(I am a complete noob when it comes to plumbing and I probably even use the wrong terms. So apologies in advance!)
I have a water source in my bathroom that was originally intended for a washing machine. But for now, I am using it for a hand-held bidet. I have a bidet with a rather long hose (the toilet seat is on the other side of the bathroom) and connected it to the valve using an adapter.
Now, the problem is no matter how sealed I try to make it, the water still leaks around the adapter. Obviously, when I open the valve, the bidet output is shut and there is always pressure on the fitting.
I am using a washer on the male side of the adapter and plenty of teflon tape.
How can I make a leak-free seal? Should I use a different type of valve, adapter, …?
Best Answer
This is a compression fitting. A seal is achieved through a rubber gasket \ washer which gets compressed between two surfaces. The image below shows a compression fitting and the corresponding gasket (black ring).
Such a fitting can leak for the following reasons:
Gasket is missing. Sometimes they fall out during transport and people don't notice that they are absent.
Gasket is damaged or deformed. This can happen because of over-tightening or when the gasket is of very low quality.
Fitting is damaged, so that it does not uniformly compress the gasket.
To fix the leak, unscrew the fitting and replace the gasket with a new one. Take the fitting with you to a plumbing supply store so you can be sure to buy the correct size.
Teflon tape is not required. It is only useful in sealing tapered threads.
On a side-note I don't understand why you need to use such a long hose all the way from the other end of the washroom. A toilet already has a water connection which is used to fill its tank for flushing. You can install a Tee adapter or valve to split the supply.