Newb seeking tips for working with black pipe

[Xkylescorex]

Ok so Im plumbing my new air compressor in the shop and I thought I had it all set up and ready to go. I opened the main valve on my compressor and of course I hear a hissing at a joint right smack dab in the middle of my run. I tries tightening the joint using vise grips but all that did was loosen the next joint down the run which then started leaking. Argh! Im assuming there is no easy way out and I will need to disassemble and start over. Any tips or tricks for a newb? Should I use pipe wrenchs? I originally used pipe dope. Should I switch to tape? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[06 DIESEL]

You should be using pipe wrenches to make sure the joints are tight and pipe dope is OK.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

Wait What? you didn't use pipe wrenchs to tighten pipes and have a leak. Yes definitely time for a do over. Take apart reapply dope tighten with a wrench.

 

[JRC3]

Yep, it needs to be tight- pipe wrench tight...You aint gonna hurt it. Pipe threads are actually meant to seat to seal against each other and dope or tape work as a lubricant to get it tight enough.

 

[glentre]

hold a union near the pipe to measure how much pipe needs to be cut out to install a union. Then cut the pipe, remove both pieces and the short piece for the union, re-thread the pipe and tighten with wrenches and install the union.

Glen

 

[Xkylescorex]

Ok great. As crazy as it seems I dont own a pipe wrench and have never used one before as Ive never worked with pipe. I watched a few youtube videos today though. I had thought vise grips and my bench vise would suffice. Anyway, what size should I buy for 1/2 pipe? 10" / 14" or bigger pipe wrench. My run is only about 20' long. Looks like I need to redo tge last 6' or so but I have a drop leg and a turn in it

 

[glentre]

A 10" will work fine on 1/2" pipe and so will a 14" which will give you a little more flexibility for future work on larger pipe. Depending on your configuration you will likely need two wrenches, one to hold the fitting and the other to tighten the pipe that goes into the fitting. A 10 and a 14 together would be a good choice.

Glen

 

[6PTsocket]

hold a union near the pipe to measure how much pipe needs to be cut out to install a union. Then cut the pipe, remove both pieces and the short piece for the union, re-thread the pipe and tighten with wrenches and install the union.

Glen

If he installs a union doesn't he have to cut thread? The OP does not own a pipe wrench much less pipe threading dies. I agree , a union is handy when you don't want to take a whole bunch of sections apart.

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[HoosierBuddy]

Assuming someone reads this thread in the future and knows as little as the OP:

1. The OP made a great choice with black pipe for air. It's approved for this use and should provide decades of trouble free service once installed.

2. The proper tools to work with black pipe would include at least 2 pipe wrenches, a wheel type pipe cutter, a good pipe vise and a pipe threader with the proper dies to match the threads you'll need to cut.

3. Materials needed include a good pipe sealant (pipe dope) and thread cutting oil. I much prefer pipe dope over tape. It's just more reliable.

4. It is often helpful to dry fit your pipe, disassemble it, dope the threads (READ THE CAN...IT'LL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO), and reassemble using pipe wrenches. You use the second wrench to back up your first wrench so you can get each joint tightened properly. How tight? Well...that varies...if it leaks...likely not tight enough.

For smaller setups, you might get by without the threading equipment...and some hardware stores will cut and thread it for you if you only need a couple of pieces cut to length.

Good luck!

Phil

 

[ChaseDE]

yeah you need unions and pipe wrenches. if you can't find threaded pipe the size you need you need a threader, or better yet make a friend who is a pipe/sprinkler fitter and have them thread it up on a ridgid machine.

 

[rick carpenter]

You'll need pipe wrenches for this and for other stuff. A 10" and a 14" should do you fine. There's not much to gump up on a pipe wrench, so garage sale snags would be OK unless they're bent.

 

[Marcm157]

I use Rector Seal #5 on all my pipe fittings - Seals very well and can be used on all types of pipe.

 

[Xkylescorex]

Thanks for the tips. I swung by harbor freight at lunch today and picked up a 10" and a 14" pipe wrench. Total cost about $12. Ill let you know how it turns out.

 

[Falcon67]

It's mostly junk pipe and fittings. Plumber friends told me to wrap a joint with 5-6 turns of teflon tape, then use thread seal over that and hope for the best. Put in unions along the way for servicing - I actually have some 90s and small fitting assemblies sealed with JB Weld. Don't care that makes for a "cut out and toss" section because pipe is cheap and leaks annoying.

 

[MFolks]

Most black pipe is Chinese made,and will leak,unless you chase the threads on the male ends,and use a tap on the female ends. Sometimes several makers are involved in the pipe construction,with varying ability to make a gas tight seal.

 

[FMB4]

Falcon67 (post #14); are you helping GF member Xkylescorex with the assembly of this project?

 

[TMcCay]

Falcon, you are right about the junk fittings. On my set-up after buying what I needed at local hardware store and having nothing but leaks no matter what I tried or how tight I turned on them. I ripped it all out and went to the local plumbing store and asked if they carried Made in the USA stuff. They did and I picked up what I needed. Got the pipe cut and threaded. Installed everything and no leaks!

I looked closer at some of the ******* from the local hardware store and the fittings and you could definitely see that they were out of round. There is no way your going to make those fittings leak proof!

 

[sberry]

Get a 14 and an 18, its not really all that much work to back out a few fittings, take the drip leg out and may even be able to gang tighten them especially if you have a little help.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Falcon, you are right about the junk fittings. On my set-up after buying what I needed at local hardware store and having nothing but leaks no matter what I tried or how tight I turned on them. I ripped it all out and went to the local plumbing store and asked if they carried Made in the USA stuff. They did and I picked up what I needed. Got the pipe cut and threaded. Installed everything and no leaks!

I looked closer at some of the ******* from the local hardware store and the fittings and you could definitely see that they were out of round. There is no way your going to make those fittings leak proof!

This is an excellent point. Box stores get the cheapest fittings they can find. Plumbing supply stores know better than to stock that junk.

Phil

 

[VWTim]

It's mostly junk pipe and fittings. Plumber friends told me to wrap a joint with 5-6 turns of teflon tape, then use thread seal over that and hope for the best. Put in unions along the way for servicing - I actually have some 90s and small fitting assemblies sealed with JB Weld. Don't care that makes for a "cut out and toss" section because pipe is cheap and leaks annoying.

3 wraps of Teflon tape is correct. In hard to seal threads, use 3 turns of blue monster Teflon tape and a a light coat of a pipe sealant (dope). Then tighten the **** out of it. Let it sit overnight before pressurizing. We do this almost daily at work.

 

[matt_i]

My opinions are these. I use Loctite PST as a pipe dope. Its rated for almost any industrial service piping (air, gas, gasoline, water, oils) and won't leave shizzle behind (to get entrained and mess things up) if you ever have to open up a fitting. If not sourced locally, McMaster Carr will send you Ward Mfg black pipe fittings, made in USA. I'd want an 18" wrench. Eat your wheaties and bring your biceps to a black pipe job. When you are sweating and grunting then the pipe threads should be made up tight enough.

 

[jeeper46]

Use two pipe wrenches, as many others have said. One is for tightening the pipe, and the other is the "holdback". They will be on the pipe and fitting in opposite directions-you'll figure it out. In the plant, we 'fitters used a pipe dope called "The green stuff", that worked real well. I often taped the joint, and used the green dope on it,too. As far as tightening the pipe, my Journeyman told me to "tighten it as tight as you possibly can, and then give it another half-turn"....

You want two 18" wrenches.

 

[sberry]

I even build it on the floor and hang it if I can.

 

[Ford12508]

You want two 18" wrenches.

Just wondering. Why do you recommend 2 18s for half inch pipe? I would recommend a 10 and 14 from personal experience.

 

[engineer2]

It you put a thin coat of dope on both the male and female threads and get it good and tight (put some muscle into it), you won't have leaks.

 

[jeeper46]

Just wondering. Why do you recommend 2 18s for half inch pipe? I would recommend a 10 and 14 from personal experience.

Habit, I guess. I always tightened pipe with two wrenches of the same size, and an 18" is going to give you more leverage than a 10", so you can get it tighter with less effort. I rarely used my 10" pipe wrenches in the plant-they still look like new.

 

[rayra]

It's called 'pipe dope' for a reason.

/lulz

 

[Xkylescorex]

Well I tried my pipe wrenches and tried to tighten an 10' section while still on the wall. That meant I had to pull it out a little which I guess put stress on the coupling and actually broke the pipe clean off with the threaded part in the coupling. Would It be easier to try and run two smaller sections or one long 10' section? Im now thinking i would have been better off with the rapidaire garage kit. Lol also does pipe dope ever dry? The stuff I used is still wet 3 weeks later and is a mess. The label says it never dries. At least I dont have that much to hang.

 

[BD1]

Where are you located ??? You near Northern Illinois ?

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Well I tried my pipe wrenches and tried to tighten an 10' section while still on the wall. That meant I had to pull it out a little which I guess put stress on the coupling and actually broke the pipe clean off with the threaded part in the coupling. Would It be easier to try and run two smaller sections or one long 10' section? Im now thinking i would have been better off with the rapidaire garage kit. Lol also does pipe dope ever dry? The stuff I used is still wet 3 weeks later and is a mess. The label says it never dries. At least I dont have that much to hang.

Dumb question (maybe). The coupling you broke....This was a coupling you bought separately or the one that was on the end of the 10-foot section of black pipe when you bought it?

Phil

 

[Xkylescorex]

I actually broke the threaded part of the 10' pipe off inside of the coupler.

 

[Lincolncruiser95]

wow...yep grab the previous pipe, twist off the old fitting and thread a new one on with pipe dope.

Im a total noob, but I did my airlines in all 1/2 blackpipe up to my dryer/filter, then into a three eighths hose reel. !/2 inch threaded hydraulic hose from shutoff valve on tank to wall. As long as you lay it out first, think ahead, disassemble, and put it together with pipe wrenches starting at the beginning and working to the end, you should have no leaks.

BTW all my black pipe, unions, elbows and ******* came from the big box store. As long as I don't have a leaky fitting on a tool it will hold tank pressure in the line between tank valve and regulator for weeks.