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The whole 'just add more pipe dope' fix for a commercial grease trap line

I keep seeing guys on jobs slap a ton of pipe dope on a leaking joint in a 4-inch grease line, call it good, and walk away. That line in a restaurant kitchen sees constant heat cycles and fat, which breaks down that sealant fast. I saw a full line failure in a Tacoma strip mall six months after a 'quick fix' like that, and the cleanup bill was over five grand. Are we just being lazy, or is there a real argument for using sealant over properly torquing a mechanical joint?
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3 Comments
wells.brooke
That Tacoma cleanup cost more than the proper gasket.
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spencerl32
spencerl323mo ago
My buddy had a line let go behind a burger joint last year, total mess. @wells.brooke is right, that cheap fix always costs more later. Why not just do it right the first time?
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seth_carr
seth_carr1mo ago
Why do guys think slapping dope on a greasy joint is gonna hold when a proper mechanical joint is the actual fix? @wells.brooke already nailed it with that Tacoma example, five grand cleanup is no joke. That heat and fat cycle breaks down sealant way faster than people admit, so you're just kicking the can down the road.
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