How To Fix a Leaking Compression Fitting | Stop Plumbing Leak

Sweet, cheers

mate, you are a gem

I think whoever invented the PTFE tape should get the Nobel prize 😂

Should use two spanners when tightening the fitting.

I must add after a day's worth of grief, please get your hands on good Teflon tape that is wide. I was using what I had laying around (frequently, plumbing related things you buy will include some cheap plumbers tape with it) I was trying to avoid a trip to the store, so I tried using a few of these rolls and they come apart like tissue and are impossible to maintain their width, they turn into string.

So much frustration. Leaking like a sieve. Never again. What a waste of time and effort.

Also, you may be working with one inch on either side of the ferrule with no room to use the roll itself to help you unroll the tape, you have to cut a length and work with it loose.

I went to the hardware store and got some good tape. It fixed it in five minutes like a miracle. With good tape it maintains it's width and it's easy to do a proper wrap. Dry as a bone. A happy camper.

If, rather when, you leave a teeny scratch on the pipe after cutting off the olive, will it suffice to carry on anyway by putting ptfe round the pipe, under the new olive?

Why no paste. Totally useless. And hold the elbow while undoing or tightening up. Even better don’t use compression fittings in the first place. And also hacksaw wow what’s wrong with an olive remover.

Thanks! The first solution worked!

I have looked at a lot of these compression fitting leak video's and all jump to PTFE and Boss white, wrong, if you fit it correctly, it will not leak.
Also when tightening you must hold the fitting with pipe pliers first then tighten the nut.
Right let's get to fitting it right the first time.
When you put the copper pipe into the fitting upto the stop , always pull it back out about 3 to 4 mm before tightening.
The reason they leak is because when pipe is fully in ,when you tighten the nut up you are only compressing one side of the olive on to the pipe and also the nut and olive are trying to move the pipe in a little ,which it can't as it is against the stop.
Pull pipe out 3 or 4 mm before tightening,no leaks. Hope this clears that very simple task of leaking compression fitting. I found this out 40 years on a radiator leak when I new nothing and just kept tightening,ahhhhhhhh. Hope this saves you all a few headaches. Take care. John

Just use LSX ??

Good God....
Some let's have a goes on here !! 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Thank you for your help, please keep uploading videos like soldering

Nobody has advised on how to know when enough compression has been achieved, and how to avoid over tightening...

Or just get an olive puller!

Very good videos

ive been a plumber for over 40 years and have never used ptfe tape on compression joints. Always use a potable jointing paste applied to the pipe.

You actually put the tape on in a counter clockwise motion. I had to watch twice because you said it was clockwise. I guess it needs to be clockwise relative to the threads of the male pipe end facing you. Great video. Thank you.

Gave you 👍 but put the junior hacksaw blade in the right way round (teeth facing forward)

Thank you for those tips. Could not get the compression ring off so i left the old one on. Weeping a bit, ordered a compression puller and will pull the old one off and use the one that came with the new valve. IF it still leaks i will use the tape as you mention. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Joint compound is usually not needed, but is always worth a try if a seal cannot be achieved using thread tape. It's often worth checking to see if the previous plumber managed to put the olive on square. If not, fitting a new olive is the only way forward.

What a joke...make more stupid videos

Dont list3n to these idiots. Super stupid

Mine is literally both olives stuck on pipework so unable to get the isolation valve to move it turns and that but bother oloves won't budge

The PTFE tape fixed my issue :)

You forgot to mention turning off the water first.. Doh.. There will be someone who follows your instructions and floods their home.

Got a awkward weep on a ½" compression with a plastic thread on a little Triton water heater.
Tried PTFE so far, scared to over tighten because it's plastic.
Would have been nicer if the ½" thread was designed to be used with a fibre washer.
Any thoughts?

Don't forget PPE ! When using any of these techniques, don yer stetson hat 😂

This year for some reason I have never saw so much dampness sitting on copper pipes ander sink and on water taps , dry them off ,with in 10mins there all wet with water spots ,.

Its nearly midnight and I've been trying to fit a service valve under my bath whilst fitting new taps. But a simple job ended up with a leaking compression fitting that didn't want to stay dry. Bit of tape on the olive and it's done the trick! Hopefully not just jinxed myself though. Thank you so much brother!

Liquid PTFE is readily available. Pop a bit on any fitting, compression or threaded. I've been an engineer 30 years and never had a leak on any type of fitting when using it.

Sure the saw blade is in the wrong way round

Bit boss white

You might need to turn the water off first

PTFE plumbers tape for everything turn the water supply first

The best thing with compression fittings is do not over tighten,always leave yourself room to tighten in increments

I find it far, far easier to use the tiniest smear of Fennox LS-X on the olive, which works every time in my experience. I would certainly never use PTFE tape on an olive. I should add that usually I won't use anything at all, but in the case of existing pipework it sometimes isn't that accessible and the olive won't pull down fully square. Overtightening the compression nut can also distort the pipe.

Also, I would never tighten (or loosen) the compression nut on an elbow like that without supporting it and just relying on the copper pipe. Put an adjustable or mole grip on that elbow to act against the tightening/untightening of the compression nut.

Of course this was on a test setup, but in the real world you do not want to put a king in a pipe or stress another joint.

I did not like to see sawing off the ring, very risky!!

If you put a drop of oil on the threads it will take the friction out of the join and make it easier to tighten

Don't put the pipe fully into the fitting, pull back a mm. Allows the olive to squeeze both sides without moving, if the pipe is fully inserted the olive has to move along the pipe as it is deformed.

Iim not a plumber ,,, have done lots of kitchen and bath remodels and have fought compression fittings off and on ,,finally one job couldn't get to stop leaking no matter how I cranked on it ,,backed it off and applied some pipe dope ,bam,, works every time and no need to bust a nut trying to over tighten

If a compression fitting leaks, it's not tight enough. The makers don't guarantee a fitting if you use PTFE tape.

Personally I never tighten or loosen such a fitting without firmly supporting the other half with another wrench, so as not to yank the pipes back and forth as seen in this video. Call me paranoid, but I'm always worried that otherwise some other fitting nearby could start to pipe up (pun not intended). Great tips on the PTFE and removing the olive though !

Why would you waste time with a hack saw when you could use the proper tool? Safer and quicker.

It’s not about whether you had a leak yesterday, its about whether you will have one tomorrow

Thankfully it helps a lot 😊

Or just use jointing Compound at the start not ptfe tape

Always use Copper olives. Brass ones are a waste of time.

I can't even get the brass olive to cinch down tight enough onto the copper pipe. Half turn, full turn... it really doesn't matter. What could i be doing wrong?

You can often use a spanner and a mallet to knock the nut to remove the olive. If you do a lot of this, then use olive-splitting pliers.