Shower water connection....I hate them!!!

[xAlex]

Morning!! I fitted a shower last night. But I couldn't completely stop a 'weaping' from the water connection: As you know, the short pipe connection from the shower is plastic. That went into a stainless compression fitting using a brass (maybe copper) olive, and stainless nut. I wraped a few lengths of PTFE around the screw thread that the nut tightens on to. I turned the nut a few times and turned the water on. It was leaking, so I gradually tightened the nut until it stopped, but the nut is quite tight now and the joint is still weeping slowly.

What is the best way to disasseble and start again?
How can I make sure it seals next time?

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Certainly not by putting PTFE on the thread of a nut and olive

Maybe between the olive and the fitting. Otherwise a bit of this:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/fernox-water-hawk-400g/21548

around the olive will help.

 

[xAlex]

The ptfe was not on the nut...it was on the other part and over-lapped into the fitting so the olive / nut would have tightened against the ptfe. If I take it apart, do I need to use a new olive?

 

[Dan Robinson]

It shouldn't be put on the thread of the fitting either.

Your olive might be alright, but it depends on how mullered it is.

 

[sotal]

As above you don't need PTFE tape on the thread as the thread just holds the joint together the olive makes the seal.

I find the Gold coloured brass ones to be crap. The copper ones are loads better and never seem to leak.

You shouldn't need PTFE tape at all but as recommended above you can wrap it round the olive to make a better seal.


The only place I usually use PTFE is on the pipes which go into radiators which don't have any other way of sealing. I used to use it on everything until I was told!

 

[Dan Robinson]

While we're on this subject - Iron Naz has been quiet lately... must be busy ridding Coventry of all those cowboys

 

[bhm1712]

have you over tightened it? if too tight it will leak, they only require nipping up and certainly no PTFE!

 

[Charnwood]

must be busy ridding Coventry of all those cowboys

Or training them, possibly?