Plumbing is likely one of the oldest and more traditional jobs in the modern society. And yet – still one of the most indispensable ones. And when putting down pipes – they need to be sealed, because whatever happens to be running through them, you want it to stay inside. The technology of sealing threaded pipe fittings changed very little throughout the history of modern plumbing. However, there are certain new methods that make any plumber’s job quicker, cleaner and easier. Most importantly – they guarantee you’ll only need to do the job once and there will be no claims and call-backs.  

The usual go-to choice for most of the plumbing jobs is in many cases still either PTFE tape or the combination of hemp & paste. And sure enough, they will mostly work fine, but they definitely have certain downsides as well.

One of the downsides that the plumbers feel most frequently and most acutely is probably the impossibility to turn back the joints once they have been tightened, without risking the leakage. And people who are not in the business of laying pipes, probably never even think about how often the need to turn back the tightened joints occurs. Can be just to align the pipes and get the overall better aesthetic appearance, get the right geometry, but also to align the fittings to respect the direction the next pipe is supposed to follow. Meaning that if you’re unable to turn back, the right angle must be achieved at the first try.

With Loctite 55 as an alternative to PTFE and hemp, the joints can be turned back up to 45 degrees, safely and with no danger of leaking. Unlike the PTFE tape, Loctite 55 sealing thread will not shred, so there is also no risk of contaminating the fluid downstream.

And that’s just some of the advantages. You can see more in this simple animated comparison:

Or if you compare the time it takes to apply hemp & paste properly, to the time Loctite 55 takes, the difference is quite obvious:

You can find more product information and comparison videos here, including the leak tests after 45 degrees turn back of the sealed joints.