Angle Stop Valve Leak -- Help!

[carpenter2006]

I just installed a new pedestal sink. I connected a 5/8" inlet compression angle valve to my incoming copper supply line. I used thread sealant on the male threads and screwed the nut in. When I turn on the house water I get a very tiny leak (1 drop every 2 minutes) on the back edge of the compression nut. See attached document picture.

How can I correct this? Do I need to tighten nut further? Did I over tighten? Is there something I can apply to the back of the nut and copper pipe that can seal this leak?


Thank you. Any help would appreciated!!!

 

[OldPete]

Compression fittings are funny. Too tight and they leak, too loose and they leak too... Without being there it is tough... but. To put it into words, if when you were tightening it, you didn't tighten it to the point where you thought, "this might NOT be too tight" -- then give it a 1/16 of a turn (tight) and see what happens, if it leaks more, then you had it too tight to start with, if it stops leaking... all is well.

On the opposite side, if when you were installing it you said, "gee, I think that was too tight" -- then you probably went too tight and you'll need a new ferrel (spelling) (the little ring that slides over the pipe)... you'll also want to give the pipe a good working with some emery and clean up and marks, etc. (and at this point, you might as well go another 1/16 of a turn, since you probably went too tight already. hehe.)... it might stop the leak anyway. Like I said, compression fittings are funny buggers.

Hope this helps...

Pete

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cass]

I'm not sure what you mean by "thread sealant" Compression stops use only a touch of light oil or nothing. I generally use nothing when I use compression stops. Try disassembling the the stop and examine it to see if the ferrule is evenly compressing and slid all the way back on the pipe. Also check and see if the pipe is deformed. Maybe a little tighter if all seems O.K.

 

[Plumber1]

Back the nut off and put some plumbers grease all around the Ferrel and make sure you put some on the threads that the compression nut onto and snug it up and if it drips just snug some more.

You don't need to grit your teeth and tighten. Snug is a good word for this........

 

[Mikey]

I'm guessing the "thread sealant on the male threads" did you in. I'm with Cass on this one -- I make sure everything is clean, squirt some WD-40 on everything, and tighten the nut over the ferrule with a pair of open-end wrenches until snug. If the threads, ferrule, etc., are dry (especially threads) or dirty (especially the ferrule) "snug" might not be quite snug enough. Usually I can take the fitting off and the ferrule will also come off with some mild persuasion. In your case, I'd take the stop off, clean up everything, oil everything, and try again. If the ferrule is visibly biting into the pipe, I think you've overtightened it, but the experts might argue about that (they make a pulling tool to take them off in this situation, though, so I guess it's common).

 

[Plumber1]

It was just a suggestion before taking the whole thing apart.

 

[Mikey]

Normally, that's what I would do as well, since if anything I under-tighten a compression nut, so another tweak would be the most likely fix for a leak. In this case, I thought that taking a look at things might be advisable -- it's not all that much work to remove the stop. The question I didn't consider is: What if the nut was overtightened, the pipe deformed, etc.? If there's not enough stub left to cut and try again, would you just sweat on a new stop, or what?

 

[Kordts]

Use a handle/ferrule puller to get the nut and ferrule off. Then I use a pipe resizer to reround the pipe. I just got done doing this at a church. Had to lay on my back over the old footing with about 2" clearance between my chest and the bottom of the sink, and fight an out of round pipe.