Replies

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Jun 05, 2004 10:04pm | #1

   Try wiggling the union as you tighten it, so as to properly seat it.

   Jon

1. 
   jedhartman | Jun 06, 2004 06:37am | #7

   Thank you.  I'll try it.

2. 
   davidmeiland | Jun 05, 2004 10:24pm | #2

   I had the same problem on the radiant system I installed. I used a couple of 1" copper unions so that I could pull the boiler if I wanted to, but they dripped after install. I unthreaded them and put a very small amount of plumber's putty on the mating faces. They went back together leaktight. I have no idea whether or not that's the approved fix but it worked for me. I looked at the unions closely--the mating faces were not perfectly made, and my impression at the time was that only extreme pressure from a couple of large wrenches would generate enough force to comform the copper surfaces to each other. I wasn't willing to reef on them like that so I tried the putty.

3. 
   MisterT | Jun 05, 2004 11:07pm | #3

   Pipe dope.

   Mr T

   Happiness is a cold wet nose

   Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!

1. 
   SamT | Jun 05, 2004 11:57pm | #4

   Mr T, he's talking about a union, not a pipe.

   and who you callin' a dope???

   Arguing with a Breaktimer is like mud-wrestling a pig -- Sooner or later you find out the pig loves it. Andy Engel

1. 
   MisterT | Jun 06, 2004 02:31am | #6

   Anyone who pays dues to the Copper Union!

   Mr T

   Happiness is a cold wet nose

   Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!

4. 
   DanH | Jun 06, 2004 02:21am | #5

   One important point is that the two halves of a union must mate up EXACTLY. If the joint is even the slightest bit cocked then it won't seal.

5. 
   ClayS | Jun 06, 2004 06:45pm | #8

   Like Pipe Dope what he said for sure for sure.

6. 
   csnow | Jun 07, 2004 10:36pm | #9

   Teflon tape.

1. 
   UncleDunc | Jun 07, 2004 11:06pm | #10

   Teflon tape works well on threads, but I'm not sure how you'd go about applying it to the mating faces on a union.

1. 
   csnow | Jun 07, 2004 11:31pm | #11

   "Teflon tape works well on threads, but I'm not sure how you'd go about applying it to the mating faces on a union."

   Try this:

   View Image

1. 
   ClayS | Jun 08, 2004 03:43am | #12

   Wellllllll I 'm kinda callin it teflon dope.

    High falutin newfangled goo

1. 
   skids | Jun 08, 2004 08:56am | #13

   the proper technique is to tighten them with large enough wrenches (more torque) to get them to seal, and this has to be done carefully so you don't break anything. copper however does have much flex to it, so you have some room for error. just remember you don't know what your limits are untill you exceed them!, and just because i'm sliding doesn't mean i'm out of control!

   it does help greatly to have the fittings perfectly aligned "plumb", which reminds me did you hear about the baby that was born without any eyelids? well fortunately it was a boy so they just skin grafted the foreskin after they circumsized him and everything turned out OK, except for he doesn't have any eyelashes, and he's a little cockeyed.

   see thats why everyone loves the plumber, they always bring the dope! just let me know if you want to hear my painter jokes. 

7. 
   PatchogPhil | Jun 13, 2004 06:30am | #14

   I remember reading about this topic on a heating forum.  Seems that the cheapie unions made in China had very poor mating surfaces.  Better quality was in the more expensive domestic made unions.  Harder and harder to find em theses days.  Ya gotta open up the unions and look at the surfaces - many of the overseas ones have blemishes and pits in the mating surfaces and aren't always uniform in thickness so there are gaps between the two surfaces even when cranking down hard.

   Buyer beware I guess.

   The pipedope acts like a lubricant so that you can really tighten em up hard.

   Walk Good