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Discussion Forum

plumbers putty, joint compound & hoses

offcenter | Posted in General Discussion on September 18, 2006 07:29am

Is there any problem with using joint compound or plumbers putty with garden hoses to prevent leaks in house connection and nozzels?

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Replies

  1. User avater
    IMERC | Sep 18, 2006 07:40am | #1

    replace the gasket / washer...

    repair the hose...

    get another nozzel...

    replace the hose...

    do it right...

     

     

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!

    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

  2. plumbbill | Sep 18, 2006 09:23am | #2

    I really can't imagine that putty would help at all.

    Like Imerc said replace the parts they are pretty cheap.

    "I'm here to chew bubble gum & kick azz, & I'm all out of bubble gum" Rowdy Roddy Piper

    1. User avater
      IMERC | Sep 18, 2006 10:01am | #3

      but isn't joint compoud a bit over the wall... 

       

      Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

      WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

      Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

      1. plumbbill | Sep 18, 2006 02:21pm | #6

        LOL

        I had "ap lite" in mind when I saw the thread"I'm here to chew bubble gum & kick azz, & I'm all out of bubble gum" Rowdy Roddy Piper

        1. User avater
          IMERC | Sep 19, 2006 05:26am | #10

          got bumped back here...

          sounds more like milking a dollar from a penny.. 

           

          Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

          WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

          Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

  3. TOOS | Sep 18, 2006 12:00pm | #4

    The problem isn't a thread problem, it is a gasket problem.  So using thread sealants isn't going to help the leak.  There is a rubber gasket, sometimes flat like a washer, sometimes an O-ring, inside the female fitting.  This often gets stiff with age, and may crack. 

    It is intended to mate tightly with the male fitting.  The mating surface of the male fitting may be bent or nicked,  however.  If it's not too bad, a few passes with a broad file or some wet-or-dry sandpaper on a block will flatten it again.  If it's too bad, replace it.

    Replace the rubber gasket no matter what the male fitting looks like.  I have had the best luck with the black rubber O-rings, rather than the plastic or rubber washers.  Also, lightly coat the surfaces of the gasket, and of the mating surface of the male fitting, with a thin layer of SILICONE grease.  This will markedly prolong the life of the washer.  Do not use any petroleum-based product on rubber.  It will ruin it in short order. 

    Silicone grease is good for all kinds of stuff, eg, preventing galvanized metal from rusting out after you drill or cut it.  I usually use Sil-Glyde, which is carried by NAPA auto parts stores.  Stopcock grease used in chemistry labs is silicone, and I think, though I am not sure, that plumber's grease, which is designed to coat rubber faucet washers, is also silicone.

     

     

  4. DanH | Sep 18, 2006 01:44pm | #5

    Neither one should seriously react with the hose material, though the putty is a bit more likely to have some reaction long term than the joint compound.

    Of course, for leaky joints the first step should be to replace the hose washer. Often the ones supplied with hoses are really hard rubber, and a softer neoprene washer will seal better.

    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
  5. moltenmetal | Sep 18, 2006 02:49pm | #7

    TOOS has this correct:  a hose joint is a face seal connection, not a tapered threaded joint.  Putting pipe dope or plumber's putty on this type of connection will just make it messy and hard to remove later without much hope of actually sealing anything.

    If the hose bib and the mating surface on the hose are flat, the gasket is new and rubber (not that thermoplastic rubber crap that you can buy 12 for a dollar with the molding sprue holding it together as a package), and you use a bit of plumber's grease on the threads and on both surfaces of the gasket, the joint won't leak.

    Personally I use those quick-connect fittings to avoid having to break and re-make hose connections all the time.  These fittings are cheap and as long as you keep them clean, they seal reliably time and again.

    1. DanH | Sep 18, 2006 04:57pm | #8

      Also note that if it's a good-quality hose but with a bunged-up end, your better hardware stores can crimp a new end on it.
      If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

  6. Shacko | Sep 18, 2006 05:15pm | #9

    Most of the posts have it right, you need a new washer.

    ______________________________________________________________________
    "If you don't have the time to do it right, where will you find the time to do it over?"
  7. User avater
    SamT | Sep 19, 2006 05:57am | #11

    ROTFLMFAO

  8. FrankDuVal | Sep 19, 2006 06:50am | #12

    Most everyone is correct about new seals instead of patches.

    But, the important information is joint compound is water soluble, so it will just wash away!

    Frank DuVal

    You can never make something foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

  9. DonCanDo | Sep 19, 2006 11:48am | #13

    ok, fess up.  you're not actually serious, are you?

    1. User avater
      IMERC | Sep 19, 2006 09:33pm | #14

      you've been here long enough to know that the OP could very well be serious.... 

       

      Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

      WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

      Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

      1. User avater
        Dinosaur | Sep 20, 2006 12:40am | #15

        When I saw the thread title, I thought he was talking about the plumbing in his summer chalet....Dinosaur

        How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

        1. DonCanDo | Sep 20, 2006 05:46am | #18

          Dinosaur, your posts are some of the most thoughtful and well-written that I've seen.  On top of that, the diversity of your knowledge is sometimes just stunning.  So, thanks for all of the great contributions.

          I always make it a point to read your posts and will continue to do so.  BUT, would it be possible to make your personal signature a little less "active".  It can be a bit distracting.

          -Don

      2. DonCanDo | Sep 20, 2006 05:40am | #16

        you've been here long enough to know that the OP could very well be serious....

        Indeed.  But I did notice that the OP had read all of the responses and hadn't replied to any.  I'm still half expecting it to be one of the regulars in disguise and funnin'.

        -Don

        1. User avater
          IMERC | Sep 20, 2006 05:45am | #17

          that no response thing has happened too.. 

           

          Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

          WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

          Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

  10. bolts | Sep 20, 2006 06:41am | #19

    This is the longest practical joke in posting history .

    You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof 

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