Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently fixed
it - and she would call him back!

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the thread is
merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he really considered
himself to be a "plumber"?

DerbyBorn wrote:
Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends
leaked badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently
fixed it - and she would call him back!

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the
thread is merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he
really considered himself to be a "plumber"?

When she said 'plumber', she actually meant the guy who does odd jobs for a
few quid here and there, probably an employee's dad or uncle.

On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 16:51:16 GMT, DerbyBorn
wrote:

Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently fixed
it - and she would call him back!


I stayed ay a b&b a few years ago, and when I pulled the plug after
shaving in the morning, the water took a long time to drain, which I
reported. Later, I realised that he had done all the work himself
using plastic piping, and that somewhere under floor was a length of
pipe inadequately supported that sagged when it got warm.

"DerbyBorn" wrote in message
2.236...
Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends
leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently fixed
it - and she would call him back!

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the thread
is
merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he really considered
himself to be a "plumber"?





probably a poster to this group...tee hee

"Jim GM4DHJ ..." wrote in
:


"DerbyBorn" wrote in message
2.236...
Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends
leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently
fixed it - and she would call him back!

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the
thread is
merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he really
considered himself to be a "plumber"?





probably a poster to this group...tee hee




I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

On Sunday, 29 January 2017 16:51:19 UTC, DerbyBorn wrote:
Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently fixed
it - and she would call him back!

probably a euphemism for 'I spent £1 on a tube of poundland sealant, so what's the problem?'

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the thread is
merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he really considered
himself to be a "plumber"?


NT

wrote in message
...
On Sunday, 29 January 2017 16:51:19 UTC, DerbyBorn wrote:
Stayed in a hotel recently - the shower hose connectors at both ends
leaked
badly. They were a mess of sealant and PTFE tape.

I reported it to the reception. She said the "plumber" had recently fixed
it - and she would call him back!

probably a euphemism for 'I spent £1 on a tube
of poundland sealant, so what's the problem?'

Unlikely too many receptionists do much plumbing.

Presumably he doesn't know that a rubber washer is needed and the thread
is
merely for providing a clamping force. I wondered if he really considered
himself to be a "plumber"?


NT

In article 2,
DerbyBorn writes:

I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

Inappropriate use of PTFE is also a good indiocation of a cluesless plumber.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article 2,
DerbyBorn writes:

I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

Inappropriate use of PTFE is also a good indiocation of a cluesless plumber.

I believe the get-out is, "I applied PTFE to the threads as a
lubricant, not a sealant".


--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

In article ,
Graham. writes:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article 2,
DerbyBorn writes:

I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

Inappropriate use of PTFE is also a good indiocation of a cluesless plumber.

I believe the get-out is, "I applied PTFE to the threads as a
lubricant, not a sealant".

....and that's fine, but not when it's applied to the sealing
surfaces of compression fittings or cone joints.

My parents' [then] new ensuite plumbing started leaking ~6 months
after installation. All I had to do was take apart and remove the
PTFE from the sealing faces of the compression fittings (I was
lucky - once used, it will often deform the sealing faces so they
won't seal again, without bodging it with more PTFE).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 07:55:54 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Graham. writes:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article 2,
DerbyBorn writes:

I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

Inappropriate use of PTFE is also a good indiocation of a cluesless plumber.

I believe the get-out is, "I applied PTFE to the threads as a
lubricant, not a sealant".

...and that's fine, but not when it's applied to the sealing
surfaces of compression fittings or cone joints.

My parents' [then] new ensuite plumbing started leaking ~6 months
after installation. All I had to do was take apart and remove the
PTFE from the sealing faces of the compression fittings (I was
lucky - once used, it will often deform the sealing faces so they
won't seal again, without bodging it with more PTFE).


I used PTFE tape stretched like string in place of a fibre washer on a
tank connector. It worked so well that I actually felt more confident
about it than had it been the correct fibre washer.




--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

Graham. wrote in
:

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 07:55:54 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Graham. writes:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:



I used PTFE tape stretched like string in place of a fibre washer on a
tank connector. It worked so well that I actually felt more confident
about it than had it been the correct fibre washer.




There is a slight flange on a tap connector so I can see it working
reasonably reliably. At least you didn't put loads on the threads!

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 13:53:41 GMT, DerbyBorn
wrote:

Graham. wrote in
:

On Tue, 31 Jan 2017 07:55:54 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Graham. writes:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:



I used PTFE tape stretched like string in place of a fibre washer on a
tank connector. It worked so well that I actually felt more confident
about it than had it been the correct fibre washer.




There is a slight flange on a tap connector so I can see it working
reasonably reliably. At least you didn't put loads on the threads!


;-)
Lubrication dear boy, lubrication.



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On 1/31/2017 7:55 AM, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Graham. writes:
On Mon, 30 Jan 2017 13:43:43 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article 2,
DerbyBorn writes:

I tend to think of "possession of PTFE Tape as implying some sort of
aptitude for plumbing."

Inappropriate use of PTFE is also a good indiocation of a cluesless plumber.

I believe the get-out is, "I applied PTFE to the threads as a
lubricant, not a sealant".

...and that's fine, but not when it's applied to the sealing
surfaces of compression fittings or cone joints.

My parents' [then] new ensuite plumbing started leaking ~6 months
after installation. All I had to do was take apart and remove the
PTFE from the sealing faces of the compression fittings (I was
lucky - once used, it will often deform the sealing faces so they
won't seal again, without bodging it with more PTFE).


That can only happen with a very extreme bodge, though. PTFE is *very
much* weaker than metal, and one or two turns over an olive will just
extrude into the space alongside the "line contact". There has to be
enough PTFE to completely fill all the available space, so that you are
generating hydrostatic conditions within the joint.

My parents' [then] new ensuite plumbing started leaking ~6 months
after installation. All I had to do was take apart and remove the
PTFE from the sealing faces of the compression fittings (I was
lucky - once used, it will often deform the sealing faces so they
won't seal again, without bodging it with more PTFE).


That can only happen with a very extreme bodge, though. PTFE is *very
much* weaker than metal, and one or two turns over an olive will just
extrude into the space alongside the "line contact". There has to be
enough PTFE to completely fill all the available space, so that you
are generating hydrostatic conditions within the joint.


Why get it anywhere near an olive?

On 2/1/2017 1:19 PM, DerbyBorn wrote:

My parents' [then] new ensuite plumbing started leaking ~6 months
after installation. All I had to do was take apart and remove the
PTFE from the sealing faces of the compression fittings (I was
lucky - once used, it will often deform the sealing faces so they
won't seal again, without bodging it with more PTFE).


That can only happen with a very extreme bodge, though. PTFE is *very
much* weaker than metal, and one or two turns over an olive will just
extrude into the space alongside the "line contact". There has to be
enough PTFE to completely fill all the available space, so that you
are generating hydrostatic conditions within the joint.


Why get it anywhere near an olive?

Because you are winding it on the male threads, to reduce friction. If
the pipe is not in place at the time, wisps may get into the exposed
cone. Sometimes you are constrained to apply tape when the pipe and
olive are already in place. In that case, as I said, you don't have to
be paranoid if some strays over the olive.