I just replaced our gas hot water heater. I changed out both water unions and inspected the new ones before soldering to new stubs. The cold stub is a fraction off of plumb to the supply pipe and the hot stub is dead on. When I filled the water heater I had a teenie leak on the cold side, so I found a little more room to tighten the jamb nut and I believe that's gone. When the hot side pressurized with water it started to leak. I tightened the jamb nut a little more and nothing changed. I gave it one more hard push and now it leaks worse. I had put teflon tape on the union threads just as a lubricant for tightening. Also, did I overtighten? Any ideas on how to fix the leak without desoldering and replacing the new union? Thanks guys.

I've been trying to find an answer to this question for days but I still have uncertainty. I'm doing a DIY project just for fun that involves passing two tubes and an electrical cord through a 1.5" thick wall of an Omaha Steak [color=#434446]polystyrene [/color]cooler (styrofoam) that will be filled with ice water. The tubes will be flexible vinyl or PVC (although that can change if needed). One tube is 1/2" ID and is attached to a small submersible aquarium pump inside the cooler and will be attached to a 1/4" ID tube on the outside. This isn't for an aquarium and I don't have plumbing or aquarium-building experience. I'm guessing I need to use a bulkhead fitting with appropriately sized barbs or push-locks on each side, preferable with an L-shape (elbow) but that's not strictly required. However, will that work with [color=#434446]polystyrene [/color]which is prone to compression? Is there a better, more reliable method? Will uniseals work any better with impressionable styrofoam? The electrical cord powers the submersible pump, has a typical width found in lamp cords, and also needs to pass through the cooler wall but it doesn't have a circular profile so I don't know what I could use to pass that through the cooler without worrying about leakage. I'll cut and re-attach the cord so I don't have to worry about passing the larger connector end through. Lastly, the third tube is 1/4" ID and contains the return-water. That can pass through the cooler above water level but I'd still like to avoid leakage when the water shifts within the cooler. I plan to line the internal bottom and sides of the cooler with non-aerosol Flex Seal for added precautions. I could also use that around the fixings, assuming it would be helpful. I've attached my plans in case it's helpful. I'm a frequent contributor in another forum on data analytics and fully appreciate any time spent giving me advice. If this question is not relevant for this forum and you know of another forum that is more appropriate, I'd also appreciate that feedback. [img]https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1226x652/coolerdiagram_8e591aa4e15cc4eb23eafc49fb639a7f004cfe82.png[/img] [i]Red sections show 3 areas in question[/i]