Interesting Facts About Pipe Threads

A pipe thread is a spiral ridge on the end of a pipe. This will allow 2 or more pipes to be joined together. For male fittings, this thread will appear on the outer diameter of the pipe. For female fittings, on the other hand, it will appear on the inner diameter. If you rotate a male pipe end into a female thread, these two fittings become joined.

Main Industry Standards Pipe Manufacturers Follow

1. National Pipe Thread or NPT – This is a tapered thread that can make a close-fitting wet seal.
2. National Standard Free-Fitting Straight Mechanical Pipe Thread or NPSM – This is straight and just forms a mechanical seal. This is not used for liquid applications.

The Use Of Pipe Sealant

If you need to join NPT tapered pipe thread in order to make a leak-proof seal, professionals highly recommend using sealer like polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE tape. Do you know what the best known brand of sealing tape is? It is actually the Teflon.

The tape must be wound tight around the male threads, running in a similar direction as the lead thread to ensure that the turning motion of joining the pipes will follow the winding direction of the tape.

But why is sealing the tape important? Well, this will make it a lot easier to drive the male pipe deeper by allowing the threads to slip past each other while the filling minute gaps in order to prevent seepage. Moreover, it will make it easier to disassemble the joint whenever necessary by reducing thread galling.

Trivia Info Resource: www.impactpipepower.com