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Glad to see you mention the marking of tightened fittings. It was mentioned to me over 50 years ago as a worthwhile habit and I have always done it. I then go around a job afterwards to check for the marks (bright red is my preference). It has only saved me once but it was in the loft of a 3 story house where the consequences of a leak couldn't have been much worse. My preference is to do an initial tighten of the olive with the pipe slightly (~1mm) pulled back from being bottomed in the fitting so that all the tightening force acts on the olive and isn't (after the olive grips the pipe) shared with the pipe pressing onto the shoulder in the fitting. I then open it up to see that the olive is seated happily against the fitting (lots of people don't seem to appreciate that the interface between the olive and the nut isn't sealing anything). I then apply potable jointing compound and firm to final torque and mark it. I also prefer copper olives to brass - usually involved bunging out the olives that come with most fittings.
Thank You...I am a 66-year-old lifelong general-purpose Repairman (plumbing, Electrician, Electronics, mechanic ect.) and I have always had annoying problems with compression fittings.....I'm probably too close to dying to help me a whole lot now but your tips were great...However, It still looked to me like you were winding your Teflon sealing tape the opposite direction than you would turn your compression nut when tightening (I apologize if I'm wrong...I am a bit dyslexic) I'm a Hillbilly in the southern Coal Fields of West Virginia (Almost Heaven with friendly people and at least 10 military-style guns per household).....Love your accent and your teaching style
Excellent tips. Just installed four compression valves and two leaked because I overtightened. Now a trip to the store for two new valves/olives and a can of joint compound. Much appreciated from 1/3 of the way around the world California! I subscribed.
Yeah - learned the hard way. But it was a compression fitting that failed with PTFE, that sealed well but was under tightened and popped off. Jointing compound is a bad idea on these because it may seal but might not be tight enough Best test is to tighten loosely, no compound, pressurise the pipe and stop if it starts to leak and just tighten enough to stop it leaking and then a few more flats. You should be able to undo a fitting and the olive should be able to spin but not move up or down, that's how you know it was just tight enough.
In my youth, many years ago, we came back from holiday to find our carpets draped across the bushes in the garden. The neighbours had seen water coming out of the house because of a leak and had gone round to see if anyone had a key that fitted our house. I always close the stop tap when we go away!
make sure the shutoff is newer and functions properly. Hate for you to turn the knob or flip a lever and it starts to leak at the shutoff or elsewhere, right before you're leaving to the airport 😂😂😂
Well I managed 2 of the mistakes fitting a sink at the weekend. Noticed a drip on the floor today and then saw this video. I'll be taking it apart and refitting at the weekend, cheers for the tips😂
Oh this is brilliant, I'm not a plumber but live in a very remote island location, so I have to fix things myself. I just should have watched it this morning before I replaced the hot water cylinder, guess where I wrapped the PTFE tape on all the compression joints as I have done for about 20 yeasr!!! . D'oh!... Thank you so much for this video, As for wedding rings we actually did just that, infact when our plumbing supplier knew what we wanted two olives for, they gave them to us as a wedding present. We only needed them for the actually wedding day! God bless you.
EXCELLENT advice. I am a hydraulic Engineer and I have spent most of my career training fitters how to avoid leaks in high pressure systems. I watched this video to find similarities. Everything you have said is bang on and CORRECT. In respect of under-tightening, we get the nut spun down to the point where it contacts the 'cutting ring' (Our ring cuts into the pipe - slight difference) and we refer to that as the 'fixed point'. That is the point at which all tolerances from threads, tapers diameter differences are allowed for. We then mark the nut and the pipe and turn 1&1/2 turns. That is our industry, yours may differ. We then put a high visibility mark on the pipe and nut. Before start up, all visual checks can be made easily. GREAT VIDEO
Top tips from Mr pipe man himself! I keep telling the Mrs, it’s essential to have some pipe lubricant next to the bed, for emergency plumbing situations!😎
Thank you for this - bad habits are passed down the generations, my Dad (not a plumber) taught me (not a plumber) to wrap PTFE tape around the threads on a compression fitting. Your videos are the first time I've seen PTFE tape used on the actual pipe and olive!
Olive cutter, great idea. Always used the junior hacksaw method at a 45 degree angle to prevent damage. I was always told Conex olives shouldn't need white paste when first assembled. But if they are disassembled I would always use it before PTFE
In all my years of DIY including working along side other trades including plumbers on refurb jobs I have never heard of this. Although I've never had a problem yet, it makes perfect sense and I'm all for good practice. Great video.
Me personally I found this video very helpful and useful! Have a project I'm working on right now and was preferring to use the compression fittings so I'm going to take all his tips! Thanks great vid
Fed up of RUclips recommending me BS "how to" or "how not to videos". But.. this one is excellent, I was making 2 of the 4 mistakes and now I've been schooled. THANK YOU!
a plumber showed me jointing compound years back. Always use it now. I tend to do a quick tighten then loosen to spread the compound. Never had a problem
I've never seen a jointing compound used in the real world ... I'll be using it next week! Thank you for the tips, I stayed to the end, olive cutters look great! :)
GCSE Plumbing would be a brilliant idea - more vocational training for kids is probably the way to go. I used to love helping my dad do plumbing when I was about 13-14. He used to let me braze joints and bend pipes correctly!
Nothing wrong with the direction you put that PTFE tape on, looked correct to me. Just when you said ‘same way you do the nut up’ your fingers were doing an untighten… now go stand in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
I have done plumbing for over 30 years and have never used any type of jointing compound on compression joints, guess whet i also have never had to go back to repair a leak either, well apart from the time some one put a nail through the pipe, which apparently i had done two weeks prior to been called out
That doesn't mean that someone hasn't fixed it for you and you never knew that! But I want yo believe you so what are your thricks to avoid getting it undone!
I worked at a plant that had thousands of joints in copper and stainless steel tubing. We never used any tape or joint compound. Never any leaks if done correctly from pressures up to 100 pounds of steam and other chemicals and liquids.
Olive cutter. Very nice. I'm not a plumber, but have been doing a bit of water work DIY. Definitely had issues removing or not olives. I fancy a cutter, or maybe the hacksaw and screwdriver tip. Thanks good video, I'm going to slap on more jointing compound than I have been after seeing you use it.
You can get olives off using an adjustable spanner which you adjust to the diameter of the pipe. Put the spanner opening onto the pipe behind the olive and then gently tap with a hammer. This drives the olive off the pipe.
Excellent video - so glad I watched before attempting to use compression fittings. Quick question - can you still nip up a compression fitting that has jointing compound after it’s been in place for a week, or does the compound go off and crumble if you try this? I thought I’d tightened it enough, but after a few days it started to seep (not condensation). Thanks 👍
I have to admit, this is the 2nd plumbing video I've watched on how to replace a valve. The original valve was soldered on by a plumber, 30yrs ago. I'm not a plumber! So I went to Homie Depoe, and discussed my options with the genius that helped me find the right size replacement in a compression valve. Why not a sharkbite valve?? I have no idea... But anyways, I didn't know the compression fitting needed jointing compound. And, of course I tightened it thinking the tighter the fitting, the less likely it would leak.... 😮
I wish I saw this video tutorial about 25 years ago when I started making all of these mistakes. Some I learned by trial and error yet it would have been nice to have avoided those errors. Thanks!
Thank you for the video James, even tho i started watching your videos 6 years ago when i started doing my LVL 2 Diploma in Plumbing and heating. I'd advise anyone getting into Plumbing to get Monument olive cutter, it can fit in tight spaces, saves you time and effort.
I am so glad you mentioned at 7:05 about PTF tape round the thread . I come from a family of plumbers and it makes me angry when I see that bodge up under sinks and basins usually fitted by Kitchen fitters (Grrr!) I used to see it a lot when as a sparks I cross bonded pipes.
We saw over-tightening. under-tightening, ways to mark joints not yet tightening but I certainly missed any discussion of how to tell the joint is tightened just right. Is there a type of torque wrench for this?
Just found your channel and started watching, you give good advise and are quite entertaining but I was a bit confused at first cos I thought Bradley Walsh had his own plumbing channel.
Great video! I had to replace a mains stopcock attached to the blue 25mm mdpe pipe under the kitchen sink. Could not unscrew the nut to remove it. Had to use an angle grinder with a thin cutting disc to very carefully cut through the brass nut and olive underneath. A rotary tool would be safer, I think.
I'm plumber in France and even if i didn't learn anything new with your video, i can tell you it very well made and pleasant to watch. I have an other technique to remove the olive that work if the plumber didn't tight it too much, it's to use a wrench that you open at the same size than the tube and slide it toward the olive with force, i manage to remove olives like that almost all the time.
Great tips, I'm not a plumber but i didnt know that there was a special past available now! What I've used to prevent the squeeking when tightening up the compression joints is appyling a very small amount of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) just a smear like you put on your lips around the olive and pipework and also a little on the threads this will make the olive slide and seat very smoothly, you just know that its not going to leak. Also if in future you have to undo it, it would come undone very easily, great for when replacing isolating valves and radiators valves, etc. I understand that vaseline is non toxic But better to use new approved stuff if used for drinking water. I wouldn't use it on these plastic push fit though as it might cause the rubber O-ring to deteriorate quicky.
vaseline degrades mate and is water miscible makeing it not a good choice - Tip from radio engineers working on seas salty outside stuff - Use Copperease on everything and Marmite on everything else. (Both Unobtainium in Thailand sadly)
@@ebaystars copper grease is good for automotive applications as anti seize compound and good at high temperatures. However I think its toxic to micro organisms and harmful to aquatic life.
good point! I will stick to marmite on toast we dont drink tap water in thailand and usually use bottled water everyone here has to have a 2000 litre reserve tank and auto-pump because the idiots cannot supply pressure at night when there is no users as the pipes underground will blow off. It's a nightmare @@mrshoney2624
@@santorini8423 like I said I'm not a plumber I won't toutch anyone else's only mine! I'm an engineer so do understand basics of most things or study it first before doing anything. I can strip down and rebuild a car engine etc, also fully understand how electrical systems work etc.
Hi I'm a sparks and if you remember MICC cables which have a similar olive and gland system I had the same thing educating apprentices on not over tightening the olives because if they were over tightened and the cable was moved you lost a good earth as the outer sheath was the earth. Brilliant vid and good tips. I looked for the olive splitter that you sowed and could not fine that particular one. I would like to add that to my plumbing kit. In the past I have used a junior hacksaw very carefully to remove an olive not quite cutting through.
There is another type of olive cutter that looks like a large pair of pliers. One of the 'cutting' jaws of the plier is flat and you insert it inside the pipe. The other 'cutting' jaw is indeed a cutter and cuts the olive. The difference between the 'plier' type and the one shown in the video is that the 'plier' type is operated in line with the pipe instead of at right angles to it.
Good point about low quality olives. Some might not have been annealed and therefor wont compress into the tapers properly. Just get them red hot and drop into cold water - so long as they are copper.
Cheers ... Jointing compound.. need to find that. But I always put a wrap or two of PTFE tape on the olive of new fittings, just in case there is a small discontinuity (Roger, Skill Builder tip). Another tip I find useful is clean the pipe before fitting, with fine grit sand paper or one of those cleaner wire brush tools. can make a difference. Lastly another over tightening danger: stress can build up in the nut then one day it might crack and all hell will break loose when least expected, has happened to me.
Год назад+1
Thank you for taking the time and care to make this. I'm better off for it now and can tidy up my project with confidence now! 😁
Make sure pipe fits and correct length, make sure both sides of the olive are on the pipe by giving it a nip and visually checking it. In tight spaces, I have used a fitting away from the joint to give the olive a squeeze so it cannot move. A few wraps of PTFE tape around Olive or potable water sealing paste where applicable and no problem. You are posh poetable water I have always said potable water (Drinking Water). Not to tight not to loose and never ever think your brilliant and do not need to double check everything, it will still get you every now and then. The amount of experts I have met in life at all things who cock up all the time because they know they are perfect and do not need to check! Everyone can get caught every now and then so check check check. I stripped and assembled a hot water tank bottom fitting three times resealing each time and it still leaked to find at two o’clock in the morning a cracked reducer fitting, I had used the old ones! I had purchased new ones but the old fittings were ok (Not). It was a home job as well.
Great now I have to go back in time 20 years and find the Idjet who didn't put jointing compound on the fitting for the sediment filter in the "new" home we purchased. You need to do a video on time travel! PTFE tape round the olive is my solution for now! Thanks mate!
On all brass compression fittings, i use silicone grease on the threads now. A dab of any oil also works. If you smash the brass or copper flares together properly they will stay smashed. Friction sometimes will not allow the nut to tighten fully. Had 3 copper unions squeaking and small drips. A little lube on threads, didnt have any resistance and no leaks. And no garbage on the threads later
As an offshore worker, PTFE tape on compression fittings (Swagelok or Parker A Loc) is a No No. I did a bit of DIY plumbing a while back and the fittings (from a large DIY store) squealed on make up and the depth the pipe went in was shallow, so I went and got some Yorkshire Imperial fittings. They just felt so much better on make up. One other minor point, turn your shifter over 180 so that the nuts contact point on the moving jaw is down at the bottom of the jaw, not at the top of the jaw.
Sparky here chosen by god, thanks for the tip. Would you like me to teach you how to tie your shoe laces…. ruclips.net/video/du6nYwPLBsw/видео.htmlsi=pTRY-KHB13-jghdj
If I put compound on a compression it was an instant fail or a rap across the knuckles with a pair of sixes. North Thames Gas apprenticeship. 4 year apprenticeship, 18 years working. How times have changed. Surprised you did not say LS-X, a must on them fooking doughnuts :) Also under tightening is always better than over, as you can always nip it up, over, no chance.
As a DIYer I've been doing PTFE tape wrong for 50 years! Mind you I haven't really had much trouble with leaky joints so I must be doing something right.
I recently (a few days ago) found some "older" USA made 1/2" compression fittings and used one for a hose-bib / sillcock installation...no joining compound , no squeaks, no leaks...
I have made thousands of compression fittings in multiple sizes and rarely ever used jointing compounnd because I didn't have any to hand. I had precious few leaks in all of those fittings. I have had to resort to PTFE tape on a limited number of occasions. Good informative video though.
I frequently remove olives by driving them off using the compression fitting's nut. Just open your adjustable a bit wider than the 15/22 mm pipe and tap the back of the nut with them. That's assuming the fitting hasn't been overtightened. The olive should pop right off, and if you're in trouble, you might even be able to re-use it 😱😅
I have done similar by placing an open-ended spanner between the nut and olive, the nut tilts and jams so acts as a fulcrum, works well in a confined space.
Well I did watch until the end. Well done to you, so practical and funny with it. Great tips, I must purchase an olive splitter /removal tool. Keep the videos coming, always so refreshing and put over simply, sensibly and professionally. Thanks 👍
I spent most of my career doing stainless tubing. If you need compound or tape you should find another trade. Lubricating the joint allows you to over tighten the joint.
Good advice. We've always called an "olive" a ferrule. I had never even considered that a ferrule could be removed. Always had to cut the pipe back. Do you think a Pex-b crimp removal tool would cut a copper ferrule? I'll have to give it a try.
Great tips there! Plumber who did central heating install used no jointing compound, said it wasn’t necessary. Ok, but I specified chrome plated 15mm where visible in the lounge. Again, no jointing compound. Now I know that chrome is harder than brass so it would never bed into the pipe. They said tighten it up firmly and it’ll be ok. That’s what they did, and guess what??? Furry deposits around all the joints! Slow seepage between olive and pipe. I called them back and they said they’d return and fix it. That was two months ago. Still waiting…..
Don’t use chrome if you can avoid it. The olives don’t bite into the chrome and can blow off. You have to sand all the chrome off the part for the olive to avoid this. It’s a pain in the pipe.
Olive tip I was taught by an old school. If the olive is just so put something hard being it and tap firmly the other side and it just slides off. This really works.
Yep I've done that one a few times too! Pop on to Locals this Thursday for the livestream if you get a second: plumberparts.locals.com/support/promo/PLUMB1M or here for the live stream: plumberparts.locals.com/post/4240778/ale-army-raw
Never knew this... but as an insurance policy I always smeared some plumber's putty on the copper pipe before sliding the olive onto it, then I would also smear the olive with some more plumber's putty before bringing the nut over it and tightening the nut (holding the other part of the fitting with another spanner) to fully compress the olive and form a strong watertight seal - I've never had a leak ! lol
Only use for plumbing putty is what it is designed for, sticking glass panes into windows. Sealing compound works better, and you can at least undo it later on without needing to cook the putty out.
Radiator valves still need PTFE though. Maybe this is where the confusion comes from as it's a common diy job. Love this video. Genuinely funny and love the messy work bench and crap osb shelves. That's how most of us role 😂 well done mate.
Good tips, you say not to put PTFE on he thread, I've always put 2 turns of tape on the thread as a lubricant. The squeeking sound you mention earlier is the 'brass' threads galling against each other creating friction. PTFE prevents this, makes tightening easier.
Plumbing brass used to have lead in it which helped avoid the squeaking and aided sealing by reducing friction. LEADED BRASS is not legal anymore for potable water fittings. I had an acquaintance that made threadmills for a major faucet mfr- when they outlawed lead in the brass it not only made the machining "sqeaky" but also screwed up their plating operations on the pretty side of fixtures.
❤cool advice,ive used furnox joint compound in the past, the o 10:410:49 only trouble is it sets like concrete after a while,making it difficult if you have to remove a fitting. My favorite fitting is a yorkshire or end feed ,love solder
Another tip I think you should have mentioned, make sure when you place the nut and olive on to the pipe, you make sure the pipe has entered the the full depth of the body of the fitting, I have seen some that have only just nipped at the end of the pipe, and could pull apart!
I always tighten the nut and olive dry then loosen it and then apply the jointing compound and then re-tighten that way the compound doesn't get between olive and pipe making less likely to pull off under pressure, this more likely in larger pipework
I disagree! If the pipe is fully home then once you start tightening the fitting and the olive starts to bite it pulls the pipe down with each turn. If the pipe can’t move the same distance of the threads the pipe bulges inside the fitting as it’s compressed and will leak. I always push the pipe home then back out 2 or 3 mm so there’s room. Never needed jointing compound. This should be tip no.5!!!
Moved into a house and the central heating leaked. Lots of the olives were so lose I could turn them with my fingers. No way to drain the system. I added over 10 drain cocks and shut of valves so I could isolate the system and replaced whole joints or just olives. Great tips about paste and over tightening.
Awesome stuff - would have been useful to me a few years back - did a bathroom refit at home - and had to convert a main pipe in the floor with a compression fitting I used a 22mm olive in an old water pile to convert it to 15mm - old 7/8 water It had the smallest leak but take ages to seal it.
I did that using the fernox jointing gear but i didn't use that much, just on the chamfer and smidge on the olive as i didn't want it in the rad system
Very good advice for non plumbers like myself. I usually cut the olive off with a hacksaw blade as you suggest, and carefully. Presumably leaving the previous olive on is not a good idea?
You can remake a joint with the old olive in place, if you cant remove it. Just reassemble the joint after applying jointing compound or PTFE tape to the olive. If you are a regular plumber, then olive removal tools arent too expensive to add to your kit.
You wound the PTFE in the wrong direction at 7.30, after telling us the right way to do it! Last week I saw you drill into a floor without checking if there was pipe or cable under it.... that was really entertaining! I like this channel.
Been a plumber,heating engineer, gas installer since 17, 63 now,i miss the job v much,i dont think it matters how the ptfe is rolled,i do the same as this fellow and right handed like him as its a lot easier to apply the tape over n under holding the wheel of tape through your fingers and i can put tension on as i do that,its about making the seal better on the olive ends making a seal when its being compressed into the pipe using the the internal chamfers of the nut and fitting,only when ive firstly tightened the copper or plastic pipe, so its crimped the olive sufficiently, then disassemble it all,i then apply the ptfe and re tighten nut to fitting,effectively creating another seal that tends to take up the slack between olive and fitting,without sounding big headed,you get to know how much to tighten these (manipulated)compression fittings by experience, like other trades ,so normally i wouldnt apply ptfe tape unless it weaps,it happens now n again,not often its not something you would do everytime you use this type of fitting,so it doesnt make any difference how the ptfe tape is rolled on to just apply ,its acting like a filler as the tension you control by doing it his way and mine is easlier to do,a tip,when you have applied the tape around the olive just keep applying it so you cover both ends of olive equally so you want to go past each of the squashed compressed ends maybe 2 to 3mm to make that tape fill the gap pehaps 3 times is usuall enough as you are about to stop turning the tape holder,just pull on the tape with tension ,put your thumb on the tape on the pipe you have wrapped to hold it on then pull with tension until it snaps the tape still under tension and foward motion the last pulled bit of tape to " lock that tightness up so it doesnt unwrap", then by fingers replace nut to fitting,because its already compressed the olive you dont have to then tighten it up by much as the olive has done its job,if it still weeps,just tighten a little more,plastic pipe tends to want you to do this more ive found,dont forget the pipe insert in 1st before olive ,hope that help folk.
The direction is only relevant if you're applying ptfe to the thread on a joint as the nut has a tendency to unravel the tape when you do it up. When applied to the olive, the nut squashes it together with the joint.
Man, I wish I had watched that video last weekend. I changed two compression stop valves behind the washing machine, and they wouldn't stop leaking. So I got some jointing compound and did them again, and they finally stopped leaking. Well worth the £12 for it.
That olive cutters a nice tool to have. I'm not a plumber by trade (IT tech) but I have done alot of plumbing over the years and never bothered with jointing goop but having seen it I can see why you might want to use it as lube more than anything. Normally if its a stubborn joint thats decided to weep, I've just put half a dozen wraps of PTFE to seal the deal but thats been the exception not the rule.
Not seen that olive splitter before, not sure it would be of any use in tight spaces. I use the Monument olive cutters, 10, 15 and 22mm. The other tool, an olive puller, is useless on an old, probably over tightened olive. The puller just starts to make the pipe bulge and then you’ve no chance of getting the olive off. Perhaps it’s just me, but I like to put plumbers grease on the threads as well. A good, well delivered video.
Jointing compound/paste will shrink after a few years, I had 2 joints leak on my central heating after 5 years, unfortunately you just can't tighten them up because the paste goes hard! Better to squirt a drop of WD40 (any thin oil will do) into the joint just before tightening, works a treat.
Jointing compound I find is mainly needed on Chrome fittings because they have been machined and then sprayed or dipped. In Holland I NEVER used jointing compound on compression fittings. Even the low carbon steel fir the heating. Come to England and did 10 rads and my mate clearly told me to use paste. I said, why? Never needed to before. ALL 10 rads leaked on every valve I fitted. Now, like you said, I always use paste. Jet blue is the best. Stay away from Laco with all the bits in it, that caused so many leaks on male irons to the cylinder. I even add a bit of paste to loc-tite as the white chalk can dry out a bit making it tight screwing it in.
Great videos. I just bought a 3/4" compression ball valve to replace my home main shutoff just in case my shutoff at the street doesn't close enough to solder. However, I just noticed it doesn't have a packing nut under the lever! Never seen this before. Is it something new or just cheaply made therefore I should buy one with? Thanks so much!
Fantastic advice , in the middle of removing a electric shower from the water pipe to replace the solonoid, yes the Mira sport max has to be disconnected from water supply to get to the bloooody thing, thanks Mira!
I’m still in a band, (well actually I Am the “band!) so consequently I can’t afford a professional, (but I don’t live in a camper - yet 😄) thanks for the entertaining advice! We’ll see what happens…
I’ve never used sealing compound on olives and I’ve never made a leaky connection. I always clean the pipe before assembling the joint. I have seen some leaking joints that had remnants of ptfe tape when I dismantled them. I think the tape created a weak point and wonder if jointing compound would do the same 🤔
As an addition , best practice for making gas compression fittings (which tends to be the gold standard) was to go through the process just described ,then disassemble and re apply a smear of paste around the squished olive on the pipe. I always tended to do this for LPG because it just wants to leak. ( I'm not advocating that DIYers do gas pipework , just highlighting best practice which also applies to wet pipework )
as i am in uk i would report the bad pipework and who installed it to the gas safe register ,a timed leak test has to be done before and after any work carried out .no one can do diy in uk to any gas instalations ,lpg should also have timed leak test done ..
Just to be clear again , if you read my comment again it is NOT to encourage people to do gas work (as i clearly stated originally ) but to highlight best practice for gas so that DIYers can make the perfect WATER joint. A Rolls Royce engineers once showed me best practice on jet engines for torqueing down nuts. He wasn't advocating that i started fixing jet engines and nor did i take it this way. It was just good advice that carried over to automotive repairs
When I started plumbing in the late 60s I was always told that a compression fitting was used for repairs only and you don't use paste, but times have changed the fittings arn't as good a quality as they used to be, the other thing is you tighten the nut one and a half complete turns to fully secure the olive it takes a lot of strength to do this on larger dia pipes.
I have never been able to over tighten a compression fitting, usally because I'm upside-down under a sink and only have a few mm space to get a crappy tap spanner to grip properly.
I occasionally use a bit of boss white (like soft putty), or just a light smear of Leakseal (silicone mastic) on the pipe before fitting the olive (in case the pipe is scratched) and a tiny smear on the outside of the olive. And a drop of silicone oil on the threads & chamfer, following previous mechanical experience. If re-using an olive I'll always put a couple of turns of PTFE tape on the olive. No fails here.
Another great video mate! Simple but effective for people! I have learned a lot from your videos ,not particularly from this one 😁 but love your videos and your talent in making them interesting! Looking forward for the next one!!! And yes I am one of those guys that have a drink after work and watch your videos until the end. 👍All the best, take care
@@jonwelch564 What does "correctly" mean exactly? I don't need advice on how to remember whether I tightened it or not. Needed advice on how hard to tighten it. For anyone else still wondering, I'll give you my experience. First attempt, I tightened it quite snug (medium tightness), turned on the water, and it popped right off. So then I really tightened it hard and so far it's holding. I would characterize it as "overtightened", because just "tight" was not enough to hold it under pressure. This is the kind of advice is what I was looking for. Also, the guy at Home Depot also told me to really tighten it hard, which turned out to be good advice.
@@andrewsokol2717 over tight would be when you see the pipe crush in. If you don't tighten it sufficiently as you discovered it can pop off. Worse still on hot pipes, the hot cold cycle can cause an olive that's not tight enough to shift down the pipe. As I discovered when lying in the bath the hot pipe let go as I soaked. I had to sprint down stairs "in the all together" to switch the water off.
Mr plumber, how's it going? Ice been through quite a few training centres for quite a few companies I've worked for. They have always been dead against pasting a compression fitting.
@@plumberparts my comment precisely to the tutor. His response was you might be concealing a leak by using the paste!!!! 😆 Great tips though. My own way is once it's hand tight, half a turn is all you need. 👍
I recently had to use PTFE tape under and over the olive on some compression stop ends and hopefully this will hold up until I get my bathroom replaced and get a pro to get rid of the whole thing.
I've always used jointing compound but just a thin trace, not like icing on a sponge cake. And put some on the pipe before sliding the olive on because you're then sealing another potential leak point.
Have used compression fittings for about 40 years, never used jointing compound and never had a problem. Don't overtighten and you can go back and pinch them up a bit if it oozes slightly. Never needed PTFE tape either. By the way, PTFE isn't nylon, it's Poly Tetra Fluoro Erhylene, the clue is in the name!
Hope YOU enjoyed these tips!
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Thanks.
Glad to see you mention the marking of tightened fittings. It was mentioned to me over 50 years ago as a worthwhile habit and I have always done it. I then go around a job afterwards to check for the marks (bright red is my preference). It has only saved me once but it was in the loft of a 3 story house where the consequences of a leak couldn't have been much worse.
My preference is to do an initial tighten of the olive with the pipe slightly (~1mm) pulled back from being bottomed in the fitting so that all the tightening force acts on the olive and isn't (after the olive grips the pipe) shared with the pipe pressing onto the shoulder in the fitting. I then open it up to see that the olive is seated happily against the fitting (lots of people don't seem to appreciate that the interface between the olive and the nut isn't sealing anything). I then apply potable jointing compound and firm to final torque and mark it.
I also prefer copper olives to brass - usually involved bunging out the olives that come with most fittings.
Thank You...I am a 66-year-old lifelong general-purpose Repairman (plumbing, Electrician, Electronics, mechanic ect.) and I have always had annoying problems with compression fittings.....I'm probably too close to dying to help me a whole lot now but your tips were great...However, It still looked to me like you were winding your Teflon sealing tape the opposite direction than you would turn your compression nut when tightening (I apologize if I'm wrong...I am a bit dyslexic) I'm a Hillbilly in the southern Coal Fields of West Virginia (Almost Heaven with friendly people and at least 10 military-style guns per household).....Love your accent and your teaching style
Your correct, the Teflon tape should be applied clockwise
Thanks for educating me
I have never used joint compound, with compression fittings.
Thanks again
I never have. And, I never will. Not required.
Excellent tips. Just installed four compression valves and two leaked because I overtightened. Now a trip to the store for two new valves/olives and a can of joint compound. Much appreciated from 1/3 of the way around the world California! I subscribed.
Amazing! I learned a lot from this video. (Been doing things wrong for over 40 years lol) Thankyou so much for educating an amateur.
Another tip, turn off your water when you go on holis
Yeah - learned the hard way. But it was a compression fitting that failed with PTFE, that sealed well but was under tightened and popped off.
Jointing compound is a bad idea on these because it may seal but might not be tight enough
Best test is to tighten loosely, no compound, pressurise the pipe and stop if it starts to leak and just tighten enough to stop it leaking and then a few more flats.
You should be able to undo a fitting and the olive should be able to spin but not move up or down, that's how you know it was just tight enough.
I turned the mains off and the stock cock leaked
In my youth, many years ago, we came back from holiday to find our carpets draped across the bushes in the garden. The neighbours had seen water coming out of the house because of a leak and had gone round to see if anyone had a key that fitted our house. I always close the stop tap when we go away!
Cool tip too
make sure the shutoff is newer and functions properly. Hate for you to turn the knob or flip a lever and it starts to leak at the shutoff or elsewhere, right before you're leaving to the airport 😂😂😂
Well I managed 2 of the mistakes fitting a sink at the weekend. Noticed a drip on the floor today and then saw this video. I'll be taking it apart and refitting at the weekend, cheers for the tips😂
I had the same experience. RUclips must be listening to me talk to myself in my head.
As a very qualified and experienced plumber, I cannot fault this guy at all - his tips and explanation match my own ! He is excellent !
Oh this is brilliant, I'm not a plumber but live in a very remote island location, so I have to fix things myself. I just should have watched it this morning before I replaced the hot water cylinder, guess where I wrapped the PTFE tape on all the compression joints as I have done for about 20 yeasr!!! . D'oh!... Thank you so much for this video, As for wedding rings we actually did just that, infact when our plumbing supplier knew what we wanted two olives for, they gave them to us as a wedding present. We only needed them for the actually wedding day! God bless you.
EXCELLENT advice. I am a hydraulic Engineer and I have spent most of my career training fitters how to avoid leaks in high pressure systems. I watched this video to find similarities. Everything you have said is bang on and CORRECT. In respect of under-tightening, we get the nut spun down to the point where it contacts the 'cutting ring' (Our ring cuts into the pipe - slight difference) and we refer to that as the 'fixed point'. That is the point at which all tolerances from threads, tapers diameter differences are allowed for. We then mark the nut and the pipe and turn 1&1/2 turns. That is our industry, yours may differ. We then put a high visibility mark on the pipe and nut. Before start up, all visual checks can be made easily. GREAT VIDEO
Cheers! Interesting to hear how you do it in other industries.
I'm 62 and a Carpenter this has helped me so much NOW IM GOING TO GET THE OUTSIDE LOO AND KITCHEN SORTED THANKS ❤😂
Top tips from Mr pipe man himself! I keep telling the Mrs, it’s essential to have some pipe lubricant next to the bed, for emergency plumbing situations!😎
😂
Hi, many thanks for all your advice. We’ve just refurbished our shower and want to say how helpful your plumbing tips are.
Thank you for this - bad habits are passed down the generations, my Dad (not a plumber) taught me (not a plumber) to wrap PTFE tape around the threads on a compression fitting. Your videos are the first time I've seen PTFE tape used on the actual pipe and olive!
Haha! No worries mate.
It does nothing for sealing but does lubricate the threads when you nip them up and also makes them easier to remove in the future.
So my Dad was half right then! 😄@@ThePillenwerfer
Not his fault as PTFE tape is otherwise known as thread tape
Olive cutter, great idea. Always used the junior hacksaw method at a 45 degree angle to prevent damage. I was always told Conex olives shouldn't need white paste when first assembled. But if they are disassembled I would always use it before PTFE
In all my years of DIY including working along side other trades including plumbers on refurb jobs I have never heard of this. Although I've never had a problem yet, it makes perfect sense and I'm all for good practice. Great video.
Me personally I found this video very helpful and useful! Have a project I'm working on right now and was preferring to use the compression fittings so I'm going to take all his tips! Thanks great vid
Caravan reference. Spot on. Exactly why I watched your video. Pipe leading to toilet is leaking from the top of the compression / isolation valve.
Fed up of RUclips recommending me BS "how to" or "how not to videos". But.. this one is excellent, I was making 2 of the 4 mistakes and now I've been schooled. THANK YOU!
a plumber showed me jointing compound years back. Always use it now. I tend to do a quick tighten then loosen to spread the compound. Never had a problem
I've never seen a jointing compound used in the real world ... I'll be using it next week! Thank you for the tips, I stayed to the end, olive cutters look great! :)
GCSE Plumbing would be a brilliant idea - more vocational training for kids is probably the way to go. I used to love helping my dad do plumbing when I was about 13-14. He used to let me braze joints and bend pipes correctly!
Nothing wrong with the direction you put that PTFE tape on, looked correct to me. Just when you said ‘same way you do the nut up’ your fingers were doing an untighten… now go stand in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
BLUB! 😂😂 Thank you sir!
I have done plumbing for over 30 years and have never used any type of jointing compound on compression joints, guess whet i also have never had to go back to repair a leak either, well apart from the time some one put a nail through the pipe, which apparently i had done two weeks prior to been called out
Bard agrees with you Paul
That doesn't mean that someone hasn't fixed it for you and you never knew that! But I want yo believe you so what are your thricks to avoid getting it undone!
@@antoniogalluccio4213 Maybe delete your post and try again after checking the spelling
Try to be more humble. And what you said just doesn't make sense. Delete yours instead!
I worked at a plant that had thousands of joints in copper and stainless steel tubing. We never used any tape or joint compound. Never any leaks if done correctly from pressures up to 100 pounds of steam and other chemicals and liquids.
Olive cutter. Very nice. I'm not a plumber, but have been doing a bit of water work DIY. Definitely had issues removing or not olives. I fancy a cutter, or maybe the hacksaw and screwdriver tip.
Thanks good video, I'm going to slap on more jointing compound than I have been after seeing you use it.
You can get olives off using an adjustable spanner which you adjust to the diameter of the pipe. Put the spanner opening onto the pipe behind the olive and then gently tap with a hammer. This drives the olive off the pipe.
Excellent video - so glad I watched before attempting to use compression fittings.
Quick question - can you still nip up a compression fitting that has jointing compound after it’s been in place for a week, or does the compound go off and crumble if you try this? I thought I’d tightened it enough, but after a few days it started to seep (not condensation).
Thanks 👍
I have to admit, this is the 2nd plumbing video I've watched on how to replace a valve. The original valve was soldered on by a plumber, 30yrs ago. I'm not a plumber! So I went to Homie Depoe, and discussed my options with the genius that helped me find the right size replacement in a compression valve. Why not a sharkbite valve?? I have no idea...
But anyways, I didn't know the compression fitting needed jointing compound. And, of course I tightened it thinking the tighter the fitting, the less likely it would leak....
😮
I wish I saw this video tutorial about 25 years ago when I started making all of these mistakes. Some I learned by trial and error yet it would have been nice to have avoided those errors. Thanks!
Thank you for the video James, even tho i started watching your videos 6 years ago when i started doing my LVL 2 Diploma in Plumbing and heating.
I'd advise anyone getting into Plumbing to get Monument olive cutter, it can fit in tight spaces, saves you time and effort.
I am so glad you mentioned at 7:05 about PTF tape round the thread . I come from a family of plumbers and it makes me angry when I see that bodge up under sinks and basins usually fitted by Kitchen fitters (Grrr!) I used to see it a lot when as a sparks I cross bonded pipes.
We saw over-tightening. under-tightening, ways to mark joints not yet tightening but I certainly missed any discussion of how to tell the joint is tightened just right. Is there a type of torque wrench for this?
Just found your channel and started watching, you give good advise and are quite entertaining but I was a bit confused at first cos I thought Bradley Walsh had his own plumbing channel.
Great video!
I had to replace a mains stopcock attached to the blue 25mm mdpe pipe under the kitchen sink. Could not unscrew the nut to remove it. Had to use an angle grinder with a thin cutting disc to very carefully cut through the brass nut and olive underneath. A rotary tool would be safer, I think.
Cordless multi tool with metal cutting blade.
I'm plumber in France and even if i didn't learn anything new with your video, i can tell you it very well made and pleasant to watch.
I have an other technique to remove the olive that work if the plumber didn't tight it too much, it's to use a wrench that you open at the same size than the tube and slide it toward the olive with force, i manage to remove olives like that almost all the time.
Great tips, I'm not a plumber but i didnt know that there was a special past available now! What I've used to prevent the squeeking when tightening up the compression joints is appyling a very small amount of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) just a smear like you put on your lips around the olive and pipework and also a little on the threads this will make the olive slide and seat very smoothly, you just know that its not going to leak.
Also if in future you have to undo it, it would come undone very easily, great for when replacing isolating valves and radiators valves, etc.
I understand that vaseline is non toxic
But better to use new approved stuff if used for drinking water.
I wouldn't use it on these plastic push fit though as it might cause the rubber O-ring to deteriorate quicky.
vaseline degrades mate and is water miscible makeing it not a good choice - Tip from radio engineers working on seas salty outside stuff - Use Copperease on everything and Marmite on everything else. (Both Unobtainium in Thailand sadly)
@@ebaystars copper grease is good for automotive applications as anti seize compound and good at high temperatures.
However I think its toxic to micro organisms and harmful to aquatic life.
good point! I will stick to marmite on toast we dont drink tap water in thailand and usually use bottled water everyone here has to have a 2000 litre reserve tank and auto-pump because the idiots cannot supply pressure at night when there is no users as the pipes underground will blow off. It's a nightmare @@mrshoney2624
Vaseline seems to work well
@@santorini8423 like I said I'm not a plumber I won't toutch anyone else's only mine!
I'm an engineer so do understand basics of most things or study it first before doing anything.
I can strip down and rebuild a car engine etc, also fully understand how electrical systems work etc.
Hi I'm a sparks and if you remember MICC cables which have a similar olive and gland system I had the same thing educating apprentices on not over tightening the olives because if they were over tightened and the cable was moved you lost a good earth as the outer sheath was the earth. Brilliant vid and good tips. I looked for the olive splitter that you sowed and could not fine that particular one. I would like to add that to my plumbing kit. In the past I have used a junior hacksaw very carefully to remove an olive not quite cutting through.
There is another type of olive cutter that looks like a large pair of pliers. One of the 'cutting' jaws of the plier is flat and you insert it inside the pipe. The other 'cutting' jaw is indeed a cutter and cuts the olive. The difference between the 'plier' type and the one shown in the video is that the 'plier' type is operated in line with the pipe instead of at right angles to it.
Good point about low quality olives. Some might not have been annealed and therefor wont compress into the tapers properly. Just get them red hot and drop into cold water - so long as they are copper.
Cheers ... Jointing compound.. need to find that. But I always put a wrap or two of PTFE tape on the olive of new fittings, just in case there is a small discontinuity (Roger, Skill Builder tip).
Another tip I find useful is clean the pipe before fitting, with fine grit sand paper or one of those cleaner wire brush tools. can make a difference.
Lastly another over tightening danger: stress can build up in the nut then one day it might crack and all hell will break loose when least expected, has happened to me.
Thank you for taking the time and care to make this.
I'm better off for it now and can tidy up my project with confidence now! 😁
Make sure pipe fits and correct length, make sure both sides of the olive are on the pipe by giving it a nip and visually checking it. In tight spaces, I have used a fitting away from the joint to give the olive a squeeze so it cannot move. A few wraps of PTFE tape around Olive or potable water sealing paste where applicable and no problem. You are posh poetable water I have always said potable water (Drinking Water). Not to tight not to loose and never ever think your brilliant and do not need to double check everything, it will still get you every now and then. The amount of experts I have met in life at all things who cock up all the time because they know they are perfect and do not need to check! Everyone can get caught every now and then so check check check. I stripped and assembled a hot water tank bottom fitting three times resealing each time and it still leaked to find at two o’clock in the morning a cracked reducer fitting, I had used the old ones! I had purchased new ones but the old fittings were ok (Not). It was a home job as well.
Brilliant. Excellent presentation. My only question is how tight is tight? In terms of say NM or ft/Ibs (approx) Thanks
Great now I have to go back in time 20 years and find the Idjet who didn't put jointing compound on the fitting for the sediment filter in the "new" home we purchased. You need to do a video on time travel! PTFE tape round the olive is my solution for now! Thanks mate!
Many thanks from across the pond--great information, well presented, & humorous to boot!
On all brass compression fittings, i use silicone grease on the threads now. A dab of any oil also works. If you smash the brass or copper flares together properly they will stay smashed. Friction sometimes will not allow the nut to tighten fully. Had 3 copper unions squeaking and small drips. A little lube on threads, didnt have any resistance and no leaks. And no garbage on the threads later
As an offshore worker, PTFE tape on compression fittings (Swagelok or Parker A Loc) is a No No. I did a bit of DIY plumbing a while back and the fittings (from a large DIY store) squealed on make up and the depth the pipe went in was shallow, so I went and got some Yorkshire Imperial fittings. They just felt so much better on make up. One other minor point, turn your shifter over 180 so that the nuts contact point on the moving jaw is down at the bottom of the jaw, not at the top of the jaw.
Hydraulic fittings too a no-no where I worked once, any tape fragments can plug up suction ports and get into spool valves
@@jagmarc Yes never use PTFE on hydraulic pipes.
Sparky here chosen by god, thanks for the tip. Would you like me to teach you how to tie your shoe laces….
ruclips.net/video/du6nYwPLBsw/видео.htmlsi=pTRY-KHB13-jghdj
Read your comment and stopped watching at 2 mins in . Any plumber that uses an adjustable spanner backwards is not worth watching .
@@roygroves5983 Let's not be too hard, I often used a wrench backwards when I was learning. But he's doing well to boost sales of plumbing supplies :)
If I put compound on a compression it was an instant fail or a rap across the knuckles with a pair of sixes. North Thames Gas apprenticeship. 4 year apprenticeship, 18 years working. How times have changed. Surprised you did not say LS-X, a must on them fooking doughnuts :) Also under tightening is always better than over, as you can always nip it up, over, no chance.
I use this method when I had to use the old Ferrule because I could not get it off and it works great.
As a DIYer I've been doing PTFE tape wrong for 50 years! Mind you I haven't really had much trouble with leaky joints so I must be doing something right.
I recently (a few days ago) found some "older" USA made 1/2" compression fittings and used one for a hose-bib / sillcock installation...no joining compound , no squeaks, no leaks...
I have made thousands of compression fittings in multiple sizes and rarely ever used jointing compounnd because I didn't have any to hand.
I had precious few leaks in all of those fittings.
I have had to resort to PTFE tape on a limited number of occasions.
Good informative video though.
I frequently remove olives by driving them off using the compression fitting's nut. Just open your adjustable a bit wider than the 15/22 mm pipe and tap the back of the nut with them. That's assuming the fitting hasn't been overtightened. The olive should pop right off, and if you're in trouble, you might even be able to re-use it 😱😅
Yep that's how I do it, it's exactly as you say.
I've seen more videos saying don't use jointing compound and that it's unecessary on compression fitting than say do.
I have done similar by placing an open-ended spanner between the nut and olive, the nut tilts and jams so acts as a fulcrum, works well in a confined space.
I've done that many times. Only time it doesn't work is when the pipe is not fastened tightly so the hitting the nut isn't very effective
Best video on this topic I found. I watched about 10 videos and learned some new things. Thanks!
Well I did watch until the end. Well done to you, so practical and funny with it. Great tips, I must purchase an olive splitter /removal tool. Keep the videos coming, always so refreshing and put over simply, sensibly and professionally. Thanks 👍
I spent most of my career doing stainless tubing. If you need compound or tape you should find another trade. Lubricating the joint allows you to over tighten the joint.
AS he said....the quality of imported copper - brass fittings are not as good as the older stuff, so tape or jointing compound is advisable.
Good advice. We've always called an "olive" a ferrule. I had never even considered that a ferrule could be removed. Always had to cut the pipe back. Do you think a Pex-b crimp removal tool would cut a copper ferrule? I'll have to give it a try.
Wish there WAS a GCSE Pipe….would’ve been far more useful than some of the rubbish they taught us! Thanks for a very useful tutorial, Sir!
Great tips there! Plumber who did central heating install used no jointing compound, said it wasn’t necessary.
Ok, but I specified chrome plated 15mm where visible in the lounge. Again, no jointing compound. Now I know that chrome is harder than brass so it would never bed into the pipe. They said tighten it up firmly and it’ll be ok. That’s what they did, and guess what??? Furry deposits around all the joints! Slow seepage between olive and pipe. I called them back and they said they’d return and fix it. That was two months ago. Still waiting…..
Problem is all fitting manufacturers state not to use third party sealers on their fittings and doing so will void warranties.
Don’t use chrome if you can avoid it. The olives don’t bite into the chrome and can blow off. You have to sand all the chrome off the part for the olive to avoid this. It’s a pain in the pipe.
Great video James. By the way, you had in fact wrapped the ptfe around the thread the correct direction, but did it the wrong way around the olive.
Olive tip I was taught by an old school.
If the olive is just so put something hard being it and tap firmly the other side and it just slides off.
This really works.
Yep I've done that one a few times too! Pop on to Locals this Thursday for the livestream if you get a second: plumberparts.locals.com/support/promo/PLUMB1M or here for the live stream: plumberparts.locals.com/post/4240778/ale-army-raw
Never knew this... but as an insurance policy I always smeared some plumber's putty on the copper pipe before sliding the olive onto it, then I would also smear the olive with some more plumber's putty before bringing the nut over it and tightening the nut (holding the other part of the fitting with another spanner) to fully compress the olive and form a strong watertight seal - I've never had a leak ! lol
Only use for plumbing putty is what it is designed for, sticking glass panes into windows. Sealing compound works better, and you can at least undo it later on without needing to cook the putty out.
Embedding languages into a pipe GCSE lecture. I like it. You’d make the OFSTED inspector proud 😉
Radiator valves still need PTFE though. Maybe this is where the confusion comes from as it's a common diy job. Love this video. Genuinely funny and love the messy work bench and crap osb shelves. That's how most of us role 😂 well done mate.
Good tips, you say not to put PTFE on he thread, I've always put 2 turns of tape on the thread as a lubricant. The squeeking sound you mention earlier is the 'brass' threads galling against each other creating friction. PTFE prevents this, makes tightening easier.
Ludicrous.
Follow the MIs, which do *not* advise the use of PTFE.
@@maxmerton On threads or over the olive ?
save putting ptfe tape on threads for when you're working with BSP or BSPT fittings.
Plumbing brass used to have lead in it which helped avoid the squeaking and aided sealing by reducing friction. LEADED BRASS is not legal anymore for potable water fittings. I had an acquaintance that made threadmills for a major faucet mfr- when they outlawed lead in the brass it not only made the machining "sqeaky" but also screwed up their plating operations on the pretty side of fixtures.
❤cool advice,ive used furnox joint compound in the past, the o 10:4 10:49 only trouble is it sets like concrete after a while,making it difficult if you have to remove a fitting.
My favorite fitting is a yorkshire or end feed ,love solder
Another tip I think you should have mentioned, make sure when you place the nut and olive on to the pipe, you make sure the pipe has entered the the full depth of the body of the fitting, I have seen some that have only just nipped at the end of the pipe, and could pull apart!
That's a good idea! Seen that a few times myself! Hope to see you on my livestream this Thursday! plumberparts.locals.com/post/4240778/ale-army-raw
I always tighten the nut and olive dry then loosen it and then apply the jointing compound and then re-tighten that way the compound doesn't get between olive and pipe making less likely to pull off under pressure, this more likely in larger pipework
I disagree! If the pipe is fully home then once you start tightening the fitting and the olive starts to bite it pulls the pipe down with each turn. If the pipe can’t move the same distance of the threads the pipe bulges inside the fitting as it’s compressed and will leak. I always push the pipe home then back out 2 or 3 mm so there’s room. Never needed jointing compound. This should be tip no.5!!!
@@bbarnes4852 I'm talking about large commercial pipework not 15 mm plus I see compression fitting pull out when the booster pump wasn't set right
Make sure the pipe has entered the full length of the body. THATS WHAT SHE SAID!!!!!
Great video. Been years since I’ve watched your videos. Only just showing up again for me!
The algorithm strikes! Welcome back 👍
Using the olive as a cheap engagement ring tip was a good one. Will let you know how I go...
Moved into a house and the central heating leaked. Lots of the olives were so lose I could turn them with my fingers. No way to drain the system. I added over 10 drain cocks and shut of valves so I could isolate the system and replaced whole joints or just olives. Great tips about paste and over tightening.
Awesome stuff - would have been useful to me a few years back - did a bathroom refit at home - and had to convert a main pipe in the floor with a compression fitting I used a 22mm olive in an old water pile to convert it to 15mm - old 7/8 water It had the smallest leak but take ages to seal it.
you buy the old pipe olive ,good luck trying to fit a 22 mm olive on old pipe :)
Ive done my own plumbing for 30 years, and have never used compound. Neither have I had compressions fail. Have I just got lucky?
With the state of fittings these days, what’s the harm?! You lucky boy!!! 😂
Old schools tip use Hammer on olives by tapping olive while rotating pipe till loose and slides off easy mate
Good tip!
I did that using the fernox jointing gear but i didn't use that much, just on the chamfer and smidge on the olive as i didn't want it in the rad system
I do ptfe and jointing compound. Maybe a bit OCD but it works!
Very good advice for non plumbers like myself.
I usually cut the olive off with a hacksaw blade as you suggest, and carefully.
Presumably leaving the previous olive on is not a good idea?
You can remake a joint with the old olive in place, if you cant remove it. Just reassemble the joint after applying jointing compound or PTFE tape to the olive.
If you are a regular plumber, then olive removal tools arent too expensive to add to your kit.
Keen diyer on tip 1 do you compress [tighten olive ] on pipe 1st before applying sealant
You wound the PTFE in the wrong direction at 7.30, after telling us the right way to do it!
Last week I saw you drill into a floor without checking if there was pipe or cable under it.... that was really entertaining!
I like this channel.
Been a plumber,heating engineer, gas installer since 17, 63 now,i miss the job v much,i dont think it matters how the ptfe is rolled,i do the same as this fellow and right handed like him as its a lot easier to apply the tape over n under holding the wheel of tape through your fingers and i can put tension on as i do that,its about making the seal better on the olive ends making a seal when its being compressed into the pipe using the the internal chamfers of the nut and fitting,only when ive firstly tightened the copper or plastic pipe, so its crimped the olive sufficiently, then disassemble it all,i then apply the ptfe and re tighten nut to fitting,effectively creating another seal that tends to take up the slack between olive and fitting,without sounding big headed,you get to know how much to tighten these (manipulated)compression fittings by experience, like other trades ,so normally i wouldnt apply ptfe tape unless it weaps,it happens now n again,not often its not something you would do everytime you use this type of fitting,so it doesnt make any difference how the ptfe tape is rolled on to just apply ,its acting like a filler as the tension you control by doing it his way and mine is easlier to do,a tip,when you have applied the tape around the olive just keep applying it so you cover both ends of olive equally so you want to go past each of the squashed compressed ends maybe 2 to 3mm to make that tape fill the gap pehaps 3 times is usuall enough as you are about to stop turning the tape holder,just pull on the tape with tension ,put your thumb on the tape on the pipe you have wrapped to hold it on then pull with tension until it snaps the tape still under tension and foward motion the last pulled bit of tape to " lock that tightness up so it doesnt unwrap", then by fingers replace nut to fitting,because its already compressed the olive you dont have to then tighten it up by much as the olive has done its job,if it still weeps,just tighten a little more,plastic pipe tends to want you to do this more ive found,dont forget the pipe insert in 1st before olive ,hope that help folk.
The direction is only relevant if you're applying ptfe to the thread on a joint as the nut has a tendency to unravel the tape when you do it up. When applied to the olive, the nut squashes it together with the joint.
Man, I wish I had watched that video last weekend. I changed two compression stop valves behind the washing machine, and they wouldn't stop leaking. So I got some jointing compound and did them again, and they finally stopped leaking. Well worth the £12 for it.
That olive cutters a nice tool to have.
I'm not a plumber by trade (IT tech) but I have done alot of plumbing over the years and never bothered with jointing goop but having seen it I can see why you might want to use it as lube more than anything.
Normally if its a stubborn joint thats decided to weep, I've just put half a dozen wraps of PTFE to seal the deal but thats been the exception not the rule.
Not seen that olive splitter before, not sure it would be of any use in tight spaces. I use the Monument olive cutters, 10, 15 and 22mm. The other tool, an olive puller, is useless on an old, probably over tightened olive. The puller just starts to make the pipe bulge and then you’ve no chance of getting the olive off. Perhaps it’s just me, but I like to put plumbers grease on the threads as well. A good, well delivered video.
Jointing compound/paste will shrink after a few years, I had 2 joints leak on my central heating after 5 years, unfortunately you just can't tighten them up because the paste goes hard! Better to squirt a drop of WD40 (any thin oil will do) into the joint just before tightening, works a treat.
Jointing compound I find is mainly needed on Chrome fittings because they have been machined and then sprayed or dipped.
In Holland I NEVER used jointing compound on compression fittings. Even the low carbon steel fir the heating. Come to England and did 10 rads and my mate clearly told me to use paste. I said, why? Never needed to before. ALL 10 rads leaked on every valve I fitted.
Now, like you said, I always use paste. Jet blue is the best. Stay away from Laco with all the bits in it, that caused so many leaks on male irons to the cylinder.
I even add a bit of paste to loc-tite as the white chalk can dry out a bit making it tight screwing it in.
That's because you used metric on an imperial system..
Common mistake.
Great videos. I just bought a 3/4" compression ball valve to replace my home main shutoff just in case my shutoff at the street doesn't close enough to solder. However, I just noticed it doesn't have a packing nut under the lever! Never seen this before. Is it something new or just cheaply made therefore I should buy one with? Thanks so much!
No packing needed in these, they use o-rings ..
@@damienhill6383 OK. Thanks! Which type do you think has a longer life? Packing nut or o-rings?
Fantastic advice , in the middle of removing a electric shower from the water pipe to replace the solonoid, yes the Mira sport max has to be disconnected from water supply to get to the bloooody thing, thanks Mira!
I’m still in a band, (well actually I Am the “band!) so consequently I can’t afford a professional, (but I don’t live in a camper - yet 😄) thanks for the entertaining advice! We’ll see what happens…
I’ve never used sealing compound on olives and I’ve never made a leaky connection. I always clean the pipe before assembling the joint. I have seen some leaking joints that had remnants of ptfe tape when I dismantled them. I think the tape created a weak point and wonder if jointing compound would do the same 🤔
If you’ve never had a dry joint leak you are either extremely lucky or you haven’t fitted enough compression fittings.
As an addition , best practice for making gas compression fittings (which tends to be the gold standard) was to go through the process just described ,then disassemble and re apply a smear of paste around the squished olive on the pipe. I always tended to do this for LPG because it just wants to leak. ( I'm not advocating that DIYers do gas pipework , just highlighting best practice which also applies to wet pipework )
DIYers doing GAS WORK, what could possibly go wrong?????????
In the States you can't use compression fittings on gas. Nor can you sweat gas pipes. Flare only
good tip
as i am in uk i would report the bad pipework and who installed it to the gas safe register ,a timed leak test has to be done before and after any work carried out .no one can do diy in uk to any gas instalations ,lpg should also have timed leak test done ..
Just to be clear again , if you read my comment again it is NOT to encourage people to do gas work (as i clearly stated originally ) but to highlight best practice for gas so that DIYers can make the perfect WATER joint.
A Rolls Royce engineers once showed me best practice on jet engines for torqueing down nuts. He wasn't advocating that i started fixing jet engines and nor did i take it this way. It was just good advice that carried over to automotive repairs
When I started plumbing in the late 60s I was always told that a compression fitting was used for repairs only and you don't use paste, but times have changed the fittings arn't as good a quality as they used to be, the other thing is you tighten the nut one and a half complete turns to fully secure the olive it takes a lot of strength to do this on larger dia pipes.
I have never been able to over tighten a compression fitting, usally because I'm upside-down under a sink and only have a few mm space to get a crappy tap spanner to grip properly.
I occasionally use a bit of boss white (like soft putty), or just a light smear of Leakseal (silicone mastic) on the pipe before fitting the olive (in case the pipe is scratched) and a tiny smear on the outside of the olive. And a drop of silicone oil on the threads & chamfer, following previous mechanical experience. If re-using an olive I'll always put a couple of turns of PTFE tape on the olive. No fails here.
Another great video mate! Simple but effective for people! I have learned a lot from your videos ,not particularly from this one 😁 but love your videos and your talent in making them interesting! Looking forward for the next one!!! And yes I am one of those guys that have a drink after work and watch your videos until the end. 👍All the best, take care
Haha! Cheers Rob - enjoy your beer! Will chat about your comment on Locals this Thursday: plumberparts.locals.com/support/promo/PLUMB1M
Great tips,and demonstrated in a really good way 👍👍
Olive cutter is a great idea
Another tip, don't run your finger along/around the end of a freshly cut copper pipe. It will slice you open like a razor blade
True - even when using a pipe slice which is better than a hacksaw that's for sure.
Another one. When soldering don't put solder in mouth to bend to do next joint unless you want a pretty scab on your lip. I won't learn. Lol
@@brevity4308 and never smoke the lit end of a joint- both in plumbing and at parties.
So ... Don't overtighten... Don't undertighten... Great help, thanks!
just tighten it.... easy lol
Exactly! Then he says "and in order to make sure you get it just right.... you mark it with a T". LOL.
@@andrewsokol2717no, he said once you have it tightened, mark it so you know you have tightened it correctly.
@@jonwelch564 What does "correctly" mean exactly? I don't need advice on how to remember whether I tightened it or not. Needed advice on how hard to tighten it. For anyone else still wondering, I'll give you my experience. First attempt, I tightened it quite snug (medium tightness), turned on the water, and it popped right off. So then I really tightened it hard and so far it's holding. I would characterize it as "overtightened", because just "tight" was not enough to hold it under pressure. This is the kind of advice is what I was looking for. Also, the guy at Home Depot also told me to really tighten it hard, which turned out to be good advice.
@@andrewsokol2717 over tight would be when you see the pipe crush in. If you don't tighten it sufficiently as you discovered it can pop off.
Worse still on hot pipes, the hot cold cycle can cause an olive that's not tight enough to shift down the pipe. As I discovered when lying in the bath the hot pipe let go as I soaked. I had to sprint down stairs "in the all together" to switch the water off.
I've used an olive puller several times and it's always worked really well. However that olive cutter looks even better.
This is golden sir!! Thank you for the information and the laughs, my caravan should be sealed water tight now 😂
Mr plumber, how's it going? Ice been through quite a few training centres for quite a few companies I've worked for. They have always been dead against pasting a compression fitting.
Nah always give them a pasting, why risk it?
@@plumberparts my comment precisely to the tutor. His response was you might be concealing a leak by using the paste!!!! 😆 Great tips though. My own way is once it's hand tight, half a turn is all you need. 👍
Sounds like the type of wanker that uses tape and dope on a threaded joint.
Bard agrees with you Carlos
I recently had to use PTFE tape under and over the olive on some compression stop ends and hopefully this will hold up until I get my bathroom replaced and get a pro to get rid of the whole thing.
I've always used jointing compound but just a thin trace, not like icing on a sponge cake. And put some on the pipe before sliding the olive on because you're then sealing another potential leak point.
Have used compression fittings for about 40 years, never used jointing compound and never had a problem. Don't overtighten and you can go back and pinch them up a bit if it oozes slightly. Never needed PTFE tape either. By the way, PTFE isn't nylon, it's Poly Tetra Fluoro Erhylene, the clue is in the name!
Ethlene
ethylene@@LS-td3dz
@@LS-td3dz Polytetrafluoroethylene
Same. Just pinch them up. If undoing old joints I might use some.