Overheard a plumber tell his apprentice 'tighten it until it breaks, then back it off half a turn' at the supply house yesterday

I was picking up some flashing and got a chuckle out of that, but it actually made me think about how much we rely on feel in this line of work. Has anyone else heard weird trade wisdom that stuck with you?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarmurphy13d ago

Tighten to the torque spec, not until something cracks.

harper_smith13d ago

I just snapped a bolt on my 98 Civic's valve cover using a torque wrench set to 8 lb-ft, so I kinda disagree @oscarmurphy. The spec said 8, I tightened to 8, and it cracked the cover anyway. That spec is probably for a clean dry bolt on a fresh gasket, not for my old rusty mess. So sometimes I go with "snug plus a quarter turn" and it works way better than following the book. You gotta feel it, not just trust the number.