The Best Plumbing Parts and Suppliers? - ToolGuyd

So, I went to wash my hands. The bedroom sink sees less use than those in our other bathrooms, but I tend to notice when things feel *off.* The cold water handle seemed a little tight.

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That prompted me to look under the sink – I don’t know what I expected to see, but it seemed like a good idea.

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What are the dark spots on the hose? I felt it and some grit came off. Rust? On what’s supposed to be a 4-year-old stainless steel braided hose?

I looked at the hot water side. The hose was short and looked to be intact, but…

The shut-off valve was a mess. That’s… a lot of mineral deposits. The bathroom was completely redone 4 years ago. I don’t access this cabinet very often, but I’ll have to check it more frequently.

And… there’s some droplets up at the bottom of the sink.

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It *could* be water leaking under the handles or faucet – maybe? – but could also be condensation I guess.

Needless to say, I’ve got some work ahead of me. This seems like pretty basic stuff to do.

But, enter my obsessive mentality. Which parts do I buy and from where? I drew a complete blank. That’s where you guys come in.

Talking to a lot of pros, and from my own observations, there are three very different options stick out in my mind.

1. Parts from Home Depot or Lowe’s are substandard and often recommended against
2. Parts from Home Depot or Lowe’s are just fine
3. Parts from the supply houses are just as bad or worse that home improvement centers if you don’t know what you’re looking for

The home center vs. supply house debate has never been finalized. We’ve had several failures of supply house outlets and switches, and some of the switches feel “mushy,” while the better stuff from the home center are working a lot better.

When we had some electrical work done, my electrician told me the parts I showed him from Home Depot were better than what he’d be able to source from the electrical supply house for the money.

For things like faucets, I’ve heard and seen that supply house parts are almost ever better-built than those you’d find at the home centers.

But what about the basic parts, such as shut-off valves and hoses?

Shown here is a Dahl shut-off valve, model 611-33-31, and after I double-check on sizing this is probably what I’ll get. I might check with my local plumber to see what they use.

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The Dahl valve is harder to find online than the BrassCraft valves sold at Home Depot, but not much more expensive.

This particular valve is described as a mini ball valve, which I like the idea of better than the turn-turn-turn valves our sinks and toilets currently feature.

Home Depot also does have BrassCraft quarter-turn valves, but for not much more money (ignoring shipping fees for the moment), the made-in-Canada Dahl seems more appealing.

Looking at hoses, one online supply shop that carries the Dahl valves has a Bluefin-branded 16″ connector hose for $2.82, and a Fluidmaster 16″ hose for $3.19. The BrassCraft 16″ hose is $5.75 at Home Depot. All look to have metal compression nuts (as opposed to plastic). The Home Depot part costs twice as much, but that doesn’t mean it’s twice as good. Hoses are definitely important here – which do/would you but?

When is it okay to buy from a home center, and when is it time to shop at other suppliers or trade suppliers? Which brands do you trust most?

Side question – after looking into what’s needed to replace what looks to be a compression-fitting valve, a few online sources say to cut the pipe first, others say to be mindful of where the new compression ring is placed. With the fittings the way they are, there’s not much room for cutting.

Oh, and what the heck is going on here:

This is in the hall bath, with BrassCraft valves. Did they use pipe tape with some kind of dope? It’s dripping some oil-like substance. My understanding is that pipe tape is absolutely not needed on these kinds of fittings. *facepalm*

I love designing and building new fabrications. Fixing things drives my blood pressure way up.

Author: PlumberJoe (ID)

I hate plastic!!!! This past weekend I installed a new water pump and tank at the house to replace the old rusted setup. The new stuff is plastic where all fittings connect. Following instructions of using tape wrapped 4 to 5 times on the threads of the male fittings, then going 1.5 turns after hand tightening the fittings, every f'en fitting leaked! Even tighening a vit more did not help. As an 'experiment' I used a galvanised nipple between the plastics so it was metal to plastic using the same amount of tape and tightening procedure and had ZERO leaks. Unfortunately, I did not have enough nipples to complete the job and the stores were closed. Anyway, it really sucks having to reprime the system while fixing the leaks only to find out plastic to plastic sucks too.

QUESTION: What method will ensure no leaks the first time when tighening plastic threaded fittings together? Would it be appropriate to use pipe dope in addition to teflon tape?

I never had any problems as mentioned above doing metal to metal.

Author: PlumberJoe (ID)

Thanks Packy for your reply. The reason why I want to use dope on top of tape is I had zero leaks for metal to metal fittings however I was told in the earlier days (10 years ago) never use dope on plastic. I was not sure why other than the dope can attack the plastci causing problems later on. As for thin tape vs thicker tape, I also tried more wraps of tape using various brands and struck out. As for all the plastic chinese made crap, it sould have stayed in China. Give me the good old American made steel anyday over the crap now on the market.

So, will dope on top of tape help? Or will it harm the plastic? Is the question..

Author: waukeshaplumbing (WI)

it all depends on what product you used & where you bought them

why did you get everything threaded??? thats the last method of joining pipes i would choose....and why did you throw galvanized metal in the mix??? thats the last material i would use....todays galvanized is junk...it will most likely rot in 10 years

tear it all apart...get a pex tool and redo it with Wirsbo Pex

Author: PlumberJoe (ID)

Please reread my opening post - To restate, the pump has threaded plastic ports for the fittings. the tank too. The plastic nipples are threaded on one end and barbed on the other end for plastic hose between the pump and tank. Sorry if I was not clear on this.All standard for the setup are purchased. The galvanized double ended threaded nipple was used in an attempt to see if it helps stop the leaks by using it between plastic and worked well. PEX plays nothing into this problem.



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Author: hj (AZ)

quote; then going 1.5 turns after hand tightening the fittings

IF every male and female PVC thread was made "perfectly" then a "formula" such as that MIGHT work, as long as it was the correct formula. (Your "hand tight" is probably not the same as mine or anyone else's which is why a formula seldom works) OTherwise, you put the thread sealant on the male thread and tighten it as much as possible. Tape and compound should not be necessary, but the extra insurance probably helps.

Author: PlumberJoe (ID)

For anyone that is curious about the outcome: I used the Monster pipe thread tape in place of the crappy micro thin white tape and the appropriate pipe dope evenly spread over the male pipe thread after applying 4 layers of tape. I used the same tighening procedure which is hand tight then 1.25 turn using a wrench. the result: ZERO leaks at the water pump and tank connections. Problem solved.

Lesson: When dealing with inferior cheap Chinese made plastic thread parts, use good tape on the threads and a good dab of plastic/PVC compatible pipe dope. Actually, the lesson learned is don't buy the cheap Chinese made crap from the start. For this agravation, I am boycotting Chinese food for a week.

Author: Lworkman (CA)

Recommended good practice is to use a thread sealant (not a thread lubricant) and to assemble the joint to FINGER tight plus one turn, two turns at the most. When Teflon tape is wrapped around the male threads, it adds to the strain and tensile stress. The tendency of most installers is to wrap several thicknesses of tape around the male threads, increasing stain and stress further. The tape also makes the threads more slippery inviting over-tightening. The joint goes together so easily that two turns doesn't feel tight enough. Teflon tape and Teflon filled pipe dope, just like Teflon tape, make threaded joints slippery. Their use on PVC fittings can be an invitation to disaster.

This does not mean, however, that sealing compounds should be avoided. Rather, it means that PVC threaded joints require a sealing compound that meets certain criteria. The sealing compound should be nonhardening. Tapes and hardening pastes permit a leak path to develop when a joint is backed off, mechanically flexed, or expands with rising temperatures. A non-hardening compound, on the other hand, is forced by water pressure into potential points of leakage, thereby performing a true sealing function. A sealing compound must be compatible to plastics. Many brands of pipe sealants contain oils, solvents or carriers that can damage plastic. A proper sealant must be certified by the manufacturer to be harmless to the fitting material and to not contaminate fluid in the pipe. Finally, a sealing compound must not lubricate the joint to the point that over-tightening is encouraged. Several sealants on the market meet all these requirements.



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