Challenge The University of Wisconsin in Madison employs 40 steamfitters to maintain its central heating and cooling system in over 300 buildings. In one situation, the maintenance team was replacing some 3" diameter chilled water piping and was using a different style of piping. The threads had to be recut to make the fit and Teflon® tape was used to seal the joined piping. Later, callbacks were necessary due to leakage. The callbacks were costing more than the original repair because maintenance personnel had to tear everything apart and start the repair over again. At $40 an hour, the cost was adding up rapidly.

Loctite® 567™ PST® Thread Sealant is used in conjunction with Loquic® Primer N

Solution

Joe Baldwin, Craftsworker Supervisor, had recently attended Loctite® Manufacturing Reliability Training where he learned about Loctite® PST® 567 Pipe Sealant with Teflon.

Loctite® PST 567, used in conjunction with Loctite® Primer N, seals stainless steel, galvanized and other inert metal fittings. It’s excellent for high pressure applications up to 10,000 psi on NPT fittings ranging from 1/2" to over 3". Loctite® PST 567 withstands continuous temperatures from -65°F to +400°F.

Results

After applying Loctite® PST 567 to the pipe threads, no leaks occurred, and no callbacks were necessary. Now Joe and his team use Loctite® PST 567 proactively. “Loctite® PST Pipe Sealant may cost a little more (as compared to traditional methods of pipe sealing such as Telfon tape and pipe dope) but it more than pays for itself because we use it only once and never get a callback,” said Joe. “Now wherever we absolutely, positively don’t want any leaks, we use and trust Loctite® PST 567.”