Boss White v. PTFE....or nothing?

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I wonder if Dan thinks he will like it more, or less, depending on how many joints I've made?

Or does he think that will alter its ability to make a clean and effective seal?
 
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nope, Dan does not deny that PTFE tape on an olive makes a clean, effective seal.

That's all I ask of a plumbing joint.
 
PTFE tape on an olive makes a clean, effective seal.

That's all I ask of a plumbing joint.

Do you ask for something different?
 
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I think I get it.

Dan doesn't care whether it works or not.

He wants to know if it is used by bald old men in blue overalls with a roll-up behind their ear.

So if you want to have compression joints that don't leak, PTFE tape on the olive will suit you.

If you want the approval of old plumbers, it won't.
 
Jointing paste on compression is good practice.

PTFE comes in handy when the div before has over tightened it and caused the pipe to shoulder. Then it beefs it up a bit.
 
It does nothing on a correctly made joint.


Answer the questions. Or are you embarrassed?

One assumes Johnny boy has been whinging to the mods again :rolleyes:

One wishes they would censor his drivel too.

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No, JohnD has not complained.
Mod
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If you disturb an old compression fitting that's been fitted dry, without Boss White it'll leak. If you rap an Olive with PTFE tape there's every chance it'll not compress correctly onto the tube, as you'll block the fitting's thread. I've seen this 100s of times.

Smear a little Boss White(generic name for joint paste) on compression olives & it'll not leak, helps lubricate the threads & provide a complete seal that'll last for years.

That's what I was shown from day one of my apprenticeship 40 years ago.
 
I don't know why you're putting tape on the thread.
 
OP here.
The reason for my thread starter was advice required before changing 6 original TRVs on a 30 year old 8mm micro-bore CH system.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/danfoss-ras-c-white-chrome-trv-8-10mm-angled/33140

I’m not a professional plumber (I earn my living in IT) just strictly DIY but I always try to use ‘best practice’ wherever possible and as methods/practice change over time it’s always good to seek contemporary advice from you guys.

As for the job itself, I used PTFE on the new radiator tails and an appropriate amount of jointing compound on the compression fittings.

I bought a tin of Fernox Water Hawk jointing compound. It can be used on potable systems as well; very easy to apply and doesn’t run. Easy to wipe off any excess.

Managed to do it all in a ‘long’ day (don’t laugh but that’s lightning speed for me!); new TRVs, grafted in new piping, flush system and re-fill (Sentinel x100), system running sweet as a nut; and no hint of a leak.

I know the thread descended into a mini civil-war at times but ‘it’s good to talk’.

Many thanks for the helpful replies; it’s really appreciated.




 
Good to hear it went well. These are exactly the sort of jobs diy'ers can do and gain satisfaction and learn a bit about how their system works.
Well done bri.
 
PTFE is non-stick. The point of this LOW-FRICTION magic material is partly as a "space filler" but primarily the reduction in friction between the outside, tapered edge of the olive (i.e. not the sealing part) and the inside tapered edge of the compression fitting. The point being to keep the fitting rotating around the olive without it "picking up". As soon as the fitting picks up the olive, instead of it being crushed and sealing, it's still crushed but also gashes into the pipe - and this is where your leak comes from. If the point of adding in some tape was just to fill a space, why not just use cling film?

Nozzle
 
four pages on making a compression joint...

JetBlue from PlumbCenter. A light smear only.

What I have found over the years is a perfect dry joint is OK, until, I have to 'wiggle' that joint to say, cut a tee piece in..., same with PTFE over the olive. OK until.

Just my experience,

DH
 

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