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I'm using the following fitting to join PVC pipes to the brass valve, my concern is that the recommended 3-8 wraps of teflon tape and finger tight plus 1-2 turns didn't cut it. I end up using about 20 wraps of tape and I probably turn it a bit more using a wrench and now no leaks whatsoever.

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Is there a different way to join brass and PVC pipes? This is a permanent installation (I can't even unscrew it without cutting the pipes), can I have any problems with it the way it was done?

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This is the standard method of attaching PVC pipe to threaded fittings. More turns and less tape. Pipe threads are tapered, in my experience 1-2 turns past hand tight is not nearly enough (and I generally only use 3 turns of Teflon tape).

Make sure that your brass ball valve is not cracked, brass is fairly soft and I have seen the threaded part of brass valves crack longitudinally due to over-tightening, especially with some of the cheap thin imported crap valves these days.

If you want to be able to unscrew it later without cutting the pipes, install a union.

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    Nothing is leaking or cracked. So far so good. About the tape, with less wraps it always leaked, my guess is that the threads in the male are "deeper" than in the female. Also, no need to disassemble in the future. Just in case of failure (which was why i was worried if there was a more correct way). – Luiz Borges Aug 2 '14 at 21:51
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    Yes, I have seen very shallow threaded valves which are not deep enough to tighten on the taper of the male before bottoming out. No leaks, no worries! – Jimmy Fix-it Aug 3 '14 at 0:17
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install a pvc union before the ball valve and use pipe dope (Teflon sealant) instead of the Teflon tape.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RectorSeal-T-Plus-2-4-oz-Teflon-Pipe-Thread-Sealant-23631/100201204

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