A decorator’s casual question revealed a costly mistake: three years of patching the same ceiling crack with the wrong product. The solution isn’t structural—it’s understanding why houses move and choosing a flexible sealant that moves with them.
That dripping compression fitting isn’t calling for another turn of the spanner—it’s begging you to stop. Every twist of the nut is crushing the olive, the tiny brass ring that creates the watertight seal, pushing it closer to irreversible damage. Understanding why over-tightening destroys rather than repairs could save you from cutting out and replacing your entire fitting.
