Bronze union troubles for whole house filter -help please

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Caryncbreeef

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So I am a day or two away from my rough. We ran PEX A in the whole house and it went pretty well. In the utility room I put a two stage whole house filter because our water has LOTS of stuff that needs to be removed. I ran a diverter run into the attic (where all the distribution is.
anyway, starting at the intake side of the filter going to the supply I have a 1” Threaded plastic pex insert as recommended by the MFG. then Pex to a brass male threaded to the brass union to a another threaded brass back to pex….. inlet / outlet same. I used PTFE pipe dope as suggested at the local plumbing heavy hardware store. Dripping no matter how much I tighten it.

so my plan is shut valves and isolate filter/unions. Empty water and unscrew everything and clean well.

I tried to watch videos and search online and found nothing of value about this subject. So now I am asking the experts.

tape or dope or both? I have read pages suggesting everything under the sun and nothing.

2nd. Considering I have four threaded sections on each side and unless I redo the pex, the plastic threaded fitting that goes into the filter is connected with a 31/2” pc of PEX to the brass threaded fitting. Same for the second brass threaded fitting, they are stationary as well.

so like -paying chess, what is my first move? Obviously the union is last, just want to get this right.

to top it off I am disabled, so all this work is really difficult for me, I can do it but suffer awful after. I would have paid a plumber if they ever returned phone calls. I got not a single written estimate on a complete plumbing job. The market here is insane.

any suggestions would be most helpful. I’ll send pics in AM. Pipe is all 1”. Expansion PEX
 

wwhitney

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How about a picture of the leaking area and nearby piping? Is it leaking from the ground joint union interface, or from the threaded connection on one side or the other of the union?

Cheers, Wayne
 

Fitter30

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Threads or union? Go to tape is bluemonster dope Hercules mega lock or any brand of anaerobic. Useboth tapeand dope on threads. Union a very thin coat of dope on male flange. Brass or bronze union are a pain. Threads of the union flange a little Never Seize tighten it then wait 30 seconds tighten again.
 

Caryncbreeef

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How about a picture of the leaking area and nearby piping? Is it leaking from the ground joint union interface, or from the threaded connection on one side or the other of the union?

Cheers, Wayne
Both sides not the union I’ll get you a picture in a minute
 

Caryncbreeef

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How about a picture of the leaking area and nearby piping? Is it leaking from the ground joint union interface, or from the threaded connection on one side or the other of the union?

Cheers, Wayne
 

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Caryncbreeef

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How about a picture of the leaking area and nearby piping? Is it leaking from the ground joint union interface, or from the threaded connection on one side or the other of the union?

Cheers, Wayne
How about a picture of the leaking area and nearby piping? Is it leaking from the ground joint union interface, or from the threaded connection on one side or the other of the union?

Cheers, Wayne
This is the other side you can actually see the drips now and they’re both where the union itself attaches to the left and right
 

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John Gayewski

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4 wraps of tape. Use the roll of tape to work the tape into the groves of the male threads. Since you've worked the tape into the threads the dope should be worked into those groves. I've not had a leak on a connection made this way (knock on wood). Only when I've skimped on this technique have I had any leaks. When I finish a threaded joint there is almost 0 tape that has squished out and minor amount of dope it mostly stays safely in the joint.
 
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