Using Teflon Tape the CORRECT Way

Plumbers, roofers, HVAC techs, and other tradespersons know that this stuff is essential - but using it incorrectly can cause big problems. I’ll go over everything you need to know about this handy trades tool.

Chapters 🔴
Different types of Teflon Tape ▶️ 00:00
What is Teflon tape? ▶️ 01:48
Where would you apply Teflon tape? ▶️ 02:31
Does colored Teflon tape mean anything? ▶️ 03:43
What happens when you apply Teflon tape backward ▶️ 04:23
How to apply Teflon tape the correct way ▶️ 06:05

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Thanks for watching! I'm Roger Wakefield, The Expert Plumber, and welcome to my channel. On this channel, it's ALL about plumbing. We play games, we experiment, and we have FUN here, talking and learning about all things plumbing!
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[elizabethguerra]

Aposolutly correct! 3 rotations of teflon, thin layer of pipe dope, never had a leak. Thank you Roger for educating people. Love your channel.

[JerryWick]

Oil field experience, most roustabouts putting together 2" flow line together used standard white tape and tru-blue. I did the same and had no leaks. Pressures sometimes exceeded 2-3000psi.

Now working on hydraulic systems of all types and sizes regularly, straight Blue Monster with no dope. 15000psi max. No leaks.

I think as long as you put something on pipe threads and do it properly like wrapping the tape in the right direction; it will work

[BlairScouten]

Pool guy checking in! I teach this 101 all the time! The majority of fittings I see are PVC. Mostly 1.5’ sometimes 2”. For my purposes, I tend to use clear silicone rather than pipe dope. WAY easier to clean off again if you have to take things apart! 😉 I also use just the regular white teflon. Nothing fancy.
As far as how I learned, I picked it up initially by watching the senior guy doing fittings and then gave it a try myself. That was back in 2003. Got educated formally on this stuff in apprenticeship school in 2004.
Now I’m the senior guy on the job showing the rookies how it’s done!

[Koh-Wei-Jian]

I am a fire sprinkler contractor and i wrap 15 rounds of teflon on a 15mm pipe and 30 rounds for 50mm pipe, and somewhere in-between for other sizes. Threaded pipes and fittings take 3.5 turns to tighten. The application is for 200psi water.

[hgbugalou]

I do it like you do. I use the thicker tape on higher pressures, but like you said the normal no frills stuff usually works just as well with a few more wraps.

[alexs-zqni]

I do it with regular teflon tape about three times around for the work I do.
I like the sound of your method. I like doing the parallel to your method with electrical tape and liquid electrical tape to insulate splices.

[lysterne]

I’m a welder by trade, so most of my joints are hot and sparky, but of course lots of times there’s threaded systems included with the weldments, often 1-3 inch pipe. I typically use 5 - 8 wraps of the blue monster and a small bead of dope, and it seals right up. That said, my first company was so damn cheap I often had to make do with either tape or dope, not both. For tape only jobs I would add 2 or 3 extra wraps, and crank down as hard as I could with the wrench. For dope only I just used a little extra, didn’t tighten down too hard, and then wiped a small amount around the joint after it was assembled, works like a charm.

[ronlovell]

I've used just standard white Teflon for many years, but find lately have to do 8 to 10 rotations because fittings are getting sloppier and poorly cut these days, especially with lack of supplies. A few times I had to resort to dope and wicking, or pipe sealing cord for old cast iron rad fittings, because I would use a tonne of tape and still get leaks, even tried other more expensive tapes, with no luck. Guess you can't beat a classic!

[ryuranzou]

I've only used regular blue teflon didn't even know there were other kinds. The main thing I learned was to make sure I don't put the tape on backwards and to not overtighten it. I'll remember to brush the fittings if I do end up with leaks next time and ask my boss about using pipe dope. I've heard of him using it on some projects, but have never seen it myself since he said it can be messy.

[BarrettPlumbing]

I use 4-5 wraps and plumbers grease for extra lubrication. It makes it so much easier to fully tighten fittings with plumbers grease compared to pipe dope

[michaelstaley]

I was taught to use both the white Teflon tape and pipe dope. Thank you for sharing this video.

[eggmanfryer]

I just use tape on threaded joints. I use Teflon paste on compression fitting because it lubricates the ferrule and it tightens up smother.

[williammorris]

I 100% agree with cleaning fittings, even new fittings I keep a wire brush handy, I tend to use a welders wire brush because they seem stiffer, and even with new fits there is rust spots and debris sometimes. I go above and beyond on gas because I don’t ever want to be the guy that destroys a house or god forbid kills someone with a leak

[safeinsound]

Sprinkler fitter here
Dope then tape for the side you tighten
Just dope for tightening on the machine
My stuff only leaks when I for get to tighten it lol 👍

[badgermetal]

I use a couple layers of blue tape and a pipe dope on the pipe we thread ourselves. Only issue sometimes is the threads can easily be set up to cut too deep on our adjustable machine. To test it I thread the fitting on dry while it's still hot without tape or dope to check if its good. 2 or 3 full rotations by hand is ideal. Any more than that and the tolerance is too big, when the pipe cools down and shinks it could leak. If the threads are from the factory I use less tape because the tolerances are always a little tighter.

[gabepart]

Thank you for the videos they help tremendously!

[thewolfman]

we use antiieze on threads, tape, and more antisieze. We work with hard dirty water and dam if the pipes come apart easily when they finlly rot. Old timer also told me if u took the pipe off with a 18" pipe wrench use a 14" to put it back on and havent had a problem yet

[Chrominance]

You do the same thing I do. I always feel like it's unnecessary, but I always prefer to remove any old thread tape prior to wrapping any new tape on.

[galoyd]

I remember from one of Roger's videos he told the story of why he uses tape + pipe dope. If it works for Texas Instruments, I'm gonna trust it.

[mstaack]

Watched your video to the end great stuff my good man! Just for clarification (I’m not a plumber) your First wrap was one layer around the back end of the treads, then it looked like you kinda half wrapped the first layer while moving towards the unwrapped threads. I guess my question is are you trying to create 3-4 LAYERS of tape on all the treads, or just one full layer at the back and work it forward so that all the treads have at least on layer of tape! Thanks