Is is necessary to use the yellow "gas" tape rather than the white tape when assembling some pipe fittings for low pressure propane?
yellow teflon tape
- Thread starter Donald
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Originally Posted By: itguy08
For as cheap as the gas tape is I'd just buy it. This way you never have to wonder. And you can use it on other fittings too - I believe it is just a thicker tape.
Lowes is not giving away the yellow tape. It was $3.00, double the cost of the white tape.
There is also pink tape. I think that is thicker still.
For as cheap as the gas tape is I'd just buy it. This way you never have to wonder. And you can use it on other fittings too - I believe it is just a thicker tape.
Lowes is not giving away the yellow tape. It was $3.00, double the cost of the white tape.
There is also pink tape. I think that is thicker still.
I was always told to use the yellow tape when dealing with gas. As of late I've been using the paste since it works equally well for gas or water pipes.
Common sense would tell you to spend the $3.00 and get the correct product for gas. Gas is less dense than water, so gas will leak from a pipe thread on more occasions than water will. Yellow teflon tape provides better shred resistance and is superior at filling voids in thread imperfections. The improved sealing capability offers more protection so that gases are not released from a poorly sealed pipe joint.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: itguy08
For as cheap as the gas tape is I'd just buy it. This way you never have to wonder. And you can use it on other fittings too - I believe it is just a thicker tape.
Lowes is not giving away the yellow tape. It was $3.00, double the cost of the white tape.
There is also pink tape. I think that is thicker still.
Well it is double the thickness.
.
Originally Posted By: itguy08
For as cheap as the gas tape is I'd just buy it. This way you never have to wonder. And you can use it on other fittings too - I believe it is just a thicker tape.
Lowes is not giving away the yellow tape. It was $3.00, double the cost of the white tape.
There is also pink tape. I think that is thicker still.
Well it is double the thickness.
The Oatey yellow (0.004 in) is thicker than the Oatey pink (0.003). I have seen white 0.003, 0.0015 and 0.001 inch thick. Thicker is easier to work with.
http://www.oatey.com/Channel/Shared/ProductGroupDetail/38/Yellow_Gas_Line_Thread_Tape_with_PTFE.html
http://www.oatey.com/Channel/Shared/ProductGroupDetail/38/Yellow_Gas_Line_Thread_Tape_with_PTFE.html
http://www.oatey.com/Channel/Shared/ProductGroupDetail/38/Yellow_Gas_Line_Thread_Tape_with_PTFE.html
http://www.oatey.com/Channel/Shared/ProductGroupDetail/38/Yellow_Gas_Line_Thread_Tape_with_PTFE.html
Use yellow on gas for sure. Don't cheap out on this one, soap test it when after its together.
Our neighbour blew his house and himself up with propane years ago, no joke only the john was left sticking out of the floor, the rest of the house was gone.
Our neighbour blew his house and himself up with propane years ago, no joke only the john was left sticking out of the floor, the rest of the house was gone.
JHZR2
Staff member
I noticed when our furnace was replaced, that the installer used some green thick compound. Not the usual pipe dope that is a brownish-tan goop.
$3 is a small price to pay to do the job right... But there may be a better product still...
$3 is a small price to pay to do the job right... But there may be a better product still...
Originally Posted By: Donald
Is is necessary to use the yellow "gas" tape rather than the white tape when assembling some pipe fittings for low pressure propane?
Absolutely not. The color of the tape is really immaterial. In my business, we generally use Blue Monster (made by Mill-Rose) tape, which is .0035 thickness and not very expensive. It doesn't shred like the cheap import teflon, either. I've been able to negotiate a good price on it when I buy in quantity.
Having said that, the yellow tape in the home improvement stores is generally a better grade of tape than the cheap white stuff, so there's certainly no harm in using it. As far as I know, there's no industry standard for a particular color of teflon tape.
I will say this: if I were going to use the cheap tape, I'd put a thin coat of pipe dope on first. I've actually done this many times. With the thicker tape, whether it's domestic teflon, yellow, pink, or blue, you can usually get by with just using tape. I have constructed and tested numerous gas lines, including medium pressure and large diameter lines that require a 24-hour test with a recording gauge, and I know how to make them hold pressure.
Oh, also, if you use the yellow tape, you can use it on other things as well, anywhere you'd use regular teflon tape, so if you have some left over, it's not a waste.
Is is necessary to use the yellow "gas" tape rather than the white tape when assembling some pipe fittings for low pressure propane?
Absolutely not. The color of the tape is really immaterial. In my business, we generally use Blue Monster (made by Mill-Rose) tape, which is .0035 thickness and not very expensive. It doesn't shred like the cheap import teflon, either. I've been able to negotiate a good price on it when I buy in quantity.
Having said that, the yellow tape in the home improvement stores is generally a better grade of tape than the cheap white stuff, so there's certainly no harm in using it. As far as I know, there's no industry standard for a particular color of teflon tape.
I will say this: if I were going to use the cheap tape, I'd put a thin coat of pipe dope on first. I've actually done this many times. With the thicker tape, whether it's domestic teflon, yellow, pink, or blue, you can usually get by with just using tape. I have constructed and tested numerous gas lines, including medium pressure and large diameter lines that require a 24-hour test with a recording gauge, and I know how to make them hold pressure.
Oh, also, if you use the yellow tape, you can use it on other things as well, anywhere you'd use regular teflon tape, so if you have some left over, it's not a waste.
Originally Posted By: Stelth
Absolutely not. The color of the tape is really immaterial. In my business, we generally use Blue Monster (made by Mill-Rose) tape, which is .0035 thickness and not very expensive.
Came across Blue Monster months ago while researching PTFE tape. Saw it at Lowe's a couple months back and picked up a roll. Amazing stuff, re-connected my air hose fittings using 2 wraps and haven't had a leak. Mill-Rose manufactures numerous other thread tapes under their clean-fit product line. I also picked up a can of Blue Monster PTFE pipe thread sealant which I've yet to use.
Absolutely not. The color of the tape is really immaterial. In my business, we generally use Blue Monster (made by Mill-Rose) tape, which is .0035 thickness and not very expensive.
Came across Blue Monster months ago while researching PTFE tape. Saw it at Lowe's a couple months back and picked up a roll. Amazing stuff, re-connected my air hose fittings using 2 wraps and haven't had a leak. Mill-Rose manufactures numerous other thread tapes under their clean-fit product line. I also picked up a can of Blue Monster PTFE pipe thread sealant which I've yet to use.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Trav
Use yellow on gas for sure. Don't cheap out on this one, soap test it when after its together.
Our neighbour blew his house and himself up with propane years ago, no joke only the john was left sticking out of the floor, the rest of the house was gone.
NO bubble no trouble....
Use yellow on gas for sure. Don't cheap out on this one, soap test it when after its together.
Our neighbour blew his house and himself up with propane years ago, no joke only the john was left sticking out of the floor, the rest of the house was gone.
NO bubble no trouble....
I found this..
Quote:
There are two US standards for determining the quality of any PTFE tape. MIL-T-27730A (an obsolete military specification still commonly used in industry in the US) requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum PTFE purity of 99%.[3] The second standard, A-A-58092,[4] is a commercial grade which maintains the thickness requirement of MIL-T-27730A and adds a minimum density of 1.2 g/cc.[4] Relevant standards may vary between industries; tape for gas fittings (to UK gas regulations) is required to be thicker than that for water. Although PTFE itself is suitable for use with high-pressure oxygen, the grade of tape must also be known to be free from grease.[1]
Thread seal tape is most commonly found in the color white and is used in plumbing applications, but it is also available in various colors. White PTFE is single density, yellow is double density and pink is triple density. It is often used to correspond to color coded pipelines (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: yellow for natural gas, green for oxygen, etc.). These color-codes for thread sealing tape were introduced by Bill Bentley of Unasco Pty Ltd in the 1970s. In the UK, tape is used from coloured reels, e.g. yellow reels for gas, green for potable water.
White – used on NPT threads up to 3/8 inch
Yellow – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch, often labeled "gas tape"
Pink – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch
Green – oil-free PTFE used on oxygen lines and some specific medical gasses
Copper – contains copper granules and is certified as a thread lubricant but not a sealer
In Europe the BSI standard [censored]-7786:2006 specifies various grades and quality standards of PTFE thread sealing tape.
Quote:
There are two US standards for determining the quality of any PTFE tape. MIL-T-27730A (an obsolete military specification still commonly used in industry in the US) requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum PTFE purity of 99%.[3] The second standard, A-A-58092,[4] is a commercial grade which maintains the thickness requirement of MIL-T-27730A and adds a minimum density of 1.2 g/cc.[4] Relevant standards may vary between industries; tape for gas fittings (to UK gas regulations) is required to be thicker than that for water. Although PTFE itself is suitable for use with high-pressure oxygen, the grade of tape must also be known to be free from grease.[1]
Thread seal tape is most commonly found in the color white and is used in plumbing applications, but it is also available in various colors. White PTFE is single density, yellow is double density and pink is triple density. It is often used to correspond to color coded pipelines (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: yellow for natural gas, green for oxygen, etc.). These color-codes for thread sealing tape were introduced by Bill Bentley of Unasco Pty Ltd in the 1970s. In the UK, tape is used from coloured reels, e.g. yellow reels for gas, green for potable water.
White – used on NPT threads up to 3/8 inch
Yellow – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch, often labeled "gas tape"
Pink – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch
Green – oil-free PTFE used on oxygen lines and some specific medical gasses
Copper – contains copper granules and is certified as a thread lubricant but not a sealer
In Europe the BSI standard [censored]-7786:2006 specifies various grades and quality standards of PTFE thread sealing tape.
Originally Posted By: Trav
I found this..
Quote:
There are two US standards for determining the quality of any PTFE tape. MIL-T-27730A (an obsolete military specification still commonly used in industry in the US) requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum PTFE purity of 99%.[3] The second standard, A-A-58092,[4] is a commercial grade which maintains the thickness requirement of MIL-T-27730A and adds a minimum density of 1.2 g/cc.[4] Relevant standards may vary between industries; tape for gas fittings (to UK gas regulations) is required to be thicker than that for water. Although PTFE itself is suitable for use with high-pressure oxygen, the grade of tape must also be known to be free from grease.[1]
Thread seal tape is most commonly found in the color white and is used in plumbing applications, but it is also available in various colors. White PTFE is single density, yellow is double density and pink is triple density. It is often used to correspond to color coded pipelines (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: yellow for natural gas, green for oxygen, etc.). These color-codes for thread sealing tape were introduced by Bill Bentley of Unasco Pty Ltd in the 1970s. In the UK, tape is used from coloured reels, e.g. yellow reels for gas, green for potable water.
White – used on NPT threads up to 3/8 inch
Yellow – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch, often labeled "gas tape"
Pink – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch
Green – oil-free PTFE used on oxygen lines and some specific medical gasses
Copper – contains copper granules and is certified as a thread lubricant but not a sealer
In Europe the BSI standard [censored]-7786:2006 specifies various grades and quality standards of PTFE thread sealing tape.
Interesting. As far as I know, no such system is used in the US. I figured the colors were all just marketing, but at least they have some basis in the quoted standard. It looks like Mill-Rose has more-or-less followed this scheme for their tapes, although their white tape is available in .0025", .003", and .004" thicknesses. They also have a "stainless" tape available that contains nickel to help prevent galling.
I remember years ago attempting to buy some of the pink tape from a local supplier, and one of the counter guys said they didn't carry it any more. It didn't sell well, he said, maybe because the guys thought it was for sissies. I see that Mill-Rose now calls it "Red" tape, perhaps for this same reason, even though it's still pink. I never really thought my manliness would be threatened by the color of teflon tape I used! I use the white, blue, pink, and yellow tape interchangeably since there's no code requirement where I work to use a specific color for a specific service. Mostly I use Blue Monster for everything, since it doesn't carry the "premium" price tag of some of the others.
I found this..
Quote:
There are two US standards for determining the quality of any PTFE tape. MIL-T-27730A (an obsolete military specification still commonly used in industry in the US) requires a minimum thickness of 3.5 mils and a minimum PTFE purity of 99%.[3] The second standard, A-A-58092,[4] is a commercial grade which maintains the thickness requirement of MIL-T-27730A and adds a minimum density of 1.2 g/cc.[4] Relevant standards may vary between industries; tape for gas fittings (to UK gas regulations) is required to be thicker than that for water. Although PTFE itself is suitable for use with high-pressure oxygen, the grade of tape must also be known to be free from grease.[1]
Thread seal tape is most commonly found in the color white and is used in plumbing applications, but it is also available in various colors. White PTFE is single density, yellow is double density and pink is triple density. It is often used to correspond to color coded pipelines (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: yellow for natural gas, green for oxygen, etc.). These color-codes for thread sealing tape were introduced by Bill Bentley of Unasco Pty Ltd in the 1970s. In the UK, tape is used from coloured reels, e.g. yellow reels for gas, green for potable water.
White – used on NPT threads up to 3/8 inch
Yellow – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch, often labeled "gas tape"
Pink – used on NPT threads 1/2 inch to 2 inch
Green – oil-free PTFE used on oxygen lines and some specific medical gasses
Copper – contains copper granules and is certified as a thread lubricant but not a sealer
In Europe the BSI standard [censored]-7786:2006 specifies various grades and quality standards of PTFE thread sealing tape.
Interesting. As far as I know, no such system is used in the US. I figured the colors were all just marketing, but at least they have some basis in the quoted standard. It looks like Mill-Rose has more-or-less followed this scheme for their tapes, although their white tape is available in .0025", .003", and .004" thicknesses. They also have a "stainless" tape available that contains nickel to help prevent galling.
I remember years ago attempting to buy some of the pink tape from a local supplier, and one of the counter guys said they didn't carry it any more. It didn't sell well, he said, maybe because the guys thought it was for sissies. I see that Mill-Rose now calls it "Red" tape, perhaps for this same reason, even though it's still pink. I never really thought my manliness would be threatened by the color of teflon tape I used! I use the white, blue, pink, and yellow tape interchangeably since there's no code requirement where I work to use a specific color for a specific service. Mostly I use Blue Monster for everything, since it doesn't carry the "premium" price tag of some of the others.
How about when you are screwing the female end of a propane hose to a NPT male nipple. Still use tape?
Originally Posted By: Donald
How about when you are screwing the female end of a propane hose to a NPT male nipple. Still use tape?
I don't do much with propane hoses. If it's a flared connector, it shouldn't need sealant of any kind. If it's a gasketed connection, it shouldn't need sealant. If it's tapered NPT thread, then yes, I'd use teflon tape.
How about when you are screwing the female end of a propane hose to a NPT male nipple. Still use tape?
I don't do much with propane hoses. If it's a flared connector, it shouldn't need sealant of any kind. If it's a gasketed connection, it shouldn't need sealant. If it's tapered NPT thread, then yes, I'd use teflon tape.
I also use the paste and not the tape.
Don't cheap out. I like the peace of mind that I won't have to do it again or have something go BOOM.
With the poor quality of threading I see I just use yellow or Blue Monster for everything.
If I use a paste it's Gimme The Green Stuff(TM), used by countless plumbers, or if I have to get something from a box store Oatey PTFE (Yellow bottle.
With the poor quality of threading I see I just use yellow or Blue Monster for everything.
If I use a paste it's Gimme The Green Stuff(TM), used by countless plumbers, or if I have to get something from a box store Oatey PTFE (Yellow bottle.
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