There's a big difference between sewer and water lines, and then high pressure hydraulic lines. Thread sealant is called "sealant" for a reason. The instructions in my hydraulic kits from CNH called for using thread sealant on the NPT fittings. If you read about threads and sealing, you can understand how its the peaks and valleys that can never align perfectly due to how pointed or rounded they are. This causes spiral leaking under pressure.