Old pipes and loose compression fittings

[Mike6f]

Pipes are 42 years old, 1/2 copper to original multiturn shutoff with nasty built in spiral tube up to the toilet tank. It took two big wrenches, pipe wrench to hold the valve, and a long handle 7/8 plus a lot of grunting while hugging a toilet used by my son. Once the valve was off had to use a real plumbers tool to remove the ferrule and nut.

I put on a nice high quality Home Depot Brasscraft 1/4 turn shutoff, snugged it up with two long handle wrenches, but minus any grunting. Shutoff not only easily rotates, but will slide right off the old pipe. If I cut the old used portion off, pipe is green with corrosion and may be too short. House is due for a repipe, but these two toilets need to work in the mean time (weeks maybe couple months).

Pipe compound, grunts, or both?

I also considered stopping at the real plumbing supply and buying a better grade of ferrules.

Thanks

 

[hj]

The "grade" of the ferrules does not matter. The o.d. of the copper was compromised when you removed the old ferrules. You have to cut the copper to the point where the new ferrules are past the point of the old ones. Then use new ferrules.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Pipe compound, grunts, or both?

I think both. If you have to cut it off after those efforts, that's the way it goes. You can use plumbers grease instead of compound, especially on the threads. https://www.danco.com/product/0-5-oz-silicone-faucet-grease/ is very good, but you don't need the best for this greasing. You do need the NSF-61 rating.

I had leaking on a compression fitting on 3/8 od copper. I was afraid of crushing. I needed more grunts and compound. Actually not grunts, but pry or compress the two wrench handles. Then let things rest, and give it another 1/8 turn.

 

[Jadnashua]

The threads on the compression nut and the valve body can gall some, making the tightening not smooth and incremental. A little grease on the threads can help prevent that so you can snug it up more smoothly. A longer wrench helps, too, as does some muscle. You should get the valve tight enough so that it isn't easily rotated which will often let it leak until it's tighter.

 

[Mike6f]

Went to Home Depot, Megaloc out of stock, didn't care much for the compact pipe cutters, but picked up the cheap $1o Husky, a tube of Rectorseal T2, spare Fluidmaster 400A for parts, didn't find any better grade ferrules, but noticed BrassCraft 74 shutoff valve with a push on sharktooth and bought one, ate lunch and went back and bought another.

Rotates a bit on pipe, no leaks, toilet one now flushing without a bucket of water.

I am a dab of grease person, so all the threads and light coat on the rubber connecting parts to keep them from binding. About to shut off water again and fix toilet two, but leaving in the old fluidmaster and just swapping the rubber bit for the valve from the new one, and replacing the leaking riser pipe and valve. Should go much faster now that I hopefully learned a bit from the first one. Reason for leaving in old FluidMaster, doesn't leak, was a PITA to tighten the two nuts on the bottom to my satisfaction. The nuts are made for fingers, but still need 1/4 to 1/2 turn with some kind of wrench. Lesson learned on that is do the two nut completely with final wrenching, then attach riser pipe to tank and fully tighten, then riser pipe to shutoff valve, and finally shutoff valve to wall pipe.

Thanks for help, I was ready to cut pipe and try the compression again, but could not resist the pushon for now, repipe planned.