# DIY help: Tap becomes upside down after screwed tight... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904 "2016-07-26T01:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teddybound](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@teddybound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teddybound)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/1 "2016-07-26T01:16:23Z")
My previous tap rusted badly and had to be removed, so I bought a new one and screwed it on myself. However, after tightening it full, it ends up upside down. If I unwind it to be straight, it feels very loose. What are my options?? Here is a pic to illustrate what I meant. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/WBAJoqI.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/mYmyL) ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/2 "2016-07-26T01:21:44Z")
A plumber would put more plumbers tape on. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/3 "2016-07-26T01:51:05Z")
Isn’t that unfortunate … and I feel your pain … especially since it’s now _straight up_ … this just can’t get any worse … [sigh] What **Isilder** said above and be real careful threading it back on, any little crinkle in the teflon tape will mess up the seal. I generally use pipe dope, a white paste and it has teflon in it as well. Heavy doses of hope are in order here … good luck … ---
**Author:** ![Oddball\_92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b3f665/32.png) [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/4 "2016-07-26T02:10:00Z")
Wrap 2 or 3 layers of plumbers tape around the threads before you screw it on and you should be able to tighten it up correctly. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/5 "2016-07-26T02:10:18Z")
Look at it closely. you might be able to turn the pipe a quarter turn. It should be a nipple screwed into an elbow or T. Bad news. You may have to cut out a piece of sheetrock to get access to the pipe. Do not leave a faucet loose. It can drip down the pipe and soak the wall. Eventually rotting your floor. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/6 "2016-07-26T02:12:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > [snip] … Do not leave a faucet loose. It can drip down the pipe and soak the wall. Eventually rotting your floor. Good advise … ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/7 "2016-07-26T02:39:23Z")
They make a tool to turn a nipple inside a wall. [https://www.google.com/search?q=pipe+nipple&client=ms-android-motorola&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjcnMzNhZDOAhVRzWMKHYukCTgQ\_AUICCgC&biw=412&bih=604#tbm=isch&q=faucuet+copper+fitting&imgdii=swB89s89byFu6M%3A%3BxoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A%3BxoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A&imgrc=xoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A](https://www.google.com/search?q=pipe+nipple&client=ms-android-motorola&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjcnMzNhZDOAhVRzWMKHYukCTgQ_AUICCgC&biw=412&bih=604#tbm=isch&q=faucuet+copper+fitting&imgdii=swB89s89byFu6M%3A%3BxoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A%3BxoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A&imgrc=xoP2qPM8o9NhxM%3A) I’m not sure I’d use it. It’s too easy for the nipple to snap off in the wall. I rather neatly cut the sheetrock. Then get access to the supply pipe and the nipple. If it’s copper. I’d call a plumber. Let him cut out the old fittings. Reinstall and solder everything so the faucet lines up correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/8 "2016-07-26T03:57:47Z")
You wish to jam the threads to make it (mostly) waterproof. Alternate ways of jamming the threads are (1) a thicker washer inside the tap-socket. (2) a nut on the thread, (3) some solder at the end of the thread, (4), thread packing. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/9 "2016-07-26T04:48:41Z")
Take the tap with you to a few hardware stores. Compare the thread start with a few other taps. It is possible that they start at random points. Pick one with a start 180 degrees off. You may need to look at taps from different manufacturers as well. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/10 "2016-07-26T07:25:28Z")
Just unscrew, clean threads and use varying amounts of teflon tape to have it arrive at the correct tightened position ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/11 "2016-07-26T12:55:30Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > Just unscrew, clean threads and use varying amounts of teflon tape to have it arrive at the correct tightened position ^ Completely this. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/12 "2016-07-26T13:06:42Z")
Cleaning the threads is important, it may not be all the way on. But enough tape should allow it to seal properly. If all else fails, turn the house upside down. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/13 "2016-07-26T13:22:56Z")
I don’t see any pipe wrench scars on the tap … are your sure you can’t get another half turn in? Get little pieces of wood and put them between the jaws of the wrench and the tap, what could possibly go wrong? Worst case is you snap off the nipple, but there’s a union right there … replacing that elbow may well be in your future anyway. As **aceplace57** mentioned, leaving the tap loose is not a very good idea, stuffing the threads with tape might work, but it might not either. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/14 "2016-07-26T14:11:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t see any pipe wrench scars on the tap … are your sure you can’t get another half turn in? This. I hate telling people who probably don’t have a “feel” for tightness to keep cranking but in this case you should be able to go another half turn. If the nipple and tap connection gets tight, the nipple itself will turn and you will be golden. The rest of you are making this too complicated. And pipe tape is for reducing friction not sealing. It allows the treads to be tightened enough to seal. That’s from the mouth of a Loctite tech rep. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/15 "2016-07-26T19:26:03Z")
'Nother half turn, and you need to use a wrench to add a counter force to the fitting behind the tap to keep from messing the cross pipe up. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/16 "2016-07-26T19:37:06Z")
> [@moldmonkey](#): > > And pipe tape is for reducing friction not sealing. It allows the treads to be tightened enough to seal. That’s from the mouth of a Loctite tech rep. I did not know that. It does seem a matter of semantics though. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/17 "2016-07-26T19:48:52Z")
> [@moldmonkey](#): > > And pipe tape is for reducing friction not sealing. It allows the treads to be tightened enough to seal. That’s from the mouth of a Loctite tech rep > > > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > > > I did not know that. > > It does seem a matter of semantics though. I have done a LOT of plumbing. Including many bathroom and kitchen remodels mechanical rooms and utility rooms. I have owned my own sprinkler system company installing full systems from the ground up. I really think there is more going on than reducing friction. The more wraps you put on, the fewer turns you get on the fitting. This certainly suggests that there is less fitting to fitting contact and the Teflon tape is acting as the sealant. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/18 "2016-07-26T19:49:30Z")
Their rule was 1-1/2 wraps of pipe tape versus using gobs. The tape is not a sealant idea is because tape can rip and be forced out the way and does not cure into something watertight while pipe dope will fill in the gaps and becomes watertight. I’ve worked as a machinist and maintenance man in various factories for 20 years and there are a lot of bullshit myths and rules of thumb and methods even among professionals. Don’t even get me started about the useless devil’s spawn known as a lock washer.😉 ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/19 "2016-07-26T22:27:24Z")
> [@moldmonkey](#): > > Their rule was 1-1/2 wraps of pipe tape versus using gobs. The tape is not a sealant idea is because tape can rip and be forced out the way and does not cure into something watertight while pipe dope will fill in the gaps and becomes watertight. > … Quoted to emphasize. Teflon is not a seal. It reduces friction. Pipe threads seal by jamming crest to root while having matching flanks. The Teflon just reduces the friction so you can jam the threads tighter with the same torque. If you are needing the tape to seal, you will leak. To the OP: Try loosening and tightening a few times. This will work-harden the thread surfaces which will allow you to make the joint up tighter. It will also help prevent galling of the threads. I’ve always heard tighten it until it stops, then put enough torque to make it straight. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904/20 "2016-07-26T23:20:11Z")
I’ve replaced a lot of bathroom floors where the plumbers used tape … I avoid the stuff like the plague … I’ve found it difficult to use and typically I need repeated attempts to get the pipes threaded properly so the tape remains unbroken. A trial of patience as it were. I use plumber’s dope. It’s a white paste in a “brush-in-can” container. Much better success ratio than tape, but still not perfect. Couple of pipe wrenches and crank until they either line up or break the fittings. I also avoid plastic pipe above ground and in buildings … I’m kinda old fashioned when it comes to solder and Schedule L copper pipe (I think that’s the thicker walled stuff). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diy-help-tap-becomes-upside-down-after-screwed-tight/760904.md?page=2)