So here is possibly one of the most frustrating problems I have ever encountered. Remodeling bathroom, fully, studs to joists and back up again. I have my shower supply (copper from Delta multichoice) to drop ear. All is good. So I give the new Delta shower arm (Delta Classic) my normal amount of new-fixture wraps of PTFE screw it in tight, get it properly adjusted and cap it off at the end for pressure test. Turn on the water, weeping pretty significantly from the bottom of the drop ear.
It definitely isn't due to it not being tight enough. I pull it off and notice that the tape is shredded and the only place there is tape is at the point closest to the outside of the threads on the arm (i.e. closest to the shower head side of the threads, if that makes sense).
I tried doing more wraps, same issue. I tried a few less wraps, same issue. Tried heavy duty gray and white tape. No real difference except rate of weep.
I inspected, very carefully, the male threads of the arm and the female threads of the elbow and all looks clean, no burrs I see nor cracks.
So, thinking perhaps the tolerances are so small because these are both brand new, maybe pipe dope would be a better option. I put the dope on, tightened that sucker on and finally, no weeping. Or so I thought.
Both the bath and shower are capped off, so just to be sure, I have left pressure on it for about 5 days as I was putting up drywall in the rest of the bathroom. On day 3, I checked it again and I thought it had the most tiny little drop of water and I reached up to touch it and got some dope on my finger and it didn't really look wet, but I was suspicious. This morning, I checked it again and didn't see any drips, so was comfortable putting up backer to prepare for tile.
I put the first piece up, but then had something else to do for a few hours. I just got back to it and checked one last time as I was getting close to covering up the plumbing with the backer and son of a bitch, there is, once again the teeniest little drip of water weeping. This time I know it is water because I used a single sheet of TP and wicked it away.
I am frustrated at this point and not sure what else to do. Does anyone have any ideas? This is going to put me behind now as if I change something to fix it, I feel I need to wait a few days to see if something crops up because I don't want to do all this tile work to have to take it apart sometime in the near future. Would adding a hemp string around it possibly be the last bit I need to get it solidly sealed?
It definitely isn't due to it not being tight enough. I pull it off and notice that the tape is shredded and the only place there is tape is at the point closest to the outside of the threads on the arm (i.e. closest to the shower head side of the threads, if that makes sense).
I tried doing more wraps, same issue. I tried a few less wraps, same issue. Tried heavy duty gray and white tape. No real difference except rate of weep.
I inspected, very carefully, the male threads of the arm and the female threads of the elbow and all looks clean, no burrs I see nor cracks.
So, thinking perhaps the tolerances are so small because these are both brand new, maybe pipe dope would be a better option. I put the dope on, tightened that sucker on and finally, no weeping. Or so I thought.
Both the bath and shower are capped off, so just to be sure, I have left pressure on it for about 5 days as I was putting up drywall in the rest of the bathroom. On day 3, I checked it again and I thought it had the most tiny little drop of water and I reached up to touch it and got some dope on my finger and it didn't really look wet, but I was suspicious. This morning, I checked it again and didn't see any drips, so was comfortable putting up backer to prepare for tile.
I put the first piece up, but then had something else to do for a few hours. I just got back to it and checked one last time as I was getting close to covering up the plumbing with the backer and son of a bitch, there is, once again the teeniest little drip of water weeping. This time I know it is water because I used a single sheet of TP and wicked it away.
I am frustrated at this point and not sure what else to do. Does anyone have any ideas? This is going to put me behind now as if I change something to fix it, I feel I need to wait a few days to see if something crops up because I don't want to do all this tile work to have to take it apart sometime in the near future. Would adding a hemp string around it possibly be the last bit I need to get it solidly sealed?
