I cannot find one source on the Internet that addresses what to do when you’ve wrapped the threads with Teflon, threaded the fitting on and threaded until it’s pointing in the right direction, and it’s not tight but it won’t go around again.
The most common example is shower head nipples but the same problem applies with drop fittings. I’ve included some examples.
I did the customary 3 wrap, and wasn’t tight enough, so I unwrapped and did 7 wrap. That worked on one, another took 10.
I mean, this is the way to do it, but why can’t I find anyone online admitting that this janky method is the solution. And if there is some other trick, please let me know cuz baby needs a new pair of shoes and I ain’t got time for this.
EDIT: this isn’t an answer, but it solved my problem. I replaced the elbow fittings with straight fittings and I used elbows in the pipes instead. This way I could crank down on the threaded fittings.
Best Answer
I was taught to never exceed 3 wraps of Teflon tape, because all it is there for is to lubricate the threads and fill in the microscopic gaps between the tapered threads. Too much tape and you interfere with the threads meshing to hold pressure, so you end u relying on the tape to do that, and it was not designed for that purpose. If you read the instructions that come with the tape, it probably says that.