I using the wrong sealant? Do I need to tighten them even harder? I'm using a 14" and 18" wrench, this is 1 1/4" pipe, some bought at HD (China) and some at my local P&H supplier (Thailand). Thread incompatability?

jim

Big Ed

Speed Header

I would buy a speed header first...Save you alot of time. Next time.

Use quick wick first on the threads then Mega Lock sealent. Tighting with proper size wrench down to the last few threads. Quick wick is a roll of cotton string /thread. Some call lampwick . Lanp wick really is several strands use as packing use the Quick wick... Mega Lock is a easy clean up..No More Leaks, No More Mess.... Quick wick is Old Fashion but you don't get leaks.

Kniggit

Rector seal is the worst, unless you get the anti vibration stuff thats blue, it works great for high vibration instances, but the nasty yellow stuff never comes off, i think your skin wears out under it, and it gets stuck to the new skin.

Terry_14

an old dead man taught me

A kind old plumber taught me to clean the cob webs as i doped and threaded fittings.

The cob web on the dope swells with the moisture in the dope and fills the gaps well. And my hats look much nicer.

I have since learned the dope only lubricates the thread allowing you to tighten to end of thread.

I agree with the pre made header saves time and time is money

Terry

Al Corelli

I have had ZERO problems with RectorSeal, and I actually prefer it.
Number 5 for everyday.
Number 2 for oil lines.

There is a new white number 5 that is for low temperatures. It is very good also.

bob young

PERMATEX

use quick wick and any kind of schmear. if serious----wick & PERMY. you will never get a leak for the rest of your life.

Rocky_2

Pipe thread sealant

Use nothing but X-pando. Looks like graphite powder and you mix it with water and it goes on real thin like water, but after about 30 minutes ain't nothing going to leak, ever. ONLY thing I use after unbuckling a bunch of 4" black that tied three Buderus 315-9's together in parallel primary secondary. Two man days to cut out all the 4" black and replace with 4" copper (all for FREE) 'cause I could not for the life of me get the 4" black to stop leaking. Tried Permatex, Lock-tite, tape, Blue-Block, all manners of goo's and gunks. Have used X-panso on everything since and not one single leak, from crappy Chinese and Thai stuff to gouged threads. Stuff is the new sliced bread. Do yourself a favor and get a can of it. You will not regret it.
Warm regards from chilly (currently -32) Fairbanks,
Rocky

oil-2-4-6-gas

x=pando --i have crushed pipes before the joints would loosen - ido more service work than installs so please don't use expando --i use Rectorseal-soft set #5 up to 2" i don't have any problems you need to tighten your fittings --you should have 3 threads showing after you tightened the fittings --test and tighten if any weeps --what pressure are testing at BTW? you should buy Earthlee black headers for multi-zone applications --they look sooo much better than the made up 1's and save lots of time

Jim Franklin_2

25 psi

I agree with the goos doing more for lubrication than for sealing. The Utility brand stuff I have is nasty, looks and smells like a bakelite radio left on the bbq, and drips off when heating nearby joints for sweating. But it seems to be doing the job so far.

I initially balked at the price of the pre-made headers, even the black ones, but I like to learn the hard way :
jim

Tony Conner_2

Tony Conner_2

Tony Conner_2

Here A Couple...

... of pages on pipe threads I scanned out of "IPT's Industrial Hydraulics Handbook". (They're small pages, and I couldn't get the text to go to the top when I saved, so the bit on page 2 is kind of orphaned in the middle of the pdf file page - it's only a short paragraph.) You'll normally have to use tape or dope to deal with the spiral clearance, unless you've got dies and fittings with an 'F' after NPT.

I don't know that I've ever actually seen NPTF thread.

Tape and dope do more than just provide lubrication.

Kevin O. Pulver

Permatex RTV silicone. In the automotive section of your hardware or parts store. Black or whatever color you like. Kevin

bovide_6

what?!

You don't need any exotic dopes or goos. Decent IPS threads will not leak with low or high pressure using just:
1- old fashioned grey pro dope
2- (teflon tape with any soft-set dope)it doesn't have to be the most expensive
3- wick with a schmear (wipe your hands with a schmata)

Do you want the metal threads holding your fluid pressure, or just the rainbow of different goos and packings holding the fluid back?

Thread the pipe dry, by hand. If you thread more than halfway down by hand, stop. If you feel the pipe get tight after 1/2 turn, stop. Return your pipe and fittings, and go to a reputable plumbing supply, not HD. Ask for Ward, Grinell, Stockham, or fittings and nipples made in the USA.
If you are threading this pipe, your dies need to be adjusted. Check Ridgid literature for the procedure.
C'mon, it is only residential heating piping. My licensing test required 100 psi using pro dope only-no wicking.

Ted_9

tightening

I think you need to get them tighter. The 14" may be too small. Try the 18" and a 24" wrench.

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