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Re: needle valves / Teflon tape
John wrote:
>Either Tom Barr, or Wright Huntley in a recent post
>warned against using teflon tape on a needle
>valve....Or was it after a needle valve? Why?
It's not a good idea to use Teflon tape *above* (before) the needle valve
because tape bits can easily plug the valve if they get into the line and
work their way down. If you do use tape, it's important to wrap the tape a
few threads before the end of the fitting -- definitely don't let it hang
over. Otherwise, you risk shredding the tape and getting bits into the
line (it makes it easier to start the thread, too). As Tom alluded to in
his post, small fittings are nearly impossible to tape properly as the tape
is often wider than the threads.
Also, if you remove a taped fitting, you should take care that all the old
tape is cleaned out of the threads and insides of both the male and female
fittings before reusing them. I keep a small wire brush around just for
that purpose.
Generally, it's best to use pipe dope for gas fittings. But folks
shouldn't panic if they have used tape. I have myself. Just be aware that
these problems can occur.
--
Chuck Huffine
Knoxville, Tennessee