Easy Answers for Plumbing Projects

Here’s a neat answer to a messy problem! There’s an easy-to-use product on the market that can replace the old-fashioned joint-sealing compound for pipes.

It’s Teflon tape, and it’s the product of preference for threaded plastic pipe. Joint-sealing compound actually can damage plastic pipes. And Teflon tape out-performs ordinary pipe compound when heat is a factor, such as for hot-water pipes.

The purpose of the tape is to lubricate the pipe threads so installation and removal of the pipes is easier. It helps seal the joint, and you can use it wherever you would have used joint sealing compound in the past.

Here’s how you do it. Wrap the tape across the threads, pulling the tape in the opposite direction as the way the threads run. This will prevent the tape from unwinding when you install the pipe. Make sure you start taping at the very first thread, as this is the area that will benefit most from the tape.

Three or four wraps of tape covering the threads should be enough to lubricate and seal most joints. But be careful. Teflon tape lubricates pipe joints so well that some people make the mistake of tightening the joint to the point of breaking the fitting—especially on plastic pipe. So don’t tighten too far.

For your do-it-yourself plumbing projects, most rental centers stock the right tools to do the job correctly for installation and for plumbing emergencies.