Pro Handyman Blog

Plumbing Leaks

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Plumbing leaks are the scourge of home repair. Invariably, you get small leaks at the connections where two pieces of threaded piping or fittings meet. Some homeowners know to use Teflon tape and some don't. Teflon tape (or Teflon paste) fills the little nooks and crannies where the threads connect.

Screwing the fittings together without Teflon tape typically results in a leak. Water will always take the path of least resistance and find a way out. The Teflon tape fills these small voids and stops the water from leaking out. But there is a right and wrong way to apply the tape.

The right way is to wrap the threads in the same direction that the fitting screws on (clockwise). Wrap the threads clockwise and overlap the tape upon itself so that there are several layers with no gaps. The general rule is to wrap the threads three times.

After you wrap the threads, hold the tape to the threads and pull to break the tape. Then take your fingers and, pinching the threads between your fingers, rotate them clockwise to push the tape into the grooves of the threads. When you screw the fittings together, the tape will lay down (because you wrapped them clockwise), and will provide a smoother surface to screw against.

For gas fittings, you can use yellow Teflon tape, which is thicker and made specifically for gas connections.