Securing Black Iron Pipe Fittings-Weld?

[d_striker]

I'm making a propane manifold for my three tier vertical brew tree.

I need the fittings to be at certain angles in order to mount the burners in the spots that I need. I've never worked with BIP before and have read that you don't want to over tighten them.

How do I get the "angles" I need while ensuring that my fittings are sealed and secure? Should I weld them?

 

[LuiInIdaho]

Usually you just screw the fittings together but make sure that you use a pipe dope that is specifically for gas, not the teflon tape that is used for water connections. I am not sure what angles you are talking about, but perhaps you might find the proper arrangement of nipples, 45's, and 90's to get the angles that you need. Also, you might use the pipe to get close enough, and then use a flexible pipe connector to make the connection from the manifold to the burners. I hope that this helps.

Mark

 

[d_striker]

Usually you just screw the fittings together but make sure that you use a pipe dope that is specifically for gas, not the teflon tape that is used for water connections. I am not sure what angles you are talking about, but perhaps you might find the proper arrangement of nipples, 45's, and 90's to get the angles that you need. Also, you might use the pipe to get close enough, and then use a flexible pipe connector to make the connection from the manifold to the burners. I hope that this helps.

Mark

Imagine something like this:

Notice how the top elbow fitting needs to be aligned to a specific point in order to feed the burner. The same is true with the T fittings.

What I'm concerned about is if my fitting is too loose to obtain this point. The alternative would be to "crank it down" harder to get to that point but then I'm worried about over tightening.

Does pipe dope "lock" the threads in place like Thread-Loc? Thanks!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Black iron pipe is a tapered thread which allows you to torque it and also postion it. You will get a feel for when you have 1,2, or fractions of a turn left until it gets very hard to turn. No welding!

 

[d_striker]

Black iron pipe is a tapered thread which allows you to torque it and also postion it. You will get a feel for when you have 1,2, or fractions of a turn left until it gets very hard to turn. No welding!

Aha...

Will the BIP thread fit the brass gas valves I bought? I think they are FIP. Or is it NPT?

 

[LuiInIdaho]

Would something like this help? A short length of hose like this could help tremendously in that you would not have to be so exact with the alignment of your fittings and the angles at which they would need to be. I would recommend that it would be long enough to get a short loop in the connector hose just to allow for some movement. I know that the connector hose can be purchased from Home Depot, so it is readily available.

 

[Sudz]

Aha...

Will the BIP thread fit the brass gas valves I bought? I think they are FIP. Or is it NPT?

Black gas pipe threads are NPT (National Pipe Thread). Most tapped brass is also NPT as are most plumbing fittings.

Just insure you use the appropriate pipe dope or tape for the joints. When tightening things, only go forward when using tape. If you find you need to backup, start completely over with fresh tape. This is a good idea with the dope as well although it will be slightly more tolerant to a small reversal.

As a side note... never use the tape on any fitting style other than the NPT. NPT fittings are tapered and use the interference fit with the tape to make a seal. Using the tape on normal straight threads usually just screws things up. Straight thread fittings rely on other things for sealing, ie. gaskets, seals, Orings, etc.

Check your work so you don't burn your house down. The Pro's will tell you not to use Windex but I've never had a problem with it and it's convenient for checking for gas leaks (tires also).

 

[d_striker]

Black gas pipe threads are NPT (National Pipe Thread). Most tapped brass is also NPT as are most plumbing fittings.

Just insure you use the appropriate pipe dope or tape for the joints. When tightening things, only go forward when using tape. If you find you need to backup, start completely over with fresh tape. This is a good idea with the dope as well although it will be slightly more tolerant to a small reversal.

As a side note... never use the tape on any fitting style other than the NPT. NPT fittings are tapered and use the interference fit with the tape to make a seal. Using the tape on normal straight threads usually just screws things up. Straight thread fittings rely on other things for sealing, ie. gaskets, seals, Orings, etc.

Check your work so you don't burn your house down. The Pro's will tell you not to use Windex but I've never had a problem with it and it's convenient for checking for gas leaks (tires also).

Great information...Thanks a bunch.

I do have a question about your statement about not using tape for threads other than NPT. What about weldless bulkhead fittings? Aren't these straight threads?

 

[greatplainsbrewer]

Great information...Thanks a bunch.

I do have a question about your statement about not using tape for threads other than NPT. What about weldless bulkhead fittings? Aren't these straight threads?

You will seal the weld less bulkhead with the o ring. Tape won't help. As far as testing black iron connections ideally you would use compressed air and a pressure gauge. You do not want a slow leak filling the room with gas.

 

[Sudz]

ideally you would use compressed air and a pressure gauge. You do not want a slow leak filling the room with gas.

+1