Tape on compression fittings?

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi just a quick question......Is it nessesary to use teflon tape on compression fittings?

I would have thought the olive did the job.

[NCArcher]

No tape required. Make sure you have the correct size fitting for the pipe though. Metric/Imperial.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Thanks NC, now back to installing that new vanity!

[Ashore]

Definately no tape , it can build up as you screw the fitting stopping you getting the correct pressure on the olive, use only on tapered threads :2tsup:

[Fuzzie]

What about flaring the pipe ends and applying green gunk at the seat? I seem to remember that on old pipe work I dismantled in Melbourne but haven't seen it on anything modern in Queensland.

These days the olive is nylon rather than brass, is that the difference? Or maybe it's a gasfitter thing vs plumber thing?

[Harry72]

The green gunk may well be old soap residue which they use as a test for gas leaks.
(Hint hint!)

[Fuzzie]

The green gunk may well be old soap residue which they use as a test for gas leaks.
(Hint hint!)

No. The green gunk came in small tins, I'm not sure what its real name was.

But yes test for gas leaks, soapy water in a squeeze bottle is good. Water pipe connections test themselves. :cool:

[Bleedin Thumb]

All done - no leaks, first time!...Why do plumbers charge so much? between pressure fittings, snap ons, flexi type connectors etc etc .....and they are still almostr the most expensive trade.:?

[Qldp]

All done - no leaks, first time!...Why do plumbers charge so much? between pressure fittings, snap ons, flexi type connectors etc etc .....and they are still almostr the most expensive trade.:?


How much should a plumber charge per hour?

[wonderplumb]

Mate a bit of teflon doesnt hurt so long as you wrap it around the olive itself.............
annealed pipe helps also
green 'gunk' is usually the old 'boss white' which will turn green after years of contact with brass/copper.
The cost of running a plumbing business is very expensive with tools/equipment, insurances, fuel, materials etc. and you have to make a living for yourself and therefore your not going to work for nothing because someone doesnt agree with what your charging, eg in my hourly rate is included $3 per hour just to cover fuel for the week and when you factor in all the other expenses calculated over an hourly rate it doesnt leave you with much more than a licenced plumber gets on wages.
Food for thought.
PS it also depends on what part of town your living, in the city you can expect to pay up to $120 p/h!

[Harry72]

"The cost of running a plumbing business is very expensive with tools/equipment, insurances, fuel, materials etc. and you have to make a living for yourself and therefore your not going to work for nothing because someone doesnt agree with what your charging, eg in my hourly rate is included $3 per hour just to cover fuel for the week and when you factor in all the other expenses calculated over an hourly rate it doesnt leave you with much more than a licenced plumber gets on wages.
Food for thought.
PS it also depends on what part of town your living, in the city you can expect to pay up to $120 p/h!"

"What"

The cost of running a plumbing business... how about we compare that to a joinery business or a metal fabricator or even a landscaper.
Dam sure they dont earn $120p/h and their tools would cost way more than any plumbers set up.
I can understand the fuel charge as oxys arent cheap($3p/h seems a little cheap?), your insurance would be no more than any other housing trades?
Materials arent cheap yes but that doesnt come into the hourly rate does it?

At $120p/h I dont care if its illegal I'll be doing my own plumbing:D(not that I actually would, just find a cheaper plumber)

[rsser]

For flared fittings my plumber neighbour recommends using this brown goo (excuse the tech term); looks like runny putty.

[bricks]

The green stuff is Hawkins Paste, Good stuff to use on compression fittings- It stops the fitting binding on the pipe- much like a lubricant.

The red stuff is Stagg Jointing paste used to help seal the join.

Both are available at any plumbing outlet and good hardware stores.

I wouldn't use plastic olives on annealed copper tube due to the risk of the fitting sliding off the end of the tube and causing lots of water damage.

[wonderplumb]

Fuel, thats petrol before you even think about your oxy, a 'plumbers kit' beleive it or not does cost a fair bit to set up, my 'plumbers kit' of handtools would cost a grand to replace before we even get into the power tools, oxy set, kango, partner saw, freeze kit, locating gear, jet, plumbing specific tools such as benders, expanders, pipe cutters, chain cutters and the list goes on.
For the record nylon olives are supposed to 'grip' the pipe, tighten an olive around annealed pipe then try to slide the bugger off, the idea is they grip the pipe so it doesnt slide out of the olive and kinco under pressure, which does happen.
Im not saying I charge $120 p/h, not by a long shot but in the guts of the city people do and people pay it:doh:. Tell me what you think a fair price for a tradesman is?:D:D

[Bleedin Thumb]

. Tell me what you think a fair price for a tradesman is?:D:D

First let me say I think that you are stretching it a bit calling plumbers tradesman.

Since the main purpose of plumbers is to unblock ship out of pipes. A job no one in their right mind would consider doing ....let alone undertaking four years as an apprentice just to perfect the art form ....
and also considering as a plumber:


A. You stink and are forced to bath in Detol.
B. You have no friends except other plumbers.

Then I guess you do deserve adequate compensation. If I had to stick my arm up a sewer pipe every day I would want my $1000 a day as well.:D:D:p

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

The green stuff is Hawkins Paste, Good stuff to use on compression fittings- It stops the fitting binding on the pipe- much like a lubricant.

It's also great stuff on the odd threaded fittings which leak regardless of how much teflon is applied. (eg. poor or "ovalled" castings.)

Hawkin's is the wannabe plumber's best friend. :2tsup:

[wonderplumb]

First let me say I think that you are stretching it a bit calling plumbers tradesman.

Since the main purpose of plumbers is to unblock ship out of pipes. A job no one in their right mind would consider doing ....let alone undertaking four years as an apprentice just to perfect the art form ....
and also considering as a plumber:


A. You stink and are forced to bath in Detol.
B. You have no friends except other plumbers.

Then I guess you do deserve adequate compensation. If I had to stick my arm up a sewer pipe every day I would want my $1000 a day as well.:D:D:p
Ha Ha......... nice one:U
I really did want to be a chippy but me old man told me to wake up to myself and get a trade.:cool:

[Timmo]

It's not often i agree with plumbers but I'm a simple tradesman and my labour is charged out at more than $120/hr.

Im not a plumber either ;)

[Harry72]

Ok lets compare tools, lets compare to the bloke who owns a joinery

Handtools cost just a grand, handtools for a joinery the most basic kit couldn't be done for a grand... even using bargain basement tools.
Powertools you would need a few but not nothing compared to a joinery, which need multiple of everything, no gmc here:)
Stationary tools what do you use? Cheap basic panel saw's start at $10K , what about all the thicknesser, jointer, spindle moulder, drill press, dovetailer, tennoner, morticer, veneer press, bandsaw's, sanderers etc etc, then comes the support tools/services like dust extraction and compressed air, 3phase power, massive amount of shop made jigs, sharpeners, heating/cooling, forklift, delivery/supplies truck.
What sort of business premises do you need? A joinery needs a fair amount of space, there's area's the joinery needs such as machine, assembly, finishing, wood storage, finish product storage, a lunchroom for his employees.
Then to top it off a joiner is the mercy of the market, a plumber doesnt need to compete with cheap imports or discount shops who buy up failed business's products.

Unblock the pipes, there's a select few plumbers who will do this(its ones who work for them selfs), most I've come across will only do installations.
What about the blokes who work for the sewage departments... they wouldnt get $120p/h be more like $25~30p/h, their hands are still in it(its what my father did, and just like a self employed plumber he was on call all hours).

A fair price for a tradey about $50~60p/h before tax, its still double than most peoples wages! Hell I got to do shiftwork working with molten metal to earn $26p/h before tax and work public holidays... never get xmas or newyears off then must compete with other blokes for holidays.(not to mention my working conditions/environment)
Learning the plumbing trade is no harder or longer than most trades.

Timmo what do you do?

[wonderplumb]

Mate your talking a whole different kettle of fish, of course a premises for manufacturing a finished product is going to be costly to set up, no GMC here either mate, I made that mistake only once when I was younger. As for being an easy trade to do, at 5yrs of tafe with 6yrs on the job to be a licenced plumber, plus the restricted electrical, tmv, backflow, advanced lpg etc you can be looking at up to 7/8yrs, then go and do the diploma course its 4 nights a week for a further four years. Heaps easy mate, piece o !:D I often wonder how people get the misconception that plumbing is sooo easy and its a mugs game. Must be a common 'woodworker' thing eh?:D

[Bleedin Thumb]

., then go and do the diploma course its 4 nights a week for a further four years. .


A Diploma of Plumbing!!!!! .......your having a lend of us, surely.

What next a Bachelor of Carpentry??? Associate Diploma of Bricklaying!:oo:

[wonderplumb]

I shyte you not my unbelieving and unlearned friend:D. Diploma in plumbing technology/ hydraulic engineering depending on where your from.
When you win a larger job such as say, a high school, hospital, shopping centre, high rise apartments etc you dont just lob up with a few lengths of pipe and say sweet we'll start here, you will get given a heap of plans, elevations, spec.'s and details etc that are drawn in by the 'Hydraulic Consultant' and will contain very specific details on pipe materials, jointing methods, PC items, measurements for fixtures, what grade of solder to use, fixings, and the list goes on, these details apply to whatever service the plumber has been contracted to run; H&C water, tempered water, mixed water, stormwater drainage, sanitary drainage, sanitary plumbing, gas, steam, chilled water, cooling water, condenser water, trade waste, compressed air and on it goes. These services are sized correctly from their source (mains in the street, boilers etc) to the very last fixture.:2tsup:
But then again plumbing is a piece of p1ss, isnt it?:D

[pharmaboy2]

LOL - notice things are in good humour here - doesnt follow for all trades discussions does it? ;)

$120 an hour - sounds like one of those "I heard....." - like a friend of mine would swear on his mothers grave that lecos in sideny are costing a 1k a day - yeah right - rumours spread by other leccos when the owner tells em to shove off after charging themeselves out at $80 PLUS call out and travel LOL! My plumber charges out at $45 plus $25 call out, which means when I want a new garden tap, its not worthwhile me sourcing the parts to do it myself - I just ring ring. I'm yet to speak to someone who has actually paid a bill for these outrageous prices I hear - wonderplumbs probably thinking to himself - heh why arent I pulling 200k pa? - coz tradies who tell you how much they earn are nearly always full of ????? - well if theyre big noting they are. :)

lets face it - the reason most of us have experienced expensive plumbers, is because we phone them at 5 o 'clock on a sunday, to come and fix the pipe we just mangled with the mattock - so we'er off to start with!

[wonderplumb]

LOL!!!! 1k per day eh? Havent heard that one! Isnt it funny how a simple conversation turns into a shyte fight:D:D I love it! Every one picks on the plumbers!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Bleedin Thumb]

Every one picks on the plumbers!:rolleyes::rolleyes:


Of course, they're such easy targets!:roll:

Actually I don't have anything against plumbers...if only they could learn to back fill their own trenches.

I also admire those big houses they live in with the ubiquitous wake boat parked outside and the environmentally friendly F250 in the drive.:U

[Harry72]

Sorry Wonder plumb:), I just cant understand how some justify $120p/h for a monkeys job... dont give us the training ploy every trade has it. If you specialise in a particular field of the job your not a general plumber any more.
For instance my BIL(metallurgist)spent 10yrs full time uni... yep full time not earning a tradey wage while training, then go out and do another 10yrs training out in the field before being considered qualified. He is one of this country's top experts in designing and commissioning metal processes... dam sure he dont earn $120p/h, I'd like to have his wage tho:D
Im not a tradey, I do quite a few courses every year just to legally do my job... so what its part of the job!