In article
,
David Robinson writes

Do you think it matters, if I go for those, that the space between the
radiator and pipe will now be different than for anything else on the
market? Probably not enough to matter - but it would be a shame to
have to move the pipes if I needed to change a broken lockshield down
the line. Sometimes pipes won't stretch where you want!

I realise now I have a really stupid question: do people PTFE the
connections, or use boss white, or just hope? I'm asking about both
the screw thread into the radiator, and the compression-ish fitting
between the other end of that and the valve itself.

The threaded connections into the radiators?

Yes, they need sealed. My first experience of using ptfe tape was on
radiator stems and it was a complete disaster, many turns were used but
sharp burrs on the quality, brand named rad threads tore the tape and
25% had leaks. I remade the lot using one of the liquid thread sealing
compounds and not a drip since. You can remove burrs or pack more tape
but for peace of mind use thread sealant.

I happened to use Dow Corning PlumbaThread as it was cheap and easily
available from my local RS Trade Counter but loctite and many others are
available from the likes of Toolstation, Screwfix et al.

Don't waste too much time worrying about pipe location changes, you can
guarantee that whatever scheme you choose will be thwarted by some
incompatibility/obsolescence in the future.
--
fred
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