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Boss White question

View the thread, titled "Boss White question" which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

1

1bit

At the weekend I purchased a tub of Boss White Jointing Compound and have opened it for the first time (ive never used this before) and seen that its a greenish colour? - is this right? I thought as it was called Boss "white" along with other similar "white" compounds that it must be white? then, I noticed on the lid is a serial number and the date March 2012 - is this stuff out of date and should i take it back?

thanks
 
nah its oily on the top (ive only lifted the lid off and looked inside) but its green-ish colour and some of it has stuck too the lid and harden slightly...formed a 'crust' if you will - not loads, just a bit.

what u reckon? is the date on the top a manufacturing date or best before date? should I take it back?

thanks
 
It contains linseed oil and it needs mixed. As it uses linseed oil don't use this on potable water, plastic water tanks or plastic toilet cisterns as it's toxic and it corrodes plastic. Same goes for standard linseed oil putty. Use Boss Green instead.

I personally prefer Fernox paste, but everyone has their own favourite brand.
 
its a grey-ish color with tint of green, i used a lolly stick to check under the top layer and its all the same and it seems to be a bit tough as if its gone of slightly.

Iam using it on a new compression radiator valve fitting that Iam having leak issues with, tried replacing olive, pipe, without and with PTFE, ive re-sit it about 8 times but no luck , this is my 10th Rad Valve install and only one thats leaked and it wont stop, so I have been told to try a fair bit of PTFE on the olive and some Boss White paste on the threads - the leak is coming out of the threads.

Do you think I should take it back?
 
if your using it for anything domestic then change it for a potable paste just ask them down the merchants , boss white can be quite messy as well
 
1bit said:
its a grey-ish color with tint of green, i used a lolly stick to check under the top layer and its all the same and it seems to be a bit tough as if its gone of slightly.

Iam using it on a new compression radiator valve fitting that Iam having leak issues with, tried replacing olive, pipe, without and with PTFE, ive re-sit it about 8 times but no luck , this is my 10th Rad Valve install and only one thats leaked and it wont stop, so I have been told to try a fair bit of PTFE on the olive and some Boss White paste on the threads - the leak is coming out of the threads.

Do you think I should take it back?
Click to expand...

loctite 55 ,,,,,sorted
 
Sounds like air has got into it and it's gone off. Buy some Fernox LSX and this will seal your leak.
 
thanks for the replies and suggestions, i forgot too add its a chrome valve & nut (if that helps??)

I will take it back to the handymans now...didnt get it from a merchants and you know how handyman shops always have old stock...canny bloke like he wont be aware, I will get my £3 back unless he has some of the above mentioned sealers which I dont think he has.

thanks
 
so... got my money back.. the remaining 2 tubs he had were also greeny/grey colour, he said cant be out of date as he sells loads of them?? his other tubs had 2011 date on them so couldnt be shifting that many? - got my few quid back lol

so... loctite 55 ...or... Fernox LSX - which one? can I get these at QnB or FixScrew?

thanks
 
Loctite 55 is a king of string fibre enriched will prfe
Lsx is a paste
Have you over tightened the nut and deformed pipe
 
the pipe has been replaced once already, as mentioned earlier I've tried all variations of PTFE on threads, olive, without PTFE before that, and re-sitted it several times, eventually over-tightened then replaced the pipe and olive and got same results, so tried PTFE tape again on threads, same result, PTFE on olive...same result...tightned it further...same result... I am going to try again with the paste mentioned above, if it seals the threads then I should be ok as its coming through the threads only. if not then Iam going to replace the pipe and olive and try a brass nut
 
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What exactly have you replaced? the whole valve and the nipple that goes into the radiator?. The way I always fit a radiator valve is to get the nipple that goes into the radiator and wrap PTFE around it 18-19 times I don't use paste but hey it wont hurt. As for the boss white being off, man alive you should see some of the stuff ive used in the past, seriously unless its solid it wont hurt. With compression (olive) joints, I always just nip it up about a quarter turn after it goes finger tight. You can always pinch it later if it weeps a little but go to far to start with and your in trouble. I normally smear a little boss white on the olive but its not a must. In my opinion id say you havnt used enough tape on the nipple originally hope this helps.
 
At first I didnt use any tape on the nipple at all as your not supposed to, but I admit later on I only wrapped it around the nipple about 4-5 times, and on the threads (when i used PTFE) about 3-4 times

I think the main concern about the Boss White was that if its half off already then it wouldnt last much longer, plus after seeking advice on here I find out there is better stuff that is designed to seal leaks in nuts whereas Boss White is just a lubricant but can be used to seal.

A quarter turn after finger tight, I will remember that - I didnt over-tighten at first (or with second pipe/olive) , I have fitted loads of these valves previously (as well as umpteen compression elbows/couplers) and this is the first one giving me jip! hehe so Iam familiar with the "feel" when its tightened up - the nut also screws much further in than the previous valves, I personally think the threads profile (either on nut or valve) that is at fault here, I think they are too wide and why it doesnt tighten up like the others and leaks! - like I say I will try the sealant either Loctite 55 or the other one and see how that goes, otherwise I will use a a new section of pipe, new olive and a brass nut from an elbow and see if that works.

thanks for the tips...

anyone else care to help decide which is best stuff to use? Loctite 55 or LSX...?


cheers
 
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Are you using the nut of an old valve and putting it onto the new valve? That can be a problem because sometimes the copper sticking out above the olive hits the back of the inside of the valve before the olive is inside the chamfer of the valve. Pull back the nut push the pipe home into the valve and look if the olive seats inside. You may just need to cut a bit of the copper of the end of the pipe after the olive carefully with a hacksaw.
 
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no Iam using the chrome nut that came with the valve.

@ hammers4spanners - yes that is the same valve lol... seems this thread (about the Boss white I had) has now turned into discussion about that lol, at moment the leak is very small and have the jug sitting under it until it gets done, the living room is a building site anyway so no mad rush!! lol - every 24 hours theres about 100ml in the jug, I empty it and top up the system slightly always keeping pressure at 1.3 BAR

hammers4spanners you recommend the loctite 55 over the LSX - why? I dunno which one to get
 
I use Loctite and all the others but I still stand by boss white as an acceptable product the op says its a lubricant well no its definitely a sealant, i've used it on literally thousands of screwed joints on up to 2.5 inch and very rarely have I had an issue. Times move on I guess and new products come to market.
 

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