APPLICATION NOTE #1
Fittings and Sealants
When selecting a fitting and/or sealant for use with an Airtrol Component, the following parameters must be considered:
- Compatibility with the wetted materials.
- Compatibility with the system media.
- Ease of application.
Airtrol recommends plastic fittings whenever possible, especially in Airtrol Components which feature a female 10-32 port. Airtrol B-062-N and B-125-N barbed fittings seal bubble tight to 100PSI without the use of a sealant. The B-062-P and B-125-P barbed fittings are molded in polysulfone and can offer the added benefit of being solvent bonded in place. Contact an Airtrol application engineer for more information regarding this option.
When using Airtrol Components with a pipe thread port connection, the choice of sealant is of major concern. Sealants containing chlorinated solvents, cyanoacrylates, or any type of “thread locking” compounds must be strictly avoided. This includes sealant use in any part of a system where destructive fumes could be carried to an Airtrol Component.
Teflon tape is our primary recommendation for all applications.
For applications requiring the use of a pipe dope/sealant, we recommended Loctite product number MR 5438 – “No More Leaks”
In pipe thread applications, it is important to remember that overtightening will break the plastic component. Airtrol recommends conservative use of Teflon tape, followed by tightening no more than one turn beyond finger tight (PT-switches), or more than two turns beyond finger tight (800-series regulators), The pipe threads in Airtrol Components are 1/8-27 SAE-short series and may appear to be insufficiently engaged when properly installed.
