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Warning: the old timer at the hardware store told me to skip the pipe dope on my gas line and I'm glad I didn't listen
I was at a small hardware store in Bakersfield three Saturdays back picking up a new gas shutoff valve for my water heater. Some guy in his 70s, looked like he'd done this a thousand times, heard me ask the kid at the counter about pipe dope and just cut in. He told me real plumbers skip it and just crank the fitting tight, that thread sealant is for guys who don't trust their wrench. I nodded, bought the dope anyway, and used it. Two days later I'm reading up and everything says gas fittings need sealant rated for gas, yellow tape or the right paste, no exceptions. The kid at the counter was about to go along with the old guy too. I get that these guys have done it forever, but doing something wrong for 40 years still makes it wrong. Has anyone else had a veteran trade guy hand them advice that goes against what the code or the manual says?
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masonbell3d ago
Man, that old timer would've loved watching me try to seal a gas line with nothing but confidence and a cheap wrench. Good on you for using the right dope anyway, the guy at the counter almost sent you down a real bad road.
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