If you’ve ever crawled beneath the bathroom sink to fish an earring out of the pipe, then you’ve probably felt that all-too-common temptation that comes with do-it-yourself plumbing.
Tighter!
The thought seems reasonable enough, especially when you’ve got a wrench in hand. The harder you twist, the better the seal. Right?
Tighter!
Unfortunately, household plumbing doesn’t work that way. Tight seals can actually cause more problems than they solve. Why? For one thing, many pipe fittings are made with rubber seals. If you wrench them too tight, the seals can warp and leak.
Another potential pitfall for do-it-yourself plumbers is stripping the pipe threads. If you look at a pipe, you’ll notice that it looks like an oversized bolt, albeit with a hole in the middle. If you put too much muscle into your work, those threads can strip and leak.
So here are some tips that might help you when you’re trying to reattach that elbow beneath the sink:
- Righty tighty, lefty loosey: Yup, the adage works for plumbing, too. It’s a good phrase to remember to avoid overtightening an attached pipe, or getting hot in the collar when connecting a new one.
- Don’t forget plumber’s tape: That silicone tape is a plumber’s best friend. Wrap it around your fitting to create a tighter seal.
- Hand-tighten pipes: That’s right. Put the wrench down and snug the fitting together with your bare hands. That will keep your tightening temptation at bay.
That being said, I’d be happy to help with your household plumbing problems. Just give me a call.