Turning the nut or tap clockwise will tighten it whilst turning it counter clockwise will loosen it.
Round wheel handle (gate) valves will close (turn off) by turning the handle to the right (clockwise). A few turns should stop the wheel. Handle (ball) valves should be slowly turned clockwise 1/4 turns. The handle should no longer parallel the pipe and stop at a 1/4 turn.
Besides tightening your fittings properly, you should also know how to wrap the threads of the pipe. In general, you should wrap pipe threads in the direction of tightening. This is known as the “righty tighty – lefty loosey” principle. For loosening, you can turn the pipe counterclockwise.
FAQs About Tightening and Loosening
Some examples of items with left-handed threads are lug nuts, steering wheel bolts, propane tanks, hoses, and some kinds of vacuum extractors.
First, place the female coupling of the garden hose onto the male coupling of the water source (such as a spigot or faucet). Then, twist the female coupling clockwise with your hand until a connection is made to its washer, and then just a quarter-turn to half-turn more to fasten the male and female couplings securely.
Check That Your Hose Bib Is Off
To ensure it's closed, simply turn the handle on your outdoor spigot all the way to the right in a clockwise direction until it stops.
Slip the cut end of the hose into the compression coupling and twist the collar clockwise to tighten the seal and secure your water hose repair.
Most standard screws, bolts or nuts are unscrewed by turning them anti-clockwise, as shown in the image below. A good way to remember this is to try and commit to memory the phrase that all junior mechanics learn – righty tighty, lefty loosey. Be aware though that like most rules, there are exceptions!
Turning the nut or tap clockwise will tighten it whilst turning it counter clockwise will loosen it.
So, if your orientation is looking from ABOVE and looking down on the piping (ie. looking from the sink down to the floor), you will need to turn it COUNTER- CLOCKWISE. This will unscrew it from U shaped piece and towards the top (90 degree) piece.
You can tell by the handle placement whether the valve is opened or closed: when it is in the open position, the handle lies flat, in alignment with the flow, and when it is closed, the handle is perpendicular to the flow.
Almost all threaded objects obey this rule except for a few left-handed exceptions described below. The reason for the clockwise standard for most screws and bolts is that supination of the arm, which is used by a right-handed person to tighten a screw clockwise, is generally stronger than pronation used to loosen.
Now that you know what clockwise is, all you have to do is reverse it to find the counterclockwise direction! Counterclockwise involves a turn to the left, against the direction of a clock's hands.
Because most people are accustomed to using the right hand, it is easier to turn clockwise than counterclockwise when using the right hand. Therefore, it is more reasonable to turn the switch counterclockwise to open and clockwise to close in terms of energy-saving or safety.
Turning to the left loosens the plumbing fitting; turning to the right tightens it. Remembering this simple rhyme can prevent a bad seal and stripped fittings.
To shut off the water supply, turn the valve clockwise to close. To turn the water back on, simply turn the valve anti-clockwise. Turn it on and off slowly, never force it. if you over tighten or use excessive force to operate the stop tap you may damage it.
When it comes to which way you should turn the valve, keep in mind the old saying “righty tighty, lefty loosey.” In other words, turning a valve clockwise or to the right, will restrict the flow of water, while turning it counterclockwise or to the left, will allow water to flow.
First shut off the water to the leaking water valve. Next remove the handle from the stem and then loosen and remove the packing nut. Remove the old washer and slide on the new one. Reinstall the packing nut, tighten lightly with a wrench (don't over tighten at this or any other point) and reattach the handle.