FIX LEAKING COMPRESSION PIPE FITTING - pipe leak? 

Another brilliant video, mate! You're now my go-to DIY channel. Keep up the good work 👏 🙌

As an apprentice plumber back in 1977, I was taught and always reminded, when tightening compression fittings, hold against the direction your either tightening or untightening the compression nut, in case the copper bends an kinks. On many compression fittings such as the one you were using, there are flats on the “arse end”(an expression I was taught) of the elbow that can be used for another spanner, to apply an opposing force. Also whether right or wrong, later on in my career other plumbers told me they put a wipe of non setting pipe jointing compound such as Laco SlicTite or Center brands own, under and around the olive, also a small amount on the male thread to lubricate when tightening. I’ve opened joints with compound on them many years after they’d been installed, and found they opened pretty easily, and didn’t bind and squeak like some unlubricated fittings.

Brilliant thank you. I'm a 76 year old female and it's some time since I did much plumbing. This refreshed my memory and has helped me with refitting my lavatory water supply.

The plumbing in my fifty year old house is mainly made up of compression fittings. I've never had a single leak since I have lived here. I have worked for many years as a plumber and used all of the techniques you talk about. Compression fittings are fine.

Excellent video, I repaired my shower pipe with PTFE tape. Thank you SO much 👍

Great video thanks for sharing 👍

I love all your videos - so much practical, sensible and realistic help.

Brilliant! Thank you so much.

If you have to use PTFE tape on an olive it doesn't matter which way you wrap it as it is a stationary joint, if you use it on a threaded joint you wrap it clockwise.

Jack Bauer with an English accent. Everyone knows if you do what Jack says, all will be right with the world. I rate this vid 24/24.

ptfe round the olive fixed my problem, cheers!

Thank you! I’m going to give this a go tomorrow, one my pipes are fully thawed out

Hi Fowler. Great video. I was in the same situation last weekend in our old summer cottage. Fitting were leaking and I tryed to get the old olive off with no succes so I cut the pibe behind the olive. But then I could not get the new olive on the pibe. The pibe had expanded over the years. So new pibe as well.

Excellent video!

It was not possible to get a junior hacksaw in position to cut the old olive, so I used a Dremel style mini drill with disc saw blade. Obs very carefully and slowly to avoid damage to the pipe. It worked fine. I have now subscribed 😊

Good demo with WhiteTape and CopperRing for CompressionCopperPipe fittings .

Thank you helped me alot here in South Africa 🙏🙏🙏🙏👍

Brilliant !

excellent very informative 👍

Thank you sir!

Good vid ... you have a new sub.

If care is taken when using compression fittings they will never leak, trouble is most plumbers are do not take time to make sure all parts of the compression joint are clean prior to assembling the fitting that includes not making sure the copper pipe is free from scratches at the point where the olive fits, a lot of plumbers use ptfe tape instead of cleaning because it is quicker, they also use some sealing paste slapped around the olive area, this causes other problems over time, as some of this sealing paste gets carried through the pipes and can clog up radiator valves and taps that have ceramic discs, but they are not bothered about this because it is another job for them to make more money fixing it at a later date.

Thank you

love the heavy duty fixing on the vise.

Good job

When using an olive without ptfe tape I always put some grease onto the olive and the nut threads. This makes the tightening process smooth. If it squeaks its tearing the brass or copper and won't tighten properly. Old olives had lead to lubricate - modern ones don't .

Tightening a compression joint without supporting the other side and using a 90 degree copper pipe as lever as it is in that first clip is not good practice. It puts a strain on the other compression joint, which can cause more leaks and you can even put a kink in the the copper tube. The other side of the fitment should be supported so that you do not strain other joints. It doesn't matter if it's a brass fitting, like a 90 degree bend shown there, a valve or anything just supported by the copper pipe then support the fitment on both sides. Something like a set of large locking pliers works well as they can often been clamped in such a way that they bear against a surface, provide the appropriate degree of support and frees up a hand. Also, for stubborn joint that won't seal, probably because the pipe has been slightly deformed, then a tiny smear of LSX works wonders. Some will use it pre-emptively, although I still feel that a proper compression joint, made properly, will not leak.

Flipping the tape roll the other way around makes it easier to apply it tight without ending up unspooling the entire roll.

Thanks man brilliants !

From what I have found from repairing leaks, is that they were never done correctly in the first place. You often remove a leaking pipe to find the olive wasn't compressed enough to get a watertight seal that would last. PTFE tape is always good used correctly. If slabbering joint seal on is your solution then you'd be better getting a real plumber to fix it.

Thanks for this valued information I usually round the copper pipe with PTF tape and then insert into the compression elbow or joint. To remove the olive or feral, I use a flat spanner against the compression and a few tappings with a hammer, it's out But usually the olive scars/indents the copper pipe which will then have to be sawed off ; if one has to remove I love your video. Thanks

I’ve never really had much problem with compression fittings , they quite easy and handy

Set the adjustable spanner so that it loosly grips the pipe. Put the spanner head on the pipe behind the olive and then tap gently with a hammer to drive the olive off. This avoids damaging the pipe with the hacksaw and is quicker.

To protect your pipe when using a hacksaw, wrap each side of the olive with masking tape

I’m in the USA (Chicago are) and we don’t use these type of connectors in residential homes. I have double compression regular valves to toilets and sinks. This tract home was built for us 20 years ago, and I felt it was time to replace them (the old were regular valves are difficult to turn). I had 16 valves and replaced them all. I used 1/4 turn double compression ball valves, they don’t freeze up like the old ones. I find buying in bulk (I bought 2 pkgs. of 10) makes it much cheaper and a few spares come in handy. Where these are I’ve yet to have one leak. Your situation with the compression fitting might be that it’s not properly supported and if someone hits it, it will leak. I’m assuming you’re in the UK.

To prevent leaking from the nut, just cut a small piece off after the Olive ring at the end of the copper pipe and tighten than the nut. Keep end distance short after Olive ring

Try turning down the water pressure at the stop cock first ! It worked for me 😁😁😁😁

Thanks big help as a DIY person .where i live in cape town south africa they steal the copper pipes as my water heater is out side but high up can i use poly pipe the orange brown coloured material to replace where the copper has been stolen thanks Trev in sunny cape town south africa

Plumbing is not my favourite sport but invariably I end up with at least one leaky joint - I've always thought jointing compound was a bit of a fudge but have had to resort to it on a totally nightmare joint on a replacement shower mixer valve once I may do so on a filling loop I've just replaced too as the pipe is a bit deformed from a previous person's attempt!

First I've heard ferrules (what we call them) described as olives. Chalk it up for another win in the learning department.

I have only ever used flared pipe compression fittings. If the pipe is very old sometimes I have troubles getting it to seal initially but it usually takes up and I have never had one START to leak if it has been sealed initially. I wonder when they started using olives. It seems to introduce several new potential points of leakage.

Always have a tub of Vaseline. When fitting the union smear slightly around the pipe where the Ferrell seats and then put around the out side of the Ferrell. By using Vaseline you will at least get another half turn or one turn more .BRASS and copper seize before you have the correct torque on the thread.

LSX is a very good product for leaks

I'm curious as to whether you can anneal the olive with a torch to return it to its original shape if it is distorted. You can do this with copper compression washers used on oil drain plugs in engines. I'm guessing the olives would be so cheap that it wouldn't be worth doing though.

Wow so amazing I tried third one and it was really worked. Just a suggestion for people who follow just make sure each and every step do as it is.

Hi there, thanks for this video, very useful! I've heard a lot of debate on brass vs copper olives... What's your take on this?

Hi you need to support the joint on the flats when working on it as you know?

If you do scratch the pipe whilst cutting off the olive will it suffice to wrap ptfe tape over the scratch and slide the olive over the top?

PTFE should only be used as a last resort and a temporary fix until you have the chance to repair the joint correctly using a new olive and jointing compound or other correct means. You did show the compound in the corner of the video so fair play. Just to highlight that PTFE is not good practice for using on compression joints and certainly not a permanent fix.

You can also use jointing compound

I always found copper olives where better as they are softer

Have to redo the video and show people that they HAV to use 2 wrenches. The one u didn't show was the backer wrench to keep from ruining the other joint and or pipe when tightening. Also when installing in the first place, putting a vacuum grease on the ferrel to begin with does the job!

Thank you for great videos. How many millimeters must be left between edge of the olive and of the pipe? I'm starting my diy job soon.

Thanks mate. I would of never thought to use a wrench to tighten a nut!

Or solder on a 90 degree elbow

so easy when there is no water in the pipe and when its a radiator pipe much more difficult but good video

👍😎

i have a slow drip from a compression joint linking thin copper pipe to a towel radiator.the problem is when i grip the fitting in vice grips it flexes the thin pipe and i'm afraid it will break it if i put more pressure

You didn't show that when the olive was removed, the copper tube was scarred and dented by the compression of the olive. When you showed a new olive being installed you switched the copper tube for a new unscarred one. A new olive fitted to the original tube is not a reliable seal. Always use two spanners when tightening a compression joint, and count the turns. A compression joint seals by dimension, not by torque. You are a plumber and know a lot of quick fixes and that's fine, and many of them will last even though they are not quite "right". Thank you for sharing your tips.

What about telling the people to support the joint whilst tightening the nut to the joint ?

Ptfe should be used at start

If u turn your ptfe tape the other way ,it won't unwind as u roll it onto anything,so the inside of the tape going face down onto the olive

My solution. Wrap a hand towel round it and change it daily.

If you release the tape the other way it's easier. Most people put PTFE on threads so when you tighten it it destroys the tape😮

4th method is to flux and solder the whole jobby up!

❤🇺🇸💪

I always use jointing compound., Jet Blue, V2 or similar when fitting compressions. Never get a leak.

There is call a plumber

Dump compression and move to push fit.

Your knuckle as a guide so you don't nick the end of the thumb if you slip much less painful

I didn’t hear you say turn the water off first before removing the fitting. Not hating the video but maybe you should have mentioned this.

Never use PTFE tape on an olive. It only causes problems for the next time that fitting needs to be redone. If the Olive needs to be replaced then the tube will also need to be replaced (or shortened). Just because some "tricks" sometimes work, does not mean they should be used.

never put compression fittings on dry without paste they may weap

Just use jointing compound from the start and youll never have a leaking compression fitting again

Boss Wight is better

Never use ptfe tape on a compression joint! Get a jointing paste like Hawk white or the potable alternative. Then tighten it up just enough. Don't overtighten tho, or you will crush the olive, and it won't seal.

The way you feed the teflon tape is backwards, mate. By truring it the Other wat you have the ability to add tension to the pipe with the tape. Also many people use adjustable wrenches like you showed in this video. Wrong! Always turn the wrench with the tightening rotation. You had it backwards. Great video though.

You've got your tape the wrong way

Problem was no ptfe tape used as a proper plumber would do day one

The joint should be supported to prevent causing the same problem on the other olive 😏😏