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I have an outdoor hose bib that comes up from underground and rests against the house. The bib is threaded into the vertical pipe which is in turn threaded into a female fitting just above ground. The fitting at the bib is seeping, but tightening is complicated by the fact that the bib needs to point out from the house. Basically, I have to tighten it in full rotation increments, but this means it is either too tight or too loose. How would a non-amateur manage this? The underground sections are PVC, so soldering everything isn't an option.

Mastiff
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    Are you using thread/pipe tape(teflon)? Usually there is enough range between too loose(leaking) to too tight to line up a fitting. – crip659 Nov 14 '22 at 01:15
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    if @crip659 had written his comment as an answer I would have upvoted it. That user has great answers in general. – P2000 Nov 14 '22 at 01:20
  • Yeah, using teflon tape. I believe you though, maybe there's something else going on that it won't stop seeping. Buggered thread or something. – Mastiff Nov 14 '22 at 01:59

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Pipe thread compound (aka "pipe dope") is a paste that can be used for sealing threaded pipe connections. I've had plenty of occasions when PTFE tape failed but pipe dope successfully sealed the joint. Some pros actually like to use both tape and dope.

You could try a "professional" PTFE tape product. These are heavier (thicker) than the familiar white PTFE tapes and seal better. Many are rated for "everything" (fuel gases, steam, air, water, etc). Blue Monster is an example.

There is a thread at both ends of the vertical riser. You could try backing off the lower thread so that the upper one can be tightened a little bit more. Also, the position of the thread at one end of the riser relative to the thread at the other end is random. A different riser might have the threads clocked in a more favorable way, allowing both ends to be a few degrees tighter while also having the bibb at the desired rotation.

Greg Hill
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  • Ooof... I can imagine buying a dozen risers looking for one that's threaded "just right". I mean, you could return the unneeded ones, but what a nightmare playing Goldilocks! – FreeMan Nov 14 '22 at 15:22
  • @FreeMan It would be a pretty desperate thing to try more than one other riser. I've never run into a situation in which I couldn't get the seal and the correct orientation at the same time. In theory, though, one could resort to trying a different riser/fitting. – Greg Hill Nov 14 '22 at 17:53
  • Is there a suitable flange fitting that could be used for this (threaded 1/2in or 3/4in at the ends)? – P2000 Nov 14 '22 at 19:34
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    @P2000 a "pipe thread swivel connector" doesn't have a flange, but does provide infinite adjustment. – Greg Hill Nov 14 '22 at 20:31
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Make sure that you're using the right amount of teflon pipe tape. Even with clean threads, you almost always need some sort of thread sealant to get a leak-free connection on threaded pipe connections. If you're using a few wraps of tape the correct direction and once you turn it tight enough to stop leaking it's facing the wrong way, try loosening it back up, cleaning up the threads on both sides, and doing it again with one or two more wraps of tape. Eventually you'll find the perfect balance of a tight leak free connection with the silcock pointing the correct direction.

KMJ
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I would caution against using too much Teflon tape. It can cause PVC pipe to crack. The tape lubricates the threads and can give a false sense that a connection is not tight enough, resulting in over tightening and a crack. Instead use a thread sealing paste like Great White or RectorSeal#5 Then you can turn the pipe to the correct orientation and the paste seals the threads.

RMDman
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  • So "Great White" is NON hardening paste, but "Great Blue" hardens? Good point you make to use the white paste in stead of tape on PVC. – P2000 Nov 14 '22 at 19:44