Unions

zac_2

i've used Masters No-Leak pipe dope for this purpose with good results. heck, I use it for pretty much everything!

Dave Faust

Leaky Unions

My sweated copper unions leak. Some just bearly ooz (water). I put some tefelon based pipe dope on them & it helped a little. Any ideas for elimination the leakage befor I install diaelectric unions in their place? These have a rubber gasket & dont seem to leak. These are on a potable water heater. thanks!
Dave

Jim Bennett

Sweat Unions

I usually put a small amount of pipe dope on the mating surfaces.

Seems to work.

Jim

Weezbo

Break the unions ....

paint some industrial Blue Magic on the metal of the neck of the female side ...then when your tightening it it will slip tighter onto the face..i use this to allow it to slip deeper onto the threads.....rather than painting the face on unions under 1"...

painting the face might get some extra slippage on larger fittings buh if you paint the neck on the female side it will slip easier on its support, on bigger fittings it makes spinning them on a breeze. learned that decades ago on black iron unions...try it on gert unions next time it doesnt take much to make them really easy to spin on by hand. a dab on the threads working it on and back a half turn will allow you to spin 2" on by hand with a 1/4->1/2 turn on the wrench.

ScottMP

Try

a couple of 18" pipe wrenchs.

Should do the trick.

Better yet cut them out and put in couplings. The next time you need the unions the new water heater will be a different size and the unions won't help anyway.

Just my opinion after 22 years in business.

Scott

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Big Ed

Grease the Unions

Dab a little plumbers grease on unions mated surfaces will do the trick....Takes up the imperfections like pipe dope but easyer to clean next time around.. The lubercation helps out too.....My Grand Dad taught me this one...