Gasket

George Berkeley

In the wet return of a single pipe steam system I have an 8 bolt flange fitting that has started to drip after 80 some odd years of use. I tried to evenly snug the nuts but that only increased the drip.

My local plumbing supply did not have a gasket that looked to fit so they gave me a sheet of red rubber to make a gasket.

My question is--do I need to use a gasket sealer or treatment on this fitting and gasket? And if so, does the treatment need to be steam rated?

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

You might be better off

going with a fiber gasket instead of rubber; rubber will harden, become brittle and crack at those temperatures.

As far as a sealant, I'd use some Blue Magic or Rectorseal and dope up both sides of the gasket before putting it all together.

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