How to Apply Teflon Tape the RIGHT Way

Chris shows you the right and the wrong way to use Teflon, or PTFE, tape.
PROTIP: Don't apply tape to the first thread, it makes it easier to get the thread started.
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We are a distributor of pumps, packaged pumping systems, on-site wastewater treatment equipment, on-site wastewater treatment systems, and custom electrical control panels for water and wastewater applications, water well supplies, drilling supplies, and water treatment equipment.

[@dwainwilliams4020]

I don't often do plumbing, but I've always hated doing Teflon tape. This is the first time I've ever done it correctly the first time! Thanks so much

[@joefabeetz1029]

Thanks for confirming that I've been doing it correctly for all these years. Not taping the first thread is a great tip. I sometimes do that.

[@nathanstokoe]

I couldn't see anyone appreciating it in the comments, but I noticed that sick transition at 0:25

[@RCworstwater]

😊Thanks for noticing!

[@TroyDowling4]

I do not comment on KZbin videos, but must do so here. This tutorial is critically important. I am doing a facepalm so I forgot the basics. I have never seen a manual mention this important point. Also great is that you remind us with no arrogance. Thank you tremendously.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped!

[@CliveReyes]

Agreed. Just woke up to a puddle in my laundry room and the reason was my dumbass wrapped teflon tape the wrong way.

[@johndee759]

So you have to go clockwise the same way how you screw it on

[@bernadettewalsh7286]

Thank you,! I'm up all night trying to seal my toilet fittings 🙏🎉🕯️

[@Wesmancan]

Some videos are very helpful. You no so much.

[@georgeszweden9497]

I like how this dude presents the topic. He's casual, explaining simple things to us

[@spol]

And I feel like he appreciates getting to teach us something

[@evirae]

Installing a bidet and, hilariously, using teflon tape for the first time in my DIY shenanigans. Thank you so much for a perfectly illustrated video that covers everything you need to get things done correctly. In the dark world that is the internet, people helping others with stuff like this gives me hope. Awesome work!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad to help!

[@aaronrodden8121]

That's is such a pretty name!! I have NEVER heard or seen "Evirae" before! No creeping lol just saying...Like Anastasia, that's a unique and pretty name!

[@DeltaKnight]

That's actually the exact same reason I came here!

[@norbertnagy5514]

I like the bird draving in the profile pic

[@corneliuspraeda6452]

Your hope is misplaced. We're all still dooming ourselves, one rotten filthy Twitter post at a time. But, when The End finally comes, at least our bidet's don't leak. ;)

[@yolannayerex4142]

Thanks. Seemed a simple task but of the three things you said one could do wrong..I did all three. Now, my counter-top dishwasher is well connected, no squirting water in my face from such a simple thing as poorly applied teflon tape. Today..you're MY superhero!

[@RCworstwater]

Nice Job!!

[@jaredreber4590]

Clear, casual, and concise video. Most other videos mention clockwise. But clockwise gives different results depending on which direction the pipe is held. He clearly says facing you which is the big difference on this video.

[@ClappaGlappa]

I super appreciate this. Just started living the rural life and I had to replace my first well pump this afternoon. The first run showed me the leaks and I tried again, but it still leaked. Did some research, ended up here, and learned that ALL of my Teflon is backward and my fittings are likely not tight enough. We learn something new every day.

[@exnyer72]

I decided to reroute a sprinkler head on my lawn irrigation system...let's just say what an educational experience it's been between pipe sizes, elbows, male/female threads, etc, one pipe fitting has been leaking stubbornly. I have a roll of Teflon tape someone left behind. I look forward to sealing this leak! I loved how you explained it! Thank YOU!

[@deepwapiti]

Thank you, thank you for the clockwise application advice. That’s what did the trick for me.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped!

[@nardixbici]

Very nice video tutorial. Straight to the point, clear, simple. Kudos!

[@taniavick8479]

This bloke knows what he's talking about. And he says it well. THANKS.

[@castello544]

What about a shower head, The head has a washer etc but the plumbers who installed it put tape on it and now it has come loose. I guess I'll try it without. Thanks

[@KingLeonidas_300]

this helped! new life skill unlocked. dont know why school doesnt teach practical stuff like this. more useful than 90% of things i learned in school

[@terrapinflyer273]

Then we'd be putting tradesmen out of business. And deem the IRS mostly useless if they taught kids about taxes lol.

[@cyreljhonserrano7504]

Thank you for the tutorial. I watch these kinds of tutorials because my father passed away when I was a child, and now I have to figure this out on my own.

[@arturoeduardos8121]

Some commenters refer to the fact that garden hose connectors use gaskets to create a watertight seal. If I understand correctly, this is because garden hose connectors use a so-called "STRAIGHT thread-form" as opposed to the "TAPERED thread-form" found on iron pipes, etc. The latter provides "pretty good" sealing using the threads alone whereas the former does not. However (again - as I understand), the "pretty good" seal achieved with tapered threads is imperfect - requiring tape or putty in most applications. So please correct me if I'm mistaken. And thanks so much for your videos!

[@ikwilgewoonfilmpje]

Not sure how to use Teflon tape i watch 2 videos. One of them is from a manufacturer who makes it. I still have a lot of questions. After watching THIS VIDEO I have zero questions and learned some extra information. Great video with clear examples!

[@RCworstwater]

Thank you!

[@CristanMeijer]

Thanks for not just telling about which way the tape is supposed to go on, but also WHY.

[@Jay_Rule]

Thanks so much for this as a KZbin tester that may have been applying teflon tape wrong in product tests.

[@RCworstwater]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching

[@sirshammalot]

So, for some reason I couldn't find an answer to my question on google (quickly) but this video answered it at the end. My question was "should I put teflon tape on all fittings?" Your answer basically was "avoid if it's going to involved another seal" which makes sense because that's the point of the teflon tape. Thank you!

[@fatboyrowing]

sirshammalot another way to look at it: Use Teflon tape on tapered (pipe) threads. If it seals on the threads use Teflon tape. If it seals on something else, don’t.

[@melrow3697]

@@fatboyrowing what if the o ring for a pressure washer hose is damaged? Can I remove it and use the plumbers tape?

[@fatboyrowing]

@@melrow3697 nope.... only in an emergency. And I doubt that the plumbers tape will help in an emergency (never tried it)

[@melrow3697]

@@fatboyrowing Thanks so much! I will wait for the o rings to arrive from Amazon.

[@JoeyRetro]

Same! I did an install and forgot to put the rubber washer, but I did use thread tape. I'm gonna leave it for now.

[@fatboyrowing]

Thanks for the video. I can always reason it out... but I sometimes hurt my brain in doing so! I’ll remember start at the threads away from me and wind it clockwise (when staring down the barrel)

[@chrisvesy7245]

Thanks! I forgot which way to wrap the tape but you refreshed my old brain!😉

[@RCworstwater]

Glad I could help!

[@nickharris5684]

I'm definitely going to check out more of your videos; good teacher good personality!

[@RCworstwater]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@theftking]

Damn, 1/3rd of a million views on a 2 minute tutorial on applying Teflon tape? Awesome!

[@Lawless187indika]

Lol... While simple, this lil info,carries significant magnitude. Small tings make a big difference,i tell ya

[@10isawsome]

Thank you, Great video, straight to the point! Appreciate the help!

[@gurudogg123]

I’m setting up a DIY cold plunge, this was very helpful, thank you!

[@Farseer1995]

I wish I had his casual but business like professional attitude. Great guy to listen to.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks!

[@robegondrp5677]

Man I've been having so much trouble capping my sprinkler pipes with PVC caps but this looks like the solution! Going to attempt this tomorrow.🚰🚫

[@RCworstwater]

Good luck!

[@eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-s3p]

doing this to my sprinkler pipes rn, how did it go?

[@POETCERA]

Thank you. I got my answer at the 2:57 "magic" trick.

[@180MAX]

Love your videos. Straight forward, easy to understand and your instruction works well. Thank you.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@alecsharp3172]

Concise and helpful - well done!

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@CaptDanRyder]

Very useful. Particularly liked the segment on when not to use the product.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@acrock21]

im actually braking that rule with hose fittings due to an electronic part that im growing sick and tired of replacing for 100 dollars ..

[@lizoc1690]

Thank you for clear do's and don'ts! good to see the not-to-do and why!

[@TheSouthIsHot]

Fantastic video. Very helpful. Thank you very much!!!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Anarasha]

Thank you for this! I used teflon tape to seal up the threads on a pressure pot, and everyone was telling me it wouldn't work and to just use Loctite threadlock/seal right away, but I wanted to try as the semi-permanent nature of Loctite didn't sit well with me. And what do you know? Following this, I got it all sealed with no leaks on the first try!

[@Cellinator]

This did the trick, thanks!

[@Dj_pound]

Was about to thread one that had a gasket. Thanks

[@PaulCotterCanada]

In my 'jurisdiction' white tape (which is single density) cannot be used for steel water pipes. It needs to be triple density, which is usually red/orange/pink depending on your colour perception - or if you are an interior decorator. Double density is yellow which is the minimum for gas. You can always use a higher density if you wish. Just so people know, black iron / galvanized pipes cannot be used for drinking water. At least not here - Toronto. And finally, the color of the tape is just a dye so inspectors know you have used a sufficiently dense tape. There is no difference in the material, which is PTFE. Teflon is a Du Pont trade name. There is also Green (Medical) and Silver (stainless steel) which are chemically different. Typically, the people watching KZbin probably will never need those. The clockwise-end-on is good advice. I never thought of it that way.

[@salemnights8236]

I've heard of these high density tapes, but never seen them anywhere. With larger pipe sizes we just hemp and stag to be honest. It works way better than the light density ptfe that seems to be everywhere.

[@beck645]

This is what you call a perfect KZbin video. Provided exactly what I needed without taking an hour to do it. Thumbs up and thank you

[@ajost7814]

God bless you. You made me feel capable and I did it. 🎉

[@RCworstwater]

Good Job! 😎

[@ka01si09ma]

Thanks for helping me to change toilet sink valve. Useful and instructive video.

[@bastienclarke1810]

Nice!

[@mattheworgan2]

Great video… thanks for keeping it brief

[@RCworstwater]

You bet

[@laveritaforza108]

Thank you so much for sharing / caring. Helps me just at the right moment. Much appreciated.

[@RCworstwater]

Happy to help!

[@dmzabo3914]

Thank you! Much needed on my end. Helpful.

[@romella_karmey]

Glad I did the right way unknowingly and before I even searched a how-to video. Clockwise yeah now I get it. I did the right way for the 9th time and I almost deplete the tape lmao

[@thomaskeighran2270]

The clockwise tip just explained why I had been having so much trouble. Thanks for the video!

[@thomaskeighran2270]

If I'm Down Under, does the thread tape go anti-clockwise?

[@RCworstwater]

It goes on in the same direction you tighten the fitting.

[@alive-awake]

Good video. So if I have a compression angle stop I won't use teflon tape correct?

[@jeffreybower5959]

great to know! i have just bought some teflon tape for my electric power washer hose and it has been a long time since i used it!!!

[@jordancohen6389]

Excellent video, 70c solution for me, many thanks!

[@jamessang1704]

Excellent simple explanation!!

[@TheLooking4sunset]

A great video I wish i saw before I got it wrong one time in the past

[@aranperumal]

Thanks this is so helpful

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped

[@a-ish3258]

First of, thank you! I tried the thread seal tape a number of times... kept leaking... got so annoyed and 😴 tired... then I brought the rubber O-ring thingy from another hose and used it. It worked like a charm! Probably the tape is not that good for metal-to-metal parts. It was working fine when it was a tap on threaded plastic plug.

[@Bakari8886]

Greatest tutorial out there. Thanks

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped!

[@SteffenHansen1973]

Thank you - works equally well when installing an NPT to BSR adapter in old Miata :D

[@lilithxc]

Thank you so much. Straight to the point, clear and really helpful!

[@tfriedmann5908]

Beyond the basic direction to wrap tape in the direction the nut (or fixture) will be threaded, a hidden EXTRA tip here is that you wrap BACK to FRONT (IOW, starting on smooth pipe side, and ending at the thread side). I've seen this done by some plumbers, though it is not talked about much. Can you talk about why that is a superior method?

[@KalOrtPor]

For the same reason wrapping clockwise keeps the tape from being unraveled by moving in the direction the pipe turns, wrapping from inside to end feathers the layers of tape seams back as the pipe moves further into the threads and avoids the bottoms of tape loops being pulled up. Think of the tape layers as dominoes resting on each other and you want to go with the grain. It also helps have the cut end of the tape engaging with the threads right away without a chance to slip.......Much less of an issue than wrapping counterclockwise, but still worth keeping in mind.

[@B16A5_EK4]

*Thanks for the tutorial.*

[@OceanSwimmer]

I read somewhere that I SHOULD use teflon tape on a garden hose with aluminum fittings. ((Most garden hoses have brass fittings)) Is it because of incompatibility between the metals? Great video: another learning experience for this lady. 🐞💕 Thank you.

[@bonusdonutjake]

Thanks so much for this!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BradAcquilin]

Great to the point video.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lancerman]

You can also use the Teflon tape holder to go in between he threads which can help hold it to the pipe. This also helps with the first couple of threads.

[@Freyathrith]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@unclematt3]

1:43 Interesting, 2 to 3 wraps. I was told by a plumber that with water lines with NPT threads 6 wraps is standard. Doesn't look like water lines that you have there, though. Thanks for the video!

[@JDPyrotechnics]

I thought the same thing. I am here because I am having several leaks from NPT that I put 2-3 wraps on, thinking I'll need to double that.

[@sayalaperbandel]

I prefer 25 turn for guarantee

[@blackmesaresearch2]

Too many turns can also make it leak, especially when going from a hard to soft material like copper MPT into pvc FPT.

[@knaliver]

Their is different kinds of tape, with various thickness.

[@rarutrili8021]

sealability is a mustness my friend

[@Magicfeet1904]

Thank you for this info.

[@andybeanhead2822]

Thanks…fixed it…Excellent how to !!!

[@semi4793]

Awesome tutorial .. thanks man!!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped!

[@dalepaladin916]

Now I can go under my tight crawl space and undo the whole house water filter system that I replaced which has two threaded ends on each side and of course I did it backwards so there is a leak and now I can go back under the crawl space curse out some and do it the right way! Thank you!

[@M4x1mu584]

First time changing a foucet and well what do you know 😆 changed it while the water is running thanks for the tips!

[@RCworstwater]

Happy to help!

[@sir_dovaz]

Very nice, very nice pal, You Rock!!

[@RCworstwater]

Thank you kindly

[@ABCboy5]

At 1:00 you said "this also goes in the same direction I put the tape on", except it doesn't?

[@OGPatriot03]

Remember the first wrap he did was an example of how not to do it. It's less confusing if you ignore what he said and just look at the later example when he wraps it properly (In the proper wrap it does go the same direction as the cap)

[@ewchoob]

Steve Buscemi sorting out the plumbing tricks. Awesome!

[@dangeles00]

Thanks for the tip!

[@emilcasas2707]

Super helpful man really thank you thank you!

[@gregwilkinson4571]

Thanks, very useful for a non handyman!

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@realman88cheerleader]

Great vid; thank you!! Why not a garden hose? I don't understand.

[@RCworstwater]

Garden hoses makes their seal via a rubber washer. When tighten, the male end of the hose presses against the rubber to form a seal.

[@Thewhistleblows]

Ty. I wondered why my teflon bunches. Lol. So silly but good to know

[@brownie072]

Thank you very much, so useful! I have a small leak from the cap after cleaning out my kitchen p-trap. Its only leaking from the cap connection that i took off to drain the p-trap. If i use teflon tape and it seals, is it supposed to be long lasting or only temporary? If temporary, how long?

[@sanjeebanmaji8612]

Awesome tips👍👍

[@longfade]

Love the concise delivery; really helpful.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tpmbe]

good info..thanks

[@calcolbert3443]

Suggesting 2 to 3 wraps might be ok for 3/4 and under but we know as the material gets bigger so do the threads . I use the 7 rounds on most of my work with confidence when assembled it's leak free . But that's just me every one is different

[@Artistram3d1]

This worked for me just now. I replaced a worn out shower head. Thank you!!

[@BigHatBoris]

Killer transitions.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks :)

[@MERRLINN]

If you reversed the application and the cap was stationary and you was turning the pipe would it be the same?

[@nissipaul3320]

I found this in my home and thought it's a dental floss😆

[@lamlangthien3882]

lmaoo i just remove my oil catch can and i told my friends that dental floss got into my car 😂😂

[@yamelsandoval2121]

How much space do you have between your teeth?

[@victorreyes2135]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@saileencruileen2163]

🤔🤓😅😂😂😂

[@samuraijaydee]

Hahahahah

[@WizardClipAudio]

‘Liked’ your video, that’s precisely what I’ve been doing installing this water heater. Even tried without Teflon tape cause the inlet looks like it got a plastic seal,... no luck, still the same slow leak, and my threads are true. If this attempt doesn’t work,... I’m taking it back for a replacement cause the inlet must be defective. No trouble with the outlet side, which I connected all the same on the first try. I’ll be a bit PO’d if I gotta drain this and drive it nearly an hour into town for a replacement.

[@davidm2778]

Thank you ,thank you, thank you, NO LEAKS .

[@milesallgood8113]

Good advice, thanks.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@William-the-Guy]

thanks for the help

[@RCworstwater]

Happy to help

[@pelpspark]

Thank you!

[@sfkeepay]

Very helpful...thank you.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@ceejaydeesoozaa]

thank you. was wondering which direction to coil around

[@mauritslonneke3522]

Very usefull video. Good explanation.

[@DocRome]

thanks!

[@RCworstwater]

You bet!

[@ManorRED]

Thanks so much for the clear tutorial! I have a unique use for teflon tape and need your advice. I am using aluminum standoffs to install my multi layer plexiglass wall sculpture art. I notice the standoff caps loosen over time and I thought teflon tape on the threads would help keep them from loosening. What I need to know, do I have to apply the tape right before installing? I have so many threads to cover that I need lots of time to prep them and can't have my installer wait while I do the tape. Can I apply the teflon tape in advance or does it dry out? And is there a time limit on it's ability to stay effective exposed to open air before installing? Thanks a million!

[@MicroNuggets]

Good video man but I keep hearing to add insurance, put some pipe dope on top of the tape?

[@xdragon2k]

Does Teflon tape also prevent your metal on metal connection to seize to each other? I had a garden hose nozzle attached to the garden hose and it won't let go no matter how hard I twist. I had to scrap the entire thing and get a new hose.

[@rboy93]

Thanks for the handy tips!

[@RCworstwater]

Happy to help!