Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 23

Thread: Anyway to fix a tiny leak?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,789

    Anyway to fix a tiny leak?

    I have pvc connected to a outside faucet that runs around the house to an faucet in the back. It was there when I bought the house 6 years ago; I drain it religiously each winter. This year a joint is leaking; about a drip every minute; wasn't there in October.

    I have some "Flextape" they claim will stop leaks. I suspect they mean on unpressurized lines, but this is almost unpressurized. Would that work?
    Or maybe pack some epoxy putty around the joint?

    Any other suggestions? I really don't want to replace it for something so trivial.

    Of course, it might fill with crud and stop leaking all by itself. Maybe. I had a leaking pipe from a bad solder joint. When I reduced the pressure from 90psi to 55 it stopped. This house is 65psi. I would reduce it, but the pressure reducer is behind a tiny access door; if it starts leaking from being turned I would have to rip a wall out. (I loath the guy who built the house; he did so many stupid things)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Suwanee, Ga
    Posts
    372
    Flex tape worked well for a punctured pipe I had. It's a temporary fix, but mine held for a few months till the landlord fixed it permanently.
    Epilog Fusion M2 40 Watt CO2 Laser

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,506
    Wade, can you get all the way around the joint, 360º?
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 05-02-2018 at 1:37 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    beavercreek oh
    Posts
    121
    Try a hose clamp with a piece of inner tube type rubber under it. On the other hand it's probably pretty easy to cut the leaking joint off and replace.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,789
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    Wade, can you get all the way around the joint, 360º?
    I can get around enough to slip some tape in, but just barely.

    Now that I think of it, I used hose clamps about 15 years ago. Hose clamps over the tape ought to be pretty permanent.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Putney, Vermont
    Posts
    1,042
    I had a leak in my abs drain pipe to the septic tank, at the cement wall going outside.
    I found Plast-Aid online at amazon and it has held for the past 2 years.
    Plumbers use it a lot.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,905
    blow dry with air then paint pvc cement over the leak. it might soak into the crack and seal it up. If not no harm done and use rubber patch with hose clamp. I suppose you could pull a vacuum on the pipe to suck in the glue. A shop vac would be enough.
    Bil lD.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,789
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    blow dry with air then paint pvc cement over the leak. it might soak into the crack and seal it up. If not no harm done and use rubber patch with hose clamp. I suppose you could pull a vacuum on the pipe to suck in the glue. A shop vac would be enough.
    Bil lD.
    I thought about that. Prime first, or just the cement?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,905
    No idea. Is suppose you could cut off a piece of scrap and glue it over the leak with a hose clamp to keep it tight until the glue dries. If it butts up to the fitting it might work. Similar to a glue on saddle tee.
    Bill D

  10. #10
    I can't help but think that "fixing" it would be a lot easier than using the "bandaids" that others have suggested.
    PVC is probably one of the easiest materials to work with.
    Just cut the offending piece out, and rejoin it with a coupling. Easy peazy!!

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by daryl moses View Post
    I can't help but think that "fixing" it would be a lot easier than using the "bandaids" that others have suggested.
    PVC is probably one of the easiest materials to work with.
    Just cut the offending piece out, and rejoin it with a coupling. Easy peazy!!
    +1 They make a slip on fitting just for patching a leak in a pipe run. You glue one side and then the other side slides on without glue. The unit expands so you compress it to allow you to get it between two pieces of pipe, glue one side and then slide the slip fitting on to the other side. I haven't priced them - just examined them at Home Depot - but it would sure make it easy when you can't move the two pieces of pipe to get a patch in.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,506
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    +1 They make a slip on fitting just for patching a leak in a pipe run. You glue one side and then the other side slides on without glue. The unit expands so you compress it to allow you to get it between two pieces of pipe, glue one side and then slide the slip fitting on to the other side. I haven't priced them - just examined them at Home Depot - but it would sure make it easy when you can't move the two pieces of pipe to get a patch in.

    Mike
    +2 The use of a slip joint is one reason I asked if he had complete access to 360º of the joint. I would consider cutting out the leaking joint including some more PVC pipe and replacing the joint without it being a slip joint. I have a lot of experience repairing the PVC in my irrigation system circuits as we have changed our landscaping regularly and I have found the existing pipe using a shovel too many times.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  13. #13
    In a pinch i've drilled the shoulder out of a regular coupling and used it as a slip joint. Where there's a will there's a way.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Greater Manor Metroplex, TX
    Posts
    264
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    +1 They make a slip on fitting just for patching a leak in a pipe run. You glue one side and then the other side slides on without glue. The unit expands so you compress it to allow you to get it between two pieces of pipe, glue one side and then slide the slip fitting on to the other side. I haven't priced them - just examined them at Home Depot - but it would sure make it easy when you can't move the two pieces of pipe to get a patch in.

    Mike
    +3. The PVC tape is a short term fix and will not perform well after freeze/thaw cycle.

    Cut the pipe and use a slip joint to fix.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    Is the leak in the pipe or a fitting?

    I have changed out hose bibs that were leaking. A pipe wrench and thread sealant is all you need.

    Otherwise, a knowledgeable neighbor or a plumber might be in order. Don't wait until it is an emergency.
    I had a hose connection fail one night and was flooding the yard. I had to turn off the water and call a plumber.
    A plumber call at night is an expensive event.
    Last edited by lowell holmes; 05-04-2018 at 11:37 AM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •