Into-wall shower head, how much ptfe to stop leak?

[FiscoKing]

Hi,

I've got a shower head that screws into the tiled wall (male thread on chromed arm):

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h316/goodproducts101/Dsc00249.jpg
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h316/goodproducts101/DSC00248.jpg


I've put plenty ptfe tape on it and screwed it into the wall however, it still leaks. If I tighten the arm as mush as possibe, it ends up pointing at the toilet...

There are other threads on this forum that deal with this problem, but they just recoment using more ptfe tape.

I've got 15 turns on the male thread already. If I add more ptfe, will it disintegrate in the months years to come and cause a leak again, or is this method good for many years?

Any other options?

Thanks,

 

[bobthebender]

Is there anywhere inside the female fitting for a fibre or rubber washer to sit in.
If not then get some liquid ptfe and leave it to go off with shower in correct position.

 

[gas4you]

You could also try using loctite 55 jointing thread.

 

[FiscoKing]

I've spent the evening adding more and more ptfe tape. All it does it force the tape to the end of the thread.

I'm beginning to see that this screw in type shower head is a bad design. I did check the thread-in position before I mounted the angle adaptor to the wall however, every time I put the shower head in, it seems to twist a bit further.

I don't want the possibility of (another) flood downstairs in the years to come, so I may just go to screwfix tomorrow and buy one of these:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A334827&ts=62525&id=30223

Might mean throwing away the existing shower head too, but at least i know it will be watertight.

Thanks.

 

[clf-gas]

Loctite 55, best thing since hemp.

plumbers hemp

 

[ChrisR]

Your taping technique is faulty if it's all pushing to one end.

First use a hacksaw blade or similar to roughen up the thread, the grooves, the peaks, everything. You want the peaks of the threads to be heavily grooved sideways.
Then wind the tape the right way, and keep it tight as you do it.

Hold the object in your left hand with thread pointing to the right.
Hold end of tape with your left thumb, at the left end of the thread.
Wind upwards and away from you, down behind, and so on, from the left to the right.
When you've finished, force the tape into the thread with a thumbnail, all the way along the thread.
Then it won't push off, and you'll be able to back the fitting off if you need to.