Press coupling spit water under test... boss says I never pressed it

Asked by joe.plumb · Aug 17

So we did a small repipe in a ranch in Cherry Hill, all press, and when the boss put it under test one of my 3/4 couplings was spitting... he took one look and said I never pressed it. I swear I did. Then he showed me the pipe and there was no depth mark, because I skipped marking on couplings since "I could feel it seat"... Couple questions. Is it normal for an unpressed fitting to leak like that or did I just get lucky? And if I DID press it and it still leaked, what else causes that? Trying to not do this twice edit: boss redid it, passed. buying a marker for every pouch I own

2 replies

haddad_mech

Mechanical contractor (HVAC + plumbing) · 24 years · Burlington County, NJ

Mentor

You got lucky in the right way. A lot of the press fittings on the market now are designed to leak when they haven't been pressed, so you find them under test instead of months later behind drywall. It did its job. If a fitting is pressed and still leaks, the usual causes on our jobs: the pipe wasn't fully inserted, a burr or a rough cut nicked the O-ring, dirt on the pipe, a dented or out-of-round end, or the wrong jaw for the size. Cut square, deburr, wipe, mark, insert to the mark, press. Every time. Here's what I look for when I hire, by the way: somebody who marks depth on couplings too.

7 helpful · Aug 17

Exit117Plumber

plumbing student · Middlesex County, NJ

my uncle makes me mark depth and then he checks the mark after the press before he lets me move on. annoying but it works

4 helpful · Aug 17