The other day, my friends and I discussed some working moments over a mug of tea, and the conversation smoothly turned about threaded connections. As it turned out, most people think that at least a couple of turns of fum tape must be wound on any thread. Allegedly, this makes the connection more tight, durable and reliable.
Doubts crept into my head: is it right. To find the answers, I decided to turn to generally accepted norms.
Rules for winding fum tape
To make the connection as reliable and durable as possible, you need to adhere to the following rules:
- 1. Wrap the fum tape in the direction of the thread. That is, we wind the right-hand threaded fitting to the right side, if we look at the thread from the end side.
- 2. When winding, you need to tighten the tape a little, otherwise, it may turn when you start to tighten the thread. Then leaks are guaranteed.
How many turns of fum tape need to be done
I believe that there is no single correct answer to this question. The number of turns of the tape is influenced by various factors, including:
- Thickness and characteristics of the tape;
- Thread diameter;
- Shrinkage of the thread (tight joints are more common, but there are also threads with a gap).
The direct number of turns of the fum tape for a particular case will depend on the above factors. You can delve into this issue, draw up a special table in which to enter all the nuances and highlights of each possible case. However, it is easier to rely on certain nuances, based on which you can independently choose the number of turns of the tape.
I want to note that the tape must be wound with tension until it hides all the sharp edges of the thread and you see a smooth surface. Those. the thread must be hidden under the seal!
Let me demonstrate with a personal example: I wrapped a 1/2 ”thread with 8 turns of a 0.1 mm seal. If I used a 0.2 mm tape, then 4 turns would be enough.
What else to pay attention to:
- If you do not enough turns, then soon the connection will begin to leak.
- If there is an excess of fum tape in the joint, the counterpart of the fitting may break.
I hope that this information from the article will be useful to you in everyday life!
Thank you for reading the article to the end! I would be grateful for your like 👍 andsubscribing to the channel.