I hate pipe dope...

[walterjay]

I have used oakum. I comes in handy and is a great sealant.

 

[danstraylee]

Sometimes you just have to get serious, like when dealing with gasoline piping and have the EPA breathing down your neck!
I got to the point where I'd use Teflon tape, then just a bit of Teflon paste over that, worked like charm and no leaks.
No leaks, no fines!

Teflon tape is not to be used for sealing a thread. It is for lubrication of threads only. For cheap industrial and home use RectorSeal is a good choice.

In my line of work I used Deacon 375-OXP, Dapco 2200, or for surfical sealing PPG PR-1782. Anything less was just asking for trouble. I would never ever even consider thread tape for a sealing solution.

 

[Thermo1223]

Depends if the person knows how to apply it correctly. propane and natural gas can degrade Teflon over time. you have to use yellow PTFE tape which is rated for gas use. well lets clarify that oatey and hercules has a gray tape that can be used but some jurisdictions may require the yellow tape for code purposes.

I was talking to my neighbor about this and he has a few plumber friends that said they were failed on inspection for only just PTFE tape on gas inspections. They actively wanted to see both saying it was code even on flares.

 

[bullwinkle]

I use Loctite 567 on almost everything, although really bad threads can need Teflon tape too…

 

[DCDG]

I was shown by an old school plumber how to use cotton thread sealing wick. Used this method for steam and hot water hookups on old cast iron radiators to make up valve and union connections along with dope.

 

[DCDG]

I was talking to my neighbor about this and he has a few plumber friends that said they were failed on inspection for only just PTFE tape on gas inspections. They actively wanted to see both saying it was code even on flares.

I can see that happening as PTFE doesn’t do a good job at sealing it’s a better lubricant.