How Loctite 55 can help seal leakages in plumbing fittings? – DIY Plumbing Tips

More often than not in India, we have drops of water dripping from our plumbing fittings, pipes, joints due to incorrect thread sealing or shredding of the teflon tape used to seal the threads. Ever imagined how much water we can SAVE if we manage to solve this problem of dripping taps and joints in our homes.  One such plumbing tip that we came across was the use of Loctite 55 for pipe leakages.

Sometimes, the leakage begins after the fitting has been disassembled and assembled again due to the teflon tape shredding into threads and no longer functioning as a thread sealant. Most people use teflon to do all their sealing because it is instant and well we love winding our pipe threads with white teflon tapes thinking it does the sealing and solves problems. Well, Teflon works well but it is imperative that after any adjustment, the threads must be cleaned and the Teflon tape must be replaced.

So basically we need a product that:-

a) Does not shred

b) Can be readjusted to an extent after assembly

c) Is suitable for use with hot and cold water

d) And we know exactly how much is to be used on the pipe thread for best results

Loctite 55 is a beautiful product by Loctite which gives us exactly what we need. Loctite 55 is a cord made out of polyamide yarn (which differentiates it from Teflon) used by experienced DIY-ers widely in the West for plumbing fittings, thread sealing applications, its about time it finds itself into our home plumbing kits. It is a product that gives you instant sealing, you only need to wind it around the thread for best results.

In comparison to other products, Loctite 55 gives you the flexibility of adjusting the fitting after assembly without fear of leakage. With Loctite 55, you can re-adjust upto 45 degrees without any fear of leakage. Henkel mentions on their website that Loctite 55 has been approved by institutes for general use with cold water and hot water upto 130 degrees, potable water, gas (YES its approved for LPG) and pressure upto 16 bar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be used with plastic joints as well as metal joints and is suitable for all types of metals used in the manufacturing of plumbing fittings. Compared to traditional thread sealant pastes, Loctite 55 gives a clean, non-messy and permanent solution to a very messy problem.

We put the Loctite 55 to an acid test and tried cutting it by rubbing it against a wooden edge. It did not even deform! Almost cut my hand like manja used for kite flying. On the contrary, take a teflon tape and apply some force and it extends like a rubber band and breaks in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A step by step usage guide for Loctite 55 taken from the Loctite website is below.

1. Roughen the thread with saw-blade or file.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Wind onto one of the first pitches of the thread following the thread direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Cut the LOCTITE 55 sealing cord with the incorporated cutting device and press the loose end onto the thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Screw on and fasten the joint with a pipe wrench. Reposition if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best tip that we found on the bottle was the small guide on the back of the product giving the user a fair idea of how many rounds to wind on a thread based on the thread size. All in all, a product that will seal your plumbing fittings and even your gas leaks if need be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An MRP of Rs. 620 may make it look like a super expensive alternative to a cheap PTFE Teflon Tape available in the market, however one pack gives you a roll of a whopping 150 metres! Enough to take care of all your home plumbing needs and more for a couple of years at the least. Nowadays, you cannot put a price on saving of water and that by far is the most important motive behind the blog!