I'm going to have some 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch threaded pipe connections in my plumbing system. I can't find any good info on how to tighten these properly to ensure a leak-free fitting. Can anybody make any recommendations? I've heard hand-tight and then 2 turns after that. Am I OK to use teflon pipe thread compound? One last question... I read somewhere not to use teflon tape on brass to brass fittings. Is that true, and should I use thread compound on those? Thanks...

Brian

 

You can use teflon tape on ANY threaded joint in a plumbing system... and it is particularly good on brass to brass... as to how tight, that is hard to say,... better just to say that too tight is preferable to too loose... Tapered threads are not an exact science, some will tighten up sooner than others, and some will nearly bottom out and never feel as tight as they should be... The best advice I can give is to use the appropriate size of tools... 12 to 14" wrenches should be used on 1/2 and 3/4" pipe sizes... What feels tight with a 10" wrench likely is not tight enough... With good leverage and using one wrench to tighten and one to hold against yourself, hand tight plus 2 or 3 turns is probably sufficient... I usually stop just before I dislocate my elbows though... that is my preference...

No pain, no gain...

 

If you use teflon tape, wrap 2-3 flat turns clockwise only (as the threaded ends faces you).
Tighten everything as far as it will go.
Good luck!
Mike