Sealing Pipe Threads/Pump Issues?

I'm assembling stuff for the plumbing on the system. I "thought" I primed the pump (march 809)...but I'm not sure...it pumped a small amount of water half way up the line, and that's as far as it could send it?

Also, the pipes on the outlet were leaking on all three connections, even though I used teflon tape around all the connections. Any tips to prevent leaks? I've got some keg lube...maybe that would help stop it from leaking if i put some on the inside/outside of the teflon tape?

Use more teflon. If you have the cheap stuff, 8-10 full wraps in the direction you will tighten the fittings together. Pull it very tight so it stretches a little as you wrap. The leaks could easily account for the lack of performance of the pump, but it's hard to tell for sure until they are fixed.

No go it's still leaking from almost every connection. Used a ton of the white teflon tape, and it just leaks...i tightened one damn brass fitting down so much that it stripped the threads! I've got to head back to lowes tomorrow. Is there any type of lube that might improve my luck with these confounded brass connections?

Wow, teflon tape should definitely seal those fittings, are you sure they are not cross-threaded in the holes. I dont think any type of lubricant will help to seal them as it will eventually wash away. You could look for a food-safe pipe dope at your local hardware and try that with teflon tape, other than that, i would consult the manufacturer of the pump.

Pick up some liquid teflon paste. That should solve your problem.

Bull

Are you wrapping the teflon in the correct direction? Hold the fitting in your left hand, start the tape on the bottom of the fitting, bring it out towards yo, then over the top and down the back. If you wrap it backwards, it will "unspool" as you thread it together. 6 or 8 wraps should be plenty, even with some of the thinner tapes.

Are you sure that the fittings you have are a tapered pipe thread?

when i set up my pump i used teflon tape on the the output side of the pump where i was attaching my valve and i stripped my threads as well so i took off the tape and very carefully put the valve on without the tape and made sure it was really tight. i then put a quick disconnect on the input and decided not to use tape so i wouldnt strip those threads i also tightened it down very tight when it came time to run the pump i had no leaks. maybe u should try it without the tape

http://www.youtube.com/embed/G3LMrn750Ys

I'd guess it is time for new fittings.

jdlev said:

No go it's still leaking from almost every connection. Used a ton of the white teflon tape, and it just leaks...i tightened one damn brass fitting down so much that it stripped the threads! I've got to head back to lowes tomorrow. Is there any type of lube that might improve my luck with these confounded brass connections?

Click to expand...

Contrary to popular belief, Teflon tape or paste is not designed to seal tapered pipe threads. They are lubricants designed to help you overcome the friction which occurs between the male and female threads while tightening. It is the threads themselves which are making the seal.

If you are having problems with stripping threads, you are either cross-threaded, or over tightening. It's net clear in your statement above, is it brass fitting stripping plastic threads, or brass on brass? If you are stripping plastic threads, and you're not cross-threaded, you are over tightening and lubricant will just make it worse. If you are stripping brass threads, well then you really are a man.

The things you need to do are:
1. make sure you have only tapered threads
2. make sure you are applying the teflon properly.
3. do not over tighten. Yes believe it or not tighter isn't always better, as you can strip threads and damage fittings. The ASME actually specifies how many threads are to be exposed on an IPS joint after it is made up, and this is written into state laws and codes in most areas for that exact reason.
4. You could add a thin layer of teflon paste OVER THE TOP of the teflon tape. This is how we thread all of our hydronic fittings in our business, and I haven't had one leak in over 5 years

Here's a video of the miserable failure I have so far:

A) I added a dimmer switch to the pump to control variable pump speeds. Well, with the magnetic drive on the pump, it seems the pump only has 2 speeds...fast and slow. So once the power from the dimmer hits a certain speed, it spins up the pump and goes from 0 to about 3/4 speed. Although, I did have a small bit of success, at about 1/4 speed and still had the sparge wand turning very slowly. So it's not a complete failure like my plumbing. (I was originally proud of myself, because I suck at electric stuff, and thought maybe the dimmer idea was a first in homebrewing)

B) I continue to have issues with the pump. I'm not sure how to prime it. Priming, I thought, was just flooding the pump housing. I'm not sure if the water is properly priming it, because you can't see it through the dang silicon hosing. I have a little knob on the ball valve that I believe relieves the suction and can prime the pump that way...which 'seems' to work sometimes. I'm not sure, the silicone hose could also be crimping?

C) The plumbing problems continue...so I'm heading over to lowes to replace the brass parts I stripped. I'm also going to try to pick up some more teflon tape and some teflon goop. This should be a helluva lot easier than it is! Someone mentioned I may be winding the tape the wrong way so I'm going to try to fix that as well.

Here's the video of where its at right now...

The leaks may be disallowing prime especially if you have any suction side leaks. On a side note, I love the classification of the video as "comedy", at least you're keeping your sense of humor about things. Hopefully the new fittings will do the trick.

IT STOPPED LEAKING!!!!.....

and then I overtightend the inlet valve and cracked the pump housing....another one for the DOH thread!!!

Sea said:

Contrary to popular belief, Teflon tape or paste is not designed to seal tapered pipe threads. They are lubricants designed to help you overcome the friction which occurs between the male and female threads while tightening. It is the threads themselves which are making the seal.

If you are having problems with stripping threads, you are either cross-threaded, or over tightening. It's net clear in your statement above, is it brass fitting stripping plastic threads, or brass on brass? If you are stripping plastic threads, and you're not cross-threaded, you are over tightening and lubricant will just make it worse. If you are stripping brass threads, well then you really are a man.

The things you need to do are:
1. make sure you have only tapered threads
2. make sure you are applying the teflon properly.
3. do not over tighten. Yes believe it or not tighter isn't always better, as you can strip threads and damage fittings. The ASME actually specifies how many threads are to be exposed on an IPS joint after it is made up, and this is written into state laws and codes in most areas for that exact reason.
4. You could add a thin layer of teflon paste OVER THE TOP of the teflon tape. This is how we thread all of our hydronic fittings in our business, and I haven't had one leak in over 5 years

Click to expand...

Are you a steamfitter... i posted this once when somone was having a problem and got into a debate of teflon tapes purpose.. your spot on and perfect advice..

PS...the white teflon is garbage. Definitely...Definitely pay the extra $.97 for the pink (extra strength) teflon tap!!!

Primevci said:

Are you a steamfitter... i posted this once when somone was having a problem and got into a debate of teflon tapes purpose.. your spot on and perfect advice..

Click to expand...

I'm about to buy the small company I work for. We install and service hydronic heating systems. So lots of pipe fitting, controls, boiler service, and the like. Steam's really rare on the west coast, except in large commercial, and power plant applications, so we're primarily hot water guys.

jdlev said:

PS...the white teflon is garbage. Definitely...Definitely pay the extra $.97 for the pink (extra strength) teflon tap!!!

Click to expand...

On metal fittings I'd agree, but with plastic threads it is possible to have too thick of teflon.

did anyone else notice the "dimmer switch" that he installed and think thats a bad idea? You dont want to throttle the pump by slowing the motor. To slow the flow of liquid just start to close off the ball valve on the outlet side of them pump.

bucfanmike said:

did anyone else notice the "dimmer switch" that he installed and think thats a bad idea? You dont want to throttle the pump by slowing the motor. To slow the flow of liquid just start to close off the ball valve on the outlet side of them pump.

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No, I missed that. Some pumps are designed to be run variable speed, though I doubt that this is one of them. However, most variable speed controls pulse the pump on and off in varying intervals to achieve the desired flow-rate. A dimmer switch adjusts power by limiting current flow, which is a different thing altogether. An induction motor requires a boost of power on startup (higher current) which explains why the pump won't start until the switch is turned up to a certain point. Since the pump will try to draw a large amount of current on startup, the resistor in the dimmer switch may over heat causeing it to melt and be a potential fire hazard. Also, repetitive under-current starts on a pump motor will shorten its life, so the dimmer switch is probably not a good idea.