The threads had some kind of fiber all over them which resembled a mass of hair pulled from a drain... What was this stuff?
I can't find teflon tape here. What is used as a thread sealant in this country? I need to reinstall a right-angle supply shutoff valve under the sink (it screws into the wall).
Any hardware store will have both the fibers (don't know what they are but the Swiss sure like them) as well as Teflon tape. If you ever come down to Nyon the hardware store Rochat has everything you can imagine. It's a real hardware store that caters to tradesmen and the public, with very helpful staff.
Rochat
Route de Divonne 46
1260 Nyon
thanks... I'll check there tomorrow. I wasn't able to find teflon tape in Jumbo nor the Migros home store. Not only do I need to seal the threads, I need to "index" the valve so that the outlet is pointing straight up. This will require something with some bulk to get the job done.
That mass of fiber was simply bizarre; I've never seen such a thing in the US.
Would you happen to know the French term for this tape? Is it ruban teĢflon or something else?
You could try asking for PTFE tape.
Both. It comes in the same little blue plastic rolls as it seemingly does everywhere.
If you need any other plumbing specific stuff there's a plumber's supply about 150 meters away, if you walk out Rochat's door go straight ahead through the parking lot and it's in the big industrial building on the left. But Rochat does have the teflon tape.
The traditional way of sealing threads is horse hair plus grease.
You can find the modern equivalents of these in Jumbo, you can also find white PTFE tape in a roll.
I'm shocked at how sloppy the thread fit is.
Teflon tape isn't sealing it. What's the
sealant that's used with the horse hair?
Ordinary grease?
I've just dug out what I have, and their names.
PTFE is best used for smaller / better fitting connections (brass etc). Here in the German part they didnt recognise the PTFE name but referred to it as 'Teflon' tape.
BUT
For the steel pipes / fittings you need something more bulky than PTFE tape, as you have found. The stringy stuff is actually hemp (Dichtungshanf in German)
The grease I have is called Spezial-Gewinde-Dichtungspaste (brand is neo-fermit) 'special thread sealing paste'
You wrap the hemp and grease around and then screw together into the position you want. Make sure you wrap the hemp the right way so it stays in place as you screw together.
I think it's fixed now. I replaced the entire valve. Only 5Sfr.
This new valve has a nylon ring which sits in a circumferential groove about four threads from the end. The ring acts like a nylock nut (I tend to fix cars, not houses) and allows me to index the valve to 12 o'clock without any leaks.
I'm going to enjoy sticking it to The Man when I buy a mini clothes washer next week.