Pipe dope is a sealant used by a plumber to join the pipe and cover leaks or damages. It is a lubricant-type sealant that will help keep your pipes attached. Sometimes, the pipe dope can be used as Teflon on different pipes.
Thus, there are many uses of pipe dope since it is a lubricant sealant ready to use on different materials. If you mistake using Teflon tape on the wrong material, pipe dope could be your best solution.
Using pipe dope on water lines
You can use pipe dope on water lines since it’s a sealant & lubricant-based material. If your water line is leaking, you should use some pipe dope instead of Teflon tape because it will give you a reliable and durable solution. It will also be helpful to attach different pipes.
Using pipe dope on water lines is not a major concern since it’s a sealant and can work mainly on any materials. You can even use this pipe dope on your gas line to get the best result and to cover the leaks & damages.
If you’re unsure about using anything else on your water lines, you should ask your plumber to repair or replace the damaged lines.
Water lines need some sealant or anything else to stick to; if you want to join your water lines with one another, you cannot rely on Teflon tape. You need a solid liquid that will attach to the other pipe firmly and be there for a long time.
In that case, the dope pipe would be your best choice since it offers the best solution.
If your water lines or pipes are leaking, you can put some pipe dope over there and close the water flow. It is waterproof and will not come off your pipe skin, so you can undoubtedly apply this pipe dope over the leaks and get an instant solution.
Sticking to the other pipes may take a few minutes, but it will cover the leaks quickly.
When you want to join two different water lines together, you must use the right pipe dope and ensure that the pipe dope or sealant has that sticky ingredient to stick to those lines.
You’re always advised to use Teflon to join both gas lines & water lines, but the liquid sealant can do the same if you apply it.
You will find different types of pipe dope for joining your water lines; among them, you must choose the right one with a waterproof feature.
Fortunately, you will find that most of the sealants are waterproof and will stick to any materials, including plastic, metal, polycarbonate, and more. Still, you should purchase the water line pipes dope.
You can use other sealants or anything that will cover your water line leaks, but the pipe dope would be a great solution since it will help you join different water pipes. If you plan to make a new waterline, I’d say to go for Teflon or anything that will give you a flexible joining experience.
The pipe dope will not give you that flexibility since it’s a permanent covering or will stick the water lines permanently. If you think you will change or replace your damaged or used water lines, you should avoid using this pipe dope and go for the Teflon or other water lines tape.
They will give you the best solution.
Then what’s the purpose of using pipe dope on water lines? This solution is mainly best for covering leaks and repairing damaged water pipes; if you want a permanent solution, you should use pipe dope instead of any other solution.
It will dry and will cover that area by avoiding any water flowing from it.
For all these reasons, you can use pipe dope on your water lines to repair the damaged part or cover the leaks. Apart from that, the pipe dope will also help you to join different water lines or pipes together for a long time.
You must place two pipes firmly and then apply some pipe dope to fix them.
Is pipe Pro dope safe for drinking water?
According to NSF/ANSI certification, pipe pro dope is safe for drinking water. You can safely use this material to cover the water lines damage or leaks and drink that flowing water without any health risk.
The pipe pro dope is a liquid sealant that doesn’t contain harmful chemicals to damage the water PH level or anything.
Therefore, you don’t need to clean the pipe or avoid the first flow of water from your pipe. Once the sealant is dry, you can switch on your water pump to get fresh water from the water lines. It will not carry harmful chemicals or anything that can damage the water quality.
Instead, it will stick to the metal & plastic and won’t come off the surface.
Since the pipe pro dope will stick to your water lines and won’t come off the surface, this pipe pro dope is entirely safe for drinking water. The government also allows you and the plumbers to use liquid pipe dope solutions on water & gas lines since it won’t damage the quality.
You can follow the same and avoid polluting your drinking water.
Can I use pipe dope instead of Teflon tape for water lines?
Because of its sticky string characteristics and safety, you can use pipe dope instead of Teflon tape. The pipe dope is far stronger than Teflon tape to join different water lines & gas lines.
Therefore, you can surely use this dope on every pipe and join them or cover the broken water lines or leaks.
If you don’t rely on pipe dope, you can experiment using some Teflon & pipe dope on different plastic pipes. You will notice that pipe dope sticks to the surface firmly, but the Teflon may come off after a certain time.
Mainly, if you want to combine two different water lines, you should stick to using pipe dope since it will dry & firmly hold two water lines safely.
How long does pipe dope take to dry on water lines?
Pipe dope takes around half an hour to dry on water lines. On a typical pipe measuring between 0.5 and 3 inches (1.3 and 7.6 centimeters) in diameter, it takes the majority of pipe joint sealants anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to begin to set.
On the other hand, for the sealant to fully harden, it can take up to forty-eight hours in the case of larger pipes or systems exposed to high temperatures or constant vibrations. The first setting time may rise by as much as fifty percent if the surroundings are humid.
Most pipe joint sealants never completely solidify; instead, they stay slightly sticky so that they can expand and contract as needed within the pipe.
In short, the pipe dope will take around 15 minutes to perfectly stick to your water lines, and will become a permanent solution.
How do you seal water pipe threads with pipe dope?
You can seal water pipe threads with pipe dope through the following procedures:
Clean Needle and Thread:
It is necessary to clean the water pipe threads and remove any debris, oil, and scum before sealing the lines with pipe dope.
You might try scraping the muck out with a small screwdriver with a flat head and using some rubbing alcohol on a towel to cut through any residue that may be present. Completely dry the area.
Spread Out:
You can use the applicator brush or your finger to apply an even coating to the end threads of the male pipe. Because of this, the two pipes can be connected. It is essential to refrain from spreading the compound inside the pipes.
Thread Pipes:
After that, steer clear of any cross-threading that could ruin the threads. An excellent seal can be achieved on virtually any water-related threaded joint by applying a thin layer of pipe dope on top of the plumber’s tape.
This practice is common among plumbers.
Be careful not to turn them upside down or unnecessarily tighten the joints. First, use a wrench or your fingers (depending on the size), then add one or two additional smooth twists once the joints have been tightened.
Then you need to fight the impulse to turn them “just one more time, “as doing so puts you at risk of breaking the threads or enlarging the fitting, both of which can cause the seal to become disrupted.
Final Thoughts
Since you can use pipe dope on your water lines, you must be careful about its strength and other characteristics. You cannot depart your water lines once you use pipe dope to connect them. It will stick to the surface and will not come off after you use them for a long time like the Teflon tape.