LP LEAK- how do i remove a stubborn fitting?

[mary and bob]

I have to agree with Ron, sealant is not used on a flare fitting. And of course there are single and double flares.

[dylanear]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

I have to agree with Ron, sealant is not used on a flare fitting. And of course there are single and double flares.

I have no experience using a sealant so can't say I have personal experience of it causing problems. But before modifying my propane lines last summer I did plenty of reading consulted several propane/plumbing professionals and the all said some variation of the same thing, "Don't use any sealants or tape on flare fittings, if you find you need something like that you are not making proper flare fittings and you'll likely have more trouble down the road."

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

Be very careful and dab some on the back side of the flair.

If by "the back" you mean the side the nut bears against, I think all this is doing is keeping the nut from seating evenly against the flared tubing, and thus potentially interfering with the fitting working properly. The nut in a flare fitting is entirely mechanical; the seal is entirely between the inside surface of the flared section of the tubing and the conical part of the fitting. Sealing between the nut and tubing accomplishes nothing.

I'm not sure what "back" and "front" would mean in a flare joint. "Inside" and "outside" of the tubing seems clear.

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

Every nut and bolt on that thing was safety wired to prevent it accidentally coming apart in the air. To this day I use thread lock and thread sealant where I can just to have the additional peace of mind.

Sure, but safety wiring and thread locking material prevents accidental loosening of the fastener and neither interferes with or attempts to reproduce the action of the fastener. Sealant on a flare fitting isn't helping it.

If the problem with a flare fitting was the nut loosening, then thread lock on the threads (nowhere near the flare) might help, but does this ever happen? I have never heard of it.

[alan H]

Growing up in a plumbing / lp gas business & hardware store....You never apply anything to flared fittings.....the "flare" on the gas line along with the matching fittings is all that you should need (If flared correctly) and you never ever use compression fittings on gas.......these are in basic plumbing issues that are addressed in plumbing standards at least in the state of new york standards