Dope, tape or both?

Brad S

I've always used the 'tape/dope/tape' method when putting hot-water heat fittings together (this is how I was tought). I have never had a leak but this is very messy and time consuming. Curious to find out what method you use and how well it works.

Brad S

EJW

Tape then dope on top. It is also the way I was taught. EJW

J.C.A._3

My personal preference is....

Thin coat of dope, tape as recommended by the manufacturer(read the case, some have different than others)then another thin coat of dope.

This is the way I was taught as a greenhorn and it hasn't let me down yet, though has caused a look or 2 from the rest of the crew. Thank you John Gates. Chris

oil-2-4-6-gas

> I've always used the 'tape/dope/tape' method when

> putting hot-water heat fittings together (this is

> how I was tought). I have never had a leak but

> this is very messy and time consuming. Curious

> to find out what method you use and how well it

> works.

>

> Brad S

Mark Walnicki_2

Yup, me too

But I was never was taught this, had the good old "here's a truck, some parts, and your service calls" method of training, so had to figure it out on my own.

But I hate leaks, and once I figured it out, the tape/dope method always worked out okay for me. (I like Rectorseal) If I'm extra paranoid for some reason, I'll use dope/tape/dope. If I'm really nervous about a fitting for some reason (really crappy spot to get to, do not under any circumstances want a leak or have to re-do it, whatever) I'll use the black permatex stuff. Guaranteed not to leak, guaranteed to not come off your hands, tools, or whatever else it comes in contact with either! It'll eventually wear off, no big deal.

Mark Walnicki_2

Oh yeah, I forgot

when you use both tape & dope, chances are pretty good that things will come apart (if they need to) for the next poor slob that has to work on it. Seems no-one uses c.i. fittings anymore (even when they should), and that poor slob might just be you! :-)

Unknown

Mark

When should cast iron fittings be used ?

I've been using Teflon ( not many wraps ) , Rectorseal on top , and Rectorseal on the inner threads of anything over 1 inch . I hate leaks too . We do have em occasionally , but I think it's more to do with crappy nipples .

EJW

Threads

Maybe it's me but I seem to remember if you put on dope 1st the tape would spin as you tightened? Maybe thats why I was instructed to tape 1st, Ican't remember. EJW

Mark Walnicki_2

Ron

Well...

I guess I was just being especially picky, thinking about steam. But let's face it, even I used b.m. fittings on my last steam install, so I guess I was a bit out of line even mentioning it? :-)

Still continue to love your work, it's a pleasure to see the pics. of your installs.

Don't even know anymore how long it's been since the first Wetstock, or if you'd even remember me, but we hung out a bit, and I think you mentioned maybe doing some radiant walls at your house? What did you wind up doing?

And oh yeah, it sounds like we both treat fittings the same way. Easy use on the tape, and yeah, crappy nipples, amen. Love it when you can't get them started, they go off at crazy angles, or they're so loose you can bottom them out by hand, even with 100 wraps of teflon. (Not that we'd do that, but you know what I mean) Good thing I ordered three runs... Where the heck did we get these nipples again? Oh yeah, I'm not supposed to ask or wonder, throw it on the garbage pile and get another... Wait, what the heck is wrong with this elbow? Always good to have extra on hand...

Mark Walnicki_2

Yeah, I've seen that

but as JCA said, the dope on the threads should be thin. I used to work it in real well, "stretch-wrap" the tape around it, followed by another thin layer of dope. As I mentioned, I usually used just tape/dope, and only used dope/tape/dope when I thought it was called for. No matter how I did it, it drove anyone that I worked with nuts, they were mostly just into the dope-slap/crank hard method of pipe fitting, and thought I was too slow for them. I didn't think it was too slow when I was cleaning up the jobsite, packing up, and they were redoing half of their leaky fittings. And of course unions were a foreign word to them...

EJW

Pipe dope on union faces to!

Unknown

Nope , you were not

out of line mentioning the use of cast . If we could get a ready supply of fittings , we would use em . But nothing looks worse than a mix of cast and malleable on the same header .

I do remember meeting you Mark . I had to scale back the radiant wall idea to just the bathroom for now . That's going in next month . If we like it , I guess taking down some sheetrock in the livingroom aint to bad , is it ?

We must be getting the same brand of nipples and fittings . They can make a nice job look extremely horroible . I have a pic somewhere of a 4 zone boiler , everything is straight except the black pipe header . It's like , why bother getting anything straight ?

Thanks alot for the compliment Mark .

Boiler Guy

Teflon

like a lot of products comes in different grades. I don't know about you guys but I REFUSE to use the cheap white stuff! For steam and hot water I use fibre impregnated pink, for most other fittings regular pink, for gas yellow and for oxygen and med gas always green (don't use much green). I found most of the white stuff we see at our suppliers is junk and tears up, which inevitable unds up in valves, strainers and pumps. I also find using both products together sometimes causes the joints to remain "permanently flexible" which can be a real pain in some situations. Any thoughts?
Oh yeah, my Dad (a 55 year veteran) thought I was nuts the first time he saw me use both. He comes frome the "make your own dope age"-- boiled linseed oil and cement mix. Anyone familiar with that mix?
Just my 2c

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Boiled Linseed and Cement

Not sure but might have seen that on an old (c. 1910) hot water system where I had to move some rads. Absolute pain to get loose. Was using 4' wrench with 6' cheater bar and generally only got a collapsing pipe...

Utterly flooded with cheap silicon spray (the stuff that lists petroleum distillate as the first ingredient) every hour for a few hours, then let sit overnight and doused again. All the joints came loose without any more collapsing.

Boiler Guy

Sounds about right

This mix was an old sprinkler fitters trick too. adding a little cutting oil throughout the day kept the mix usable. New day -- new batch. Oh such memories of 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch threaded pipies. Definitely separated men from mice!! Any "old timers" remember the type of wrench used to tighten this big stuff?? NOSTALGIA ???

S Ebels

We use

Teflon tape, not the HD grade, heavier, 3 wraps with a thin coat of Leak Lock over top. It doesn't leak, ever. The Leak Lock hardens but the teflo underneath leaves you, or someone else, able to get the joint apart down the road.

Sweet

wrench

Compound wrench?

GDM

Tape tips

A teflon rep told me that more than two layers and your wasteing tape. Also hold pipe in left hand and hold the tape with your thumb. Then use your favorite dope.( Mega lock) I have used this method for years. On problem areas I like blue RTV sillicone it comes apart later cleans up easier.

Alan_6

I have had the best luck with the dope-tape-dope method. It seams to make less teflon tape rake out of fitting, while tightening. But have had bad luck with plastic threads, no matter what method.

Mad Dog

For things that I never intend to take apart

it is lampwick and Rectorseal #5. For ubions and stuff you WILL have to take aprt soemday, I take Teflon paste or better yet - NEVERCEASE. I only use Teflon tape when I run out of wick OR I have a very stubborn joint that keeps leaking such as a bad thread. Teflon and dope work great on ground joint unions that keep leaking. Mad Dog

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J.C.A._3

In the immortal words of Buzzy Parisi,

Always do a job like you'll be the next one in to repair it. If you do the job well, you WILL be the next one in, if you do the job not so well, you'll be there doing it for free.

May as well make it easy to take apart. Scott and I happen to agree on the dope/tape/dope method. Wish he would have agreed when he was doing his installs at the beginning. I lost my prized 6" Rigid pipe wrench to an expansion tank he installed about 10 years earlier, when it broke in half trying to undo an expansion tank. (it was the only thing that fit between the air scoop and the top of the tank. Had a 3'piece of 1"black pipe as a persuader on it when I heard the God awful POP!)Took all I had to get that lousy 1/2" fitting out of the scoop.Cursed him for a week! Chris

Big Ed

Soft Set

Use soft set over hard set types of dopes and it will not be a problem undoing pipe work down the road..

Ray Landry

I always use the tape then dope method on any water joint, period. I use regular old white tephlon, with hercules blue block pipe dope. If it's potable water, I used gasoila pipe dope instead.