Hi,

I recently replaced a bath faucet. I had to replace the entire pipe (Galv) and the hardware store did not have the proper length. I used a 48" threaded pipe with a coupler and a 4" nipple to get the proper size. When I turned the water back on, there is a leak at the coupler. I would use rubber seal to fix this but there is not enough room to get around the pipe. Is there anything that I can use?

Thanks.

That pipe is going to have about 45 psi in it for the next 50 years so patching is not considered a good idea. You could shut down the main and try plumbers expoxy but that is way less desirable than breaking that connection and putting the proper compound on the coupler. You could also go with 3-4 wraps of white teflon tape instead of the compound.

I used thread seal when I made the connection. It looks like the only option is to try it again. Thanks for the tip

Sometimes you need a lot of pipe compound if space is tight and you can't get enough leverage to tighten the coonection. Before taking it apart see if you can get a better grip on the pipe and maybe tighten a bit more. If that fails then take it apart, clean of the compound and put fresh compound on the pipe threads and some inside the coupler too.

I have a feeling that I just didn't use enough compound. I put the compound on and used vicegrips and a wrench to get as tight as I could. I am going to take the assembly apart tonight and wrap some teflon around the threads. I'll get back to you to see what happens.

Two pipe wrenches will give you a lot more tightening power than those vise grips. I call mine Vise Slips since they never seem to grip.