Shower Spout - Teflon or what?

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CaliSkier

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I am installing a shower and when I am done in a few days will be putting in the shower spout. For the connection behind the wall it looked like the old connection was done with plumbers putty. What is recommended? I would not think plumbers putty would work.
 

Terry

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Shower spout?
Normally a shower arm and head would be 1/2" pipe threads. The connection inside the wall can have either Teflon Tape or pipe dope (thread sealant)
 

hj

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It was probably NOT plumber's putty, since that would have been "scraped off" as soon as the arm was screwed into the elbow in the wall. It could have been "pipe joint paste" which would have been a proper material. ANY pipe joint sealant will serve to keep it from leaking.
 

Gary Swart

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Many folks confuse "Plumber's Putty" and "pipe joint paste" (aka "Pipe Dope") Two different products for different uses. Plumber's putty is a clay-like material that is used to form a seal between sink strainers and sinks. Pipe Dope is a thick goo that is brushed on pipe threads to seal a joint. Some plumbers prefer Teflon tape instead of pipe dope, some prefer using both tape and dope. I think it's largely a matter of personal preference. When I was a kid on the farm in pre-plastic pipe days, we used the muck in the bottom of oil paint cans on our galvanized pipe fittings. It was probably full of lead, but it seemed to work.
 
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